Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt (Arabic: صعيد مصر‎ Sa'id Misr) is a region of the Nile Valley in Egypt, between Luxor and Aswan and the historical region of Lower Nubia, characterised by a number of ancient settlements and temple towns that draw thousands of travellers every year.

Cities

• 1 Aswan — A more relaxed city than Luxor, also with many sights nearby
• 2 Esna
• 3 Edfu
• 4 Kom Ombo
• 5 Luxor — The hassle capital of Egypt

Other destinations

• 1 Abu Simbel — One of the major sights in Egypt besides Giza
• 2 El Kab
• 3 Lake Nasser
• 4 Silsila
• 5 Valley of the Kings — Another major sight near Luxor

Get in

The towns of Upper Egypt can be accessed either by train or taxi from Luxor (to the north) or Aswan (to the south) - a trip from one of these cities to the other, popular with many travellers to Egypt, is greatly enhanced by stopping at one or more of the temple towns. Exact details differ for each town - it is worthwhile consulting the article on each for full details.

Negotiate with your taxi driver to stop in each of the towns along the way - this is a very common practice and can be easily arranged with some canny bargaining - but do note that although this part of the Nile Valley has never really been threatened by violence (unlike Middle Egypt) - the Egyptian tourist police may nonetheless insist that you travel within a police convoy.

Alternatively, a felucca cruise on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan will normally include stops at one or more of these Upper Egyptian towns.

Aswan International Airport (ASW ^IATA) and Luxor International Airport (LXR ^IATA) from Cairo and a few seasonal flights from Europe.

Get around

Flights to Abu Simbel Airport (ABS ^IATA) are available from Aswan International Airport.