Aswan Botanical Garden

Covering 6.8 hectares, the Aswan Botanical Garden is home to thousands of birds and many exotic plants imported from many parts of the world like Far East India and Africa. The Aswan Botanical Garden offers a beautiful and unique escape from the city. A true jam of Egyptian treasures, strolling through the garden will take you into a dream state of scenery. The entirety of the island is landscaped with rare and exotic plants that were planted there by order of Lord Horatio Kitchener, who has gifted the island in gratitude for his service as consul general of Egypt Army under British control.

Where is the Aswan Botanical Garden located?

It’s located on Kitchener’s Island, to the west of Elephantine Island. It’s one of two islands in the Nile immediately adjacent to the city-center of Aswan Egypt. 
 

History of Aswan Botanical Garden

Aswan Botanical Garden was used by the Nubians to settle in it; they called it Jet Narty. In the year of 1899, Lord Horatio Kitchener took the island to be a place where his campaign can rest and call it the lord's house. Lord Kitchener was a commander of the Egyptian Army. With a deep passion for palm trees and plants, Kitchener transformed the entire Kitchener’s Island into a stunning botanic garden. The Egyptian government later reclaimed the island and it has been maintained as the Aswan Botanical Gardens. 

 

The Aswan Botanical Island is divided into 27 squares with vertical and horizontal paths cutting each other which make it like look like a chess board. It is an amazing experience exploring this island and all that it has to offer. In 1928, the ministry of irrigation has turned the Botanical Garden to feature trees from all five continents. You will find there a huge variety of plantations and trees on the island, some of which were naturally found on the island, before it was converted into a Botanical Garden and others have been brought in from different continents. A number of rare palm trees such as the Royal Palm tree, the Sabal Palm tree, and the Phonic Pam tree can be found there on the Island
 

How to get to Aswan Botanical Garden?

The only way to reach the Aswan Botanical Garden in Kitchener’s Island is by boat, either on one of the public ferries that run between Aswan, Elephantine Island, and Kitchener’s Island or by privately hiring a felucca tour while sightseeing this beautiful part of the Nile River, cruising to an Egyptian Sunset.

The Kitchener’s island has three entrances. The main entrance of the Island is located on the northern end of the island. The best way to see the whole island, without having to walk a lot, is to enter the main entrance and walk the full length of the island until you reach the southern end; book a felucca from there and ask the captain to wait for you at the other end.