Miskaa Nubian House

such an incredibly relaxing place

Miskaa Nubian House is a simple and authentic guesthouse, set on an island in the lake above the Old Dam on the River Nile at Aswan.

The city of Aswan, with a population of over half a million, is a hectic place these days. Unless you are prepared to pay a premium for the sanctuary that is The Old Cataract Hotel, it’s usually best to head for an out-of-town option.

The lake that lies above the Old Dam contains several rocky islands, one of which is home to the famous Temple of Philae.

A little further south, within sight of the temple, lies a larger island which is home to a people of Nubian descent. A cluster of simple lodges are arranged around a small cove, all of which are owned and operated by local villagers.

Within minutes of stepping off the boat, the friendly laid-back atmosphere calms and soothes. This is a very relaxing place.

The Nubians are very laid back, some with an almost Jamaican vibe going on. They are incredibly friendly, resolutely sober and unquestionably honest. Arriving here does feel like a pronounced step deeper into the African continent, in a good way.

The lodge has a nice waterfront restaurant, serving delicious local food, prepared by the mother and daughters of a family led by patriarch Adel Morkab.

Nine rooms are arranged around a courtyard garden, all essentially the same. We always request numbers 6-9, because their private verandahs look out over the lake, rather than over the sometimes busy cove.

It is important to realise that this is a simple guesthouse. In some ways it is quite polished (food, cleanliness), whilst in other areas you may need to be more forgiving (one evening we almost forgot that we’d ordered food it took so long, one morning we couldn’t find anyone at all until after nine). But if you’re easy-going by nature, you should love the place. We do.

The more we visit Egypt, the more we have grown to love Aswan. It feels like the Gateway to Africa, with the Nubian influence ensuring a lovely relaxed and easy-going atmosphere.

Two nights here gives you a full day to visit the Temple of Philae, stroll around the local village, maybe head out in the kayaks and generally relax. You can visit the sites of Aswan on the way in and out. We like to pop in for lunch at the Old Cataract Hotel on the way in, then visit the archaeological sites of Elephantine Island and the botanical gardens of Kitchener Island on the way out. Three nights lets you do everything at an even more relaxed pace. Four or more nights and you’re in danger of never getting your act together to leave.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Aswan is widely considered to be the winter months of Nov-Mar, but we sometimes favour other times of year, when temperatures may be higher, but visitor numbers are often much lower.

Aswan experiences a conventional northern hemisphere climate, with a hot dry summer centred on May-Sep and a warm dry winter Nov-Mar …

May-Sep : Summer

During the May-Sep summer the daytime temperatures typically reach 41C, with night-time temperatures holding up around 23C. Although these temperatures may seem concerning, the relative humidity drops considerably, meaning that comfort temperatures are not so bad, at least during the day. This season can also be advantaged by light summer breezes out on the river. However, given the warm nights, we do recommend that you stay somewhere with air-conditioning.

Despite being ‘out of season’, visitor numbers do increase during the European vacation season, centred on Jul/Aug, so best to head for May, June or late September if you can.

Some hotel prices can also be considerably lower during some of these months.

Oct : Autumn

The month of October represents a transition between summer and winter conditions and, in many ways, offers the best of both worlds, with visitor traffic also being relatively low.

Nov-Mar : Winter

During the Nov-Mar winter the daytime temperatures typically reach 25C, with nighttime temperatures plunging to 8C. Relatively humidities rise considerably, meaning that the middle of the day can be surprisingly uncomfortable, given the relatively low absolute temperatures.

These warm (rather than hot) conditions have led to winter being the most popular time to visit, meaning that visitor numbers reach their peak, especially around Dec-Jan. We therefore recommend November to mid-December and mid-January to March (excluding a week either side of Easter), although even then you probably need to deploy traffic avoidance measures when visiting the key sites.

Some hotel prices can also be considerably higher during some of these months.

Apr : Spring

The month of April represents a transition between winter and summer conditions and, in many ways, offers the best of both worlds, with visitor traffic also being relatively low (except for a week either side of Easter).

Getting there

We normally recommend spending 2-3 nights in Aswan, or 2 nights here and one further south at Abu Simbel, before flying back north to Cairo.

Aswan is usually reached by cruise boat from Luxor, a journey of 3-5 nights.

It is also possible to do the journey by train in 3 hours, or to do it by road if you want to visit any of the historic sites along the way.

The majority of travellers then fly out of the local airport, back to Cairo.

We also organise trips which arrive into Egypt from Sudan, travelling down the River Nile to Lake Nasser and on down to Aswan, in which case the next stop would most likely be Luxor.

Once in Aswan, the usual way to get around is by private vehicle transfer, with private boat taxis to get between the various islands.

usually preceded by nights in Giza and Luxor