Elephantine Island & Aswan Museum

Discover the fascinating history of Elephantine Island, one of the most important sites in ancient Egypt, sitting in the middle of the Nile at Aswan. Take a short ferry ride to the island and begin at the Aswan Museum, which houses artifacts spanning thousands of years found on and around the island. Your guide brings the collection to life with stories of the ancient frontier town that guarded Egypt's southern border. Explore the ruins of the Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed god believed to control the Nile's flood. Visit the ancient Nilometer, a series of stone steps descending into the river, used for millennia to measure the annual flood and predict the harvest. Wander through the charming traditional village on the island's southern tip, enjoying views across the Nile to the desert and the Tombs of the Nobles carved into the hillside.