Visit the Esna Temple, a well-preserved jewel and an example of Ptolemaic architecture. Only the pronaos (portico), dedicated to Khnum (God of the source of the Nile and creator of the human bodies) and his wife Menhit (Lioness Goddess of war and massacres), has been excavated; the rest of the temple rests underneath the city of Esna. 24 magnificent columns hold the temple ceiling with exceptionally well-carved palm and lotus floral capitals. The ceiling itself is adorned with the Ancient Egyptian interpretation of the constellations, moon phases and astronomical figures. A special feature: there is an ongoing restoration and cleaning project of the temple and it is wonderful to see the professionals at work during your visit.

The construction of the Edfu Temple started on 23 August 237 BC under Ptolemy III and initially contained only a pillared hall, two diagonal halls, and a sanctuary surrounded by chapels. We know this because the Edfu Temple is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt. The walls provide details of the construction, the religious myths and the family history of the God Horus to whom the temple was dedicated. The Edfu Temple is deeply connected to the Hathor Temple in Denderah and was the center of large festivals. Horus was married to his aunt Hathor and each year she traveled south from Denderah to visit Horus in Edfu. A reconstruction of the Sacred Bark is on display in the Holy Sanctuary. In 1860, Auguste Mariette, a French Egyptologist, identified the top of the temples' pylons and began the work of freeing the Edfu temple from the sands. It is nearly intact and a very good example of an ancient Egyptian temple.

We drive further south to Kom Ombo to visit the famous double temple, dedicated to Haroeris ("Horus the Elder") and Sobek. Although the temple is badly damaged due to Nile flooding and earthquakes, enough remains to admire the ancient arts. There are some remarkable scenes on the temple walls which will be explained to you like the portrayal of a set of surgical instruments that look extraordinarily like the ones we use today. Furthermore there is a beautiful depiction of an ancient calendar, showing the hieroglyph figures for the days of the month and the seasons. It might be a calender for crops or for the daily offerings to the Gods. Of course you also visit to the Crocodile Museum with its mummified crocodiles, found in the area of the temple.

The transfer from Luxor to Aswan, including the visits to the temples of Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo will take a total of approx. 10 hours