Although this route is only small in comparison with the others, it doesn't mean it is less interesting. As a matter of fact, the ancient history of Egypt is all around you when you cycle in Upper Egypt.

Starting in Luxor, the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, with its maginifcent temples, its valleys filled with tombs of long lost pharaos and the meandering Nile. Luxor is a busy and very touristy city and probably the worst in Egypt when it comes to touts and hassles. There is plenty of accommodation available in Luxor; from 5 star hotels to camping facilities. Check out the Luxor City Page for more details.

You can make great bike trips in and around Luxor. The traffic is relatively light, the area flat and most of the sites within ten kilometres of the city centre. The famous Valley of the Kings can be reached by taking your bike on the ferry across the Nile (1 LE).

There are two routes when it comes to cycling out of Luxor and on to Aswan; you can either take the east or the west bank of the Nile. The east bank is where the main road is, which means you've got the best road surface, the best facilities, but also the most traffic. The west bank is relatively quiet, apart from the hords of children chasing after you, but the road conditions are a lot worse than on the east bank. There is still a 20 kilometres strech of unpaved road south of Edfu, for example, and most road signs seems to have dissapeared around Esna, which makes it quite hard to find the right track.

When you decide to follow the west bank, there are two ways to get across the Nile: either by ferry (1 LE) or across the bridge, roughly 10 km south of Luxor city centre. The bridge will lead you straight to the right road, which passes small settlements along seemingly never ending canals either side of the main road. There are plenty of small shops with refreshment along the way.

The first town you'll hit is Esna, after around 66 kilometres. Esna is a major stop-off point for the Nile cruise ships. Don't follow the road along the waterfront, you'll end up navigating the backwaters of Esna! 18 kilometres after Esna you will enter Aswan governorate, with El Sebaya Gharbi being the first town after another 3 km. Edfu is a further 33 kilometres through quiet sugar cane fields and roads filled with donkey carts. The city of Edfu is best known for its famous Temple of Horus, which is the best preserved temple in Egypt. But there are not that many visitors here and there is less hassle. Edfu makes a good stopover, since it is exactly halfway between Luxor and Aswan and has a few hotels and guesthouses (see Edfu City Page).

If you decide to change river banks, you should cross the Nile here, otherwise follow the road south out of Edfu for about 8 kilometres. Here the main road turns right (westwards) towards the desert road, but it is nicer to stay close to the Nile by heading straight south. The road will get smaller and smaller and you will find yourself cycling through deserted villages and over some steep and rocky hills. The road is still being built here, so expect a few hours of unpaved cycling. And make sure you have enough water with you on this stretch; there aren't that many shops or water stops. You'll return to civilisation after roughly 99 kilometres, when you'll hit the bridge crossing the Nile. Form here it is another 15 kilometres on an increasingly busy road before you hit Aswan city centre. Aswan is a great waterfront city and a lot of hotels are situated on the Corniche, the road on the banks of the Nile. From here you'll have a nice view of the fueluccas and cruise ships floating on the impressive river.

 

Detailed distance chart Upper Egypt Nile Valley
		accomm.:	km	metres climbed
	H= hotel . C= camping . (altitude in brackets; where applicable)
Luxor	Nile bridge		12	14
Nile bridge	check point, turn off to Edfu		5	--
check point, turn off to Edfu	turn off to Bagdad		16	9
turn off to Bagdad	village		16	6
village	Esna		18	13
Esna	check point border Aswan Gov.		18	17
check point border Aswan Gov.	El Sabaya Gharbi		3	--
El Sabaya Gharbi	Edfu	H	34	11
Edfu	turn off desert road		8	4
turn off desert road	ambulance station		64	240
ambulance station	Aswan bridge		27	78
Aswan brdige	Aswan	H	15	11
Luxor	Qena highway checkpoint (103)		20	16
Qena highway checkpoint (103)	Qus (104)		16	11
Qus (104)	Qeft (105)		10	6
Qeft (105)	Qena (120)	H	21	15
Qena (120)	check point (144)		9	14
check point (144)	turn-off Luxor desert road (156)		5	12
turn-off Luxor desert road (156)	ambulance station (194)		5	42
ambulance station (194)	check point (230)		9	47
check point (230)	check point (250)		15	48
check point (250)	ambulance station (345)		18	95
ambulance station (345)	check point (Red Sea governorate) (404)		8	59
check point (Red Sea governorate) (404)	check point, petrol station + rest house (526)		16	126
check point, petrol station + rest house (526)	top cimb (771)		24	249
top cimb (771)	ambulance station + rest house (642)		14	30
ambulance station + rest house (642)	Sufaga check point (85)	H	39	30
Sufaga check point (85)	round-about + turn-off north Safaga (50)		10	45
round-about + turn-off north Safaga (50)	Hurghada (approx. distances)	H	50	--