In the south of Egypt, on the west bank of the Nile, near the city of Aswan, are some of the most colorful and livable villages in the country. Nubian Village is painted with all the colors of the rainbow. To start farming around the Nile, the friendly Nubians came from Sudan over 8000 years ago, which is why they need a darker complexion. They need their own unique language that they never teach to a foreigner.
Visiting a Nubian Village!
Visiting the Nubian village during our Aswan Day Trips can be a fantastic half-day trip. There are many colorful Nubian villages in Egypt. This one has been popular among locals and foreigners alike and is a 45-minute boat ride from the incredible Aswan. Try to spend about 2 hours in the village walking around and 3.5 hours including lunch. Visiting a Nubian village should be part of your itinerary in Egypt. Book now your privately guided Aswan excursions or join fantastic things to do in Aswan during our group tours in the Tour to Nubian Village by Boat in Aswan and save up to 15 %
How to go to a Nubian Village?
Cross the beautiful Nile River towards the colorful villages. Make an appointment with a motorboat to travel up the Nile. A soothing boat ride in shallow waters through a small breathtaking landscape.
The most colorful village of Egypt
After passing a few corners by boat, the picturesque and arty village appears. The friendly Nubians welcome you to their village, and you start walking around. We highly recommend staying overnight if you have the time. When you arrive in the village, you can see a fun and exquisite array of colorful buildings. Pinks, blues, and rainbows are everywhere! Between the colorfully decorated camels and the houses, it's quite a sight to see! And it's certainly fun to photograph.
Who are the Nubians?
The Nubians are a family of an ancient African civilization as old as Egypt itself, who once lived on an empire and even ruled Egypt. To take up farming around the Nile, the friendly Nubians came from Sudan. Their historic homeland is commonly referred to as Nubia.
Where is that the Nubian village, and the way to get there from Aswan?
The "Nubian Village" is located in the town of Gharb Soheil, in Aswan, Egypt. Aswan is about 860 km (350 miles) south of the capital city of Cairo and is known for housing a number of Egypt's oldest ruins. From Aswan, you can get to the Nubian village by car or by boat. If you have a car, you will drive there or hire a cab or driver. I highly recommend taking a boat. It is breathtaking. Take this tour through Egypt Day Tours especially Aswan day tours from your Aswan hotel or Egypt Nile River cruise ship.
How much time do you spend in the village?
It's up to you. Many spend two hours there. You can even spend the night in one of the bed and breakfast accommodations. Nubian women have a heritage they are very proud of, and they may well be the reason for the life of Nubian culture until now.
They prefer to boast about their crafts and sell traditional food. It is the Nubian women who keep their culture alive, they continue to tell their children the ancient Nubian tales and stories, teach them the traditional Nubian dances and songs and marry within their own community. The Nubians are still steeped in ancient Egyptian beliefs. They believed that the body of the crocodile hanging over the door of the house could protect its inhabitants from view, so you will probably find mummified bodies of crocodiles all over the village gates.
The fish-men hunt the crocodile and stuff it with a straw while keeping its mouth open and hanging it in their house. They even draw crocodiles everywhere and may keep one or two locked in a cage for tourists to demand pictures with. The Crocodylus niloticus was revered in the time of the pharaohs as an evil and envious deity named Sobek, and so the Nubians mummified the crocodile to stop bad things and adopted it as a practice.
Get a Henna tattoo from a local Woman
Aside from the camel and Nubian horse rides, the village is generally made up of small market stores. Be prepared to haggle - we paid half what the initial damage was! It was our guide who helped us haggle for an appropriate price, as I have never been good at haggling! I am always too friendly and give in too quickly. When the sellers recognized us as Americans, they could assume we had more cash and therefore increase the value.
Our guide often told us to mention that we were from the UK rather than us, because of the Egyptian perception of American citizens. So shop around but don't be afraid to haggle! If you stop by the attractive spice stand, the gentleman we met was happy to explain in detail (and with great enthusiasm!!) each of the colorful spices. Aren't they beautiful?! travel and didn't dissipate until I got home!
Egypt tours are exciting and we have customized various options of Egypt Day tours guided by Cairo Top Tours makes it easier for you to visit the Nubian Village as well as many other places and wonderful sites.