What's on in Aswan, Egypt through the year

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Nile cruise season

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  25 Jan – 25 Mar · usuallyClosures

  Feluccas still sail and the temples stay open, but the souk shuts through the afternoon and boatmen are fasting in the sun all day. Cruise boats keep their own kitchens running regardless. Source ↗

Still on: Nile cruise season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Abu Simbel Sun Festival

• Festival

  Abu Simbel Sun Festival

  20–24 FebMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Twice a year the sunrise reaches the length of the great temple and lights the statues in the sanctuary. Convoys leave Aswan around three in the morning and the forecourt is packed well before dawn. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually)), Nile cruise season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Nile cruise season

• Hazard

  Khamaseen dust winds

  1 Mar – 31 May · usuallyDust season

  Hot southerly winds pick up desert sand for a day or two at a time and the far bank of the Nile disappears behind it. Flights into Aswan and the Abu Simbel road are the first things to go. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually)), Nile cruise season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Khamaseen dust winds (1 Mar – 31 May (usually)), Nile cruise season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  The unusable middle of the day

  20 May – 15 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Everything shifts to dawn and dusk: temples first thing, the river in the evening, nothing at all between eleven and four. Hotel prices halve, which is the whole argument for coming now.

Still on: Khamaseen dust winds (1 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: The unusable middle of the day (20 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The unusable middle of the day (20 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The unusable middle of the day (20 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The unusable middle of the day (20 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Nile cruise season, Abu Simbel Sun Festival, autumn

• Season

  Nile cruise season

  15 Oct – 15 Apr · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The boats moor four and five abreast at the corniche and the temple sites run to their schedule: full at nine, empty by two. Prices and availability follow the same curve.

• Festival

  Abu Simbel Sun Festival, autumn

  20–24 OctMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  The second alignment of the year, on the 22nd, and the easier one to attend — the pre-dawn drive south is far less punishing than it is in February. Source ↗

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Nile cruise season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Nile cruise season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))