Sofitel Old Cataract Aswan

still a genuinely high-class operation

Sofitel Old Cataract is the best high quality hotel in Aswan.

Built for pioneering British travel company, Thomas Cook, the hotel opened in 1899. It is a large and gracious property, which reflects the ambition and optimism of the times.

In the intervening years, Aswan has developed from a remote outpost to a considerable city, but the hotel, with it’s extensive grounds, remains an oasis of tranquillity and gentility.

The hotel contains all the the facilities that you might expect, with a cool bar, two excellent restaurants and a lovely swimming pool area, overlooking the archaeological site on Elephantine Island.

Guest accommodation is in 138 rooms. The old building contains 76 of these rooms, some of which are beautiful and extremely expensive suites. The multi-storey tower in the grounds contains a further 62 rooms, which are surprisingly appealing for a modern extension, the views from the upper floors are superb.

Whilst there is no doubt that Old Cataract is a much more appealing hotel than the Winter Palace in Luxor, it is expensive and a little bit mainstream.

If you need a lower cost option, the other hotels in town are a massive step down. However, there are some interesting ideas on the islands in the lake to the north, especially if you are up for a simple guesthouse like Miskaa.

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.

We usually recommend two nights in Aswan, which provides a full day for exploring Kitchener’s Island, the Nubian village on Elephantine Island, the Unfinished Obelisk and the lovely Philae Temple on the lake above the Old Dam. If you arrive early or depart late from Aswan, then you can reduce it to one night. On the other hand, a third night is a luxury, there’s always more to do, or you might even choose a little relaxation.

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