Nubian village Aswan private tour: what private changes here
The sights themselves sit apart from one another. Philae stands on Agilkia island and is reached by motorboat, the Unfinished Obelisk lies in the granite quarry, and the High Dam is a roadside stop above Lake Nasser.
It also helps with the villages. Pickup from Gharb Soheil or the islands costs $10 per person extra on several tours. The painted houses in the photo belong to that west bank world; the private tours below cover the temple and dam side, and the felucca ride gives you the river between them.
All prices are per person and current as of November 2026.
Our picks: private tours
Philae with your own guide, a morning with the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk, and a felucca to Elephantine.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private tour: High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae
Four hours with an English-speaking guide, hotel transfer and the boat to Philae. Entry fees are only included if you pick the matching option.
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Private guided tour of Philae Temple with entry
Entry tickets, hotel transfer, an English-speaking guide, the motorboat and water are included. Food, other drinks and tips are not.
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Felucca ride to Elephantine and the Botanical Garden
Two hours with hotel transfer, a private guide, about an hour under sail and water. Entry to the Botanical Garden is not included.
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Philae with your own guide, a morning with the High Dam and Obelisk, and a felucca on the Nile.
Private Philae tour with entry: three hours
This is the simplest private option. The three hour tour covers hotel transfer, an English-speaking guide, water, the motorboat to Agilkia, the entry ticket and taxes. At $68 per person there is nothing more to add at the gate, where the Philae ticket alone is EGP 550 for foreign adults. You see the Temple of Isis, the Hathor temple and the Trajan Kiosk at your own speed with a guide beside you.
It suits couples and first-time visitors who want the temple and little else. A shared Philae half day with a guide costs $45, and its entry ticket comes only with the matching option, so the gap narrows once you add the ticket.
High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae in four hours
The $70 private tour links three stops. At the High Dam you look over a wall 111 m high and 3,830 m long. The Unfinished Obelisk lies cracked in its quarry, a block that would have stood about 42 m tall. The boat to Philae closes the morning. Hotel transfer, transport, an English-speaking guide and the Philae motorboat are in the price, and entry fees come only with the matching option. For foreign adults those tickets are EGP 550 for Philae and EGP 220 for the Obelisk.
Families and friends who want the full Aswan classics in half a day will like the pace: a four hour block with three sights and one driver for all of them.
Felucca to Elephantine and the Botanical Garden
At $15 per person this is the cheapest way to spend two hours with a private guide. The felucca sails about an hour towards Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden on Kitchener Island, with hotel transfer and water included. Entry to the garden is not, so budget a little extra if you want to walk through it. It works well after a hot morning at the temples, or as a gentle plan for a couple.
Private or small group: which to choose
If you want the Nubian village itself, the six hour combined tour at $98 per person adds a village visit to the High Dam, Obelisk and Philae, with an English-speaking Egyptologist, the Philae boat and entry fees included.
Private tours in Aswan: your questions
How much is a private Philae tour per person?
The three hour private tour with entry costs $68 per person. It includes the hotel transfer, an English-speaking guide, water, the motorboat and the Philae ticket.
Are entry tickets included?
On the Philae tour they are. On the High Dam, Obelisk and Philae tour they come only with the matching option; the ministry prices are EGP 550 for Philae and EGP 220 for the Unfinished Obelisk, for foreign adults.
How long do the private tours last?
The felucca ride takes two hours, the Philae tour three hours and the High Dam, Obelisk and Philae tour four hours.
What does pickup from Gharb Soheil cost?
On several tours pickup from Gharb Soheil or the islands costs $10 per person extra, while pickup at an Aswan hotel is included.