Sehel Village
A Nubian Village: Seheyl Island Village
Your captain will sail along the desert at west bank side, see lots of birds, due to the Cataract you can feel and hear the force of the Nile under your boat. At the westbanks camels lie in the sand, Nubian artifacts and souvenirs are sold there, but your captain will not stop, instead the current will carry you further south – in direction of the highdam.
Then you arrive at Sehel Island and its Nubian village there.
Maybe a group of children will sing for you while an old man beats the Darabuca. People will invite you to visit their house, where you will receive a glass of tea. Probably they will show you small crocodiles which are being kept as pets, you can see the kitchen and the stove where bred is homemade.
Women will offer you Nubian jewellery.
When finished, your boat will take you around the island, to return to Aswan along the eastbank.
If you are interested in archaeological sites, we recommend to sail around the island and see the ancient inscriptions! More info, please click here.
Good to know
Seheyl Village is less touristic than Gharb Seheyl Village. Anyway i did not feel comfortable there. I understand that its the people living to welcome tourists and ask for „baksheesh“.
Unfortunately children have become used to begging in the touristic villages. Nubians and Egyptians have asked me to advise you, that it is better to give them pens, sweets, … instead of money. Otherwise they’d loose respect for the work and income of their parents.
The purchase of Nubian handiworks is also possible in these touristic villages. But there is never any obligation to buy!
I prefer to be transparent for Natives and want to be transparent for them. This is why i recommend to visit the north of Gharb Aswan. Where you will not be invited, where people do not want to be photographed or disturbed, where no souvenirs are being sold. Where they want you to behave with respect of their privacy.
Take a bottle of water and a headpiece against the sun with you. Long clothes and suncream will help you not to get a sunburn.
Price and advice
The Cataract is famous
Large outcroppings of granite make the flow of the river unpredictable and difficult to traverse by boat.
Thats why we are offering motorboat for a faster and easier trip to visit Old Dam and / or Seheyl:
Hourly Felucca Motorboat: $15
If you prefer to sail with Felucca:
Felucca and captain for 1 – 4 guests
Sail and visit Sehel: $98
Including motorboat to tear the felucca upstream, against the current, across the cataract.
Or – in case the wind is good enough – sail with time to visit Old Dam and return very relaxed. If you like with one other stop on the way.
A bigger felucca cannot navigate across the cataract. That’s why only the price for the Usual Felucca is given (1-4 guests).
Private boat for you only
In any case you will always enjoy your private boat tour. Aswan-Individual promises: with us you will never share a vehicle or boat with other guests. The captain(s) or driver will always serve you only, without any hassle.
Tea and coffee are for free.
For picnic you can bring a lunch box from your hotel.
More information about felucca tours:
https://aswan-individual.com/felucca-suggestions/
