Aswan Botanical Garden: the green island most visitors skip

A short boat ride from the Corniche, the Aswan Botanical Garden fills the whole of Kitchener’s Island with palms, flowering trees and shady paths. Here’s how to get there, what to see and how to plan an hour or two on one of the most peaceful spots on the Nile.

The city’s southerly location means it’s nothing short of sweltering, so the lush expanse of the Botanical Garden comes as even more of a surprise.

I didn’t find many people recommending Kitchener’s Island and the gardens when I was researching what to do here, which is a real shame, as it’s one of the most peaceful spots in the city. Locals love this green retreat, as do the much smaller number of visitors who hop across the Nile to explore it.

I went on my own, first thing in the morning on my last day in early June, before I boarded a felucca heading north towards Luxor. I caught a motorboat from the jetty next to the McDonald’s on the Corniche, passed the Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank on the way, and spent about an hour wandering the paths under the palms.

Here’s everything you need to know to do the same.

At a glance

A paved path lined with palms and tropical plants under green leaves in the Aswan Botanical Garden — A palm-lined path through the garden on Kitchener’s Island

Where: Kitchener’s Island (also called El Nabatat Island, the “island of plants”), in the Nile just west of Elephantine Island.
Getting there: by motorboat or felucca from the Corniche; the most popular jumping-off point is the jetty next to the McDonald’s. Agree the fare before you set off, and arrange for the boat to wait.
Opening hours: daily, from about 8am to 5pm.
Tickets: about 50 EGP, paid in cash at the entrance, as this is one of the few sites in the city that still takes cash.
Time needed: an hour is enough for a loop of the island; allow longer if you want to linger with a picnic.
Best time: early morning, when it’s cooler and quieter, or late afternoon. Fridays and weekends are busiest with local families.

A little history

The island takes its name from Lord Kitchener, the British general who commanded the Egyptian army in the 1890s and was given the island during that time. He filled it with exotic plants, many of them from India and other parts of Africa and Asia, and began the collection that still covers the island today.

It later passed into Egyptian government hands, and in 1928, the garden came under the Ministry of Agriculture, which still runs it today as a botanical garden and research station. The island is only about 750 metres long, and the garden covers about 6.8 hectares, with hundreds of plant species from Egypt, other parts of Africa and Asia.

Getting to Kitchener’s Island by boat

The painted bow of a small motorboat heading across the Nile towards the desert cliffs of Aswan's West Bank — Heading across the Nile by motorboat, with the Tombs of the Nobles ahead

The only way to reach the island is by boat. Because it sits behind Elephantine Island, you can’t actually see it from most of the Corniche, but the boatmen all know it.

I took a boat from the jetty next to the McDonald’s on the Corniche, which is the most popular jumping-off point. Check how much you should pay with your hotel before you go: as with so much in Egypt, you’ll have to barter to agree your fare, and make sure the boat waits for the return journey. You hire the whole boat, so it’s the same price whether you’re on your own or in a small group.

The Tombs of the Nobles cut into the sandy West Bank hill below the Qubbet el-Hawa dome, with a felucca — The Tombs of the Nobles and the Qubbet el-Hawa dome above the West Bank, from the river

The crossing is half the fun. My boat ran close to the West Bank, so I had a close-up view of the rock-cut Tombs of the Nobles on the cliffs, with the small domed tomb of Qubbet el-Hawa on the summit and feluccas drifting past below.

If you’d rather sail, a felucca is a lovely alternative, though it’ll take longer if the wind is light. This felucca ride around Elephantine Island and the Botanical Garden includes hotel pick-up and a guide; entry to the garden is extra.

What to see in the garden

Stone steps leading up to the Aswan Botanical Garden sign and entrance building on Kitchener's Island — The steps up from the boat landing to the entrance of the Aswan Botanical Garden

From the landing, a flight of steps leads up to the entrance, where you pay and pick up the main path. The garden is laid out in a grid, divided by straight paths into a couple of dozen squares, so it’s easy to wander without getting lost: walk the length of the island and loop back along the riverbank.

Stroll down the avenues of royal palms

Tall smooth-trunked royal palms and clipped hedges lining a wide paved avenue in the Aswan Botanical Garden — Tall royal palms lining one of the garden’s main avenues

The garden’s grand avenues are lined with towering royal palms, their smooth grey trunks rising like columns on either side of the path. Look out too for sabal palms and date palms, and for flame trees, which are covered in scarlet flowers in early summer.

Sunlight falling through leafy branches onto a narrow garden path on Kitchener's Island in Aswan — Sunlight filtering through the trees onto a quiet path

Away from the main avenues, the smaller paths are wonderfully shady, with flowering trees and climbers closing in overhead. It’s surprisingly green for a city on the edge of the desert, and noticeably cooler under the trees.

Find a shady spot by the river

Pink bougainvillea on the riverbank of Kitchener's Island, looking across the Nile to Elephantine Island's hotel tower — Bougainvillea on the riverbank, looking across to Elephantine Island

The paths along the edge of the island are the best places to stop for a while. On the eastern side, you look across a narrow channel to Elephantine Island and the tower of the Mövenpick hotel, with bougainvillea tumbling over the river wall.

A riverside path through trees in the Aswan Botanical Garden, with golden West Bank sand dunes across the Nile — A riverside path, with the golden dunes of the West Bank beyond the water

On the western side, the view is completely different: across the water, the golden sand dunes of the West Bank come right down to the river. It’s one of the best spots in the city to see just how sharply the green of the Nile meets the desert.

Watch the feluccas sail by

The white sail of a felucca on the Nile seen through leaves and a pergola in the Aswan Botanical Garden — A felucca sail glimpsed through the leaves from one of the garden’s terraces

The island sits right on the felucca route, so as you walk, you’ll catch glimpses of white sails gliding past between the trees. It’s a lovely, slow way to spend an hour, and there’s a variety of birds to look out for, too.

Bring a picnic

Julianna walking under a wooden pergola along a shady path in the Aswan Botanical Garden on Kitchener's Island — Me walking under one of the wooden pergolas in the garden

The garden is a popular picnic spot for local groups and families, especially on Fridays and at weekends, when it’s at its liveliest. Bring water and something to eat, find a bench under a pergola and settle in. There’s also a small café by the river near the landing.

The Aswan Botanical Garden sign beside a small riverside café with potted flowers and the Nile behind — The garden’s sign and riverside café, near the boat landing

Make a morning of it

Kitchener’s Island combines easily with other sights on and around the river:

Elephantine Island: the ruins of ancient Abu, the Temple of Khnum and the Nilometer are right next door; ask your boat to drop you on the way back.
The Tombs of the Nobles: the rock-cut tombs of Aswan’s ancient governors, up a steep staircase from the West Bank boat landing.
A Nubian village: carry on upriver to the colourful villages of the West Bank, such as Gharb Soheil.
A felucca at sunset: come back in the late afternoon for a sail around the islands as the sun goes down.

Tips for visiting the Botanical Garden

Go early: like me, aim to arrive soon after it opens, when it’s cooler, the light is soft and the paths are at their quietest.
Agree the boat fare first: settle the price, and that the boat will wait, before you set off, and only pay at the end.
Carry cash: you’ll need Egyptian pounds for the entrance, the boat and the café.
Bring water and sun protection: there’s plenty of shade, but it’s still Aswan.

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Aswan Botanical Garden: the green island most visitors skip

At a glance

A little history

Getting to Kitchener’s Island by boat