My husband and I visited Elephantine Island for several hours while the rest of our big group went elsewhere. We were very happy we chose to go on our own and visit the island. We had planned to visit the museum Animalia, which I had read about in the forums. I thought it would be easier to find our way around once we disembarked from a boat, but we immediately got somewhat lost in the maze of streets. We came upon an elderly gentleman (Asmaa, but not sure ab. spelling) who spoke to us and said he was a tour guide for the island. I was a little suspicious, but then I spotted a sign for Animalia on a wall and pointed to it. He said, “Yes” and that he would take us there. We decided to follow and were glad we did. He has lived there his whole life and learned English from tourists. While he was not fluent by any means, we could communicate with him, and he told us a bit about the place. He led us directly to Animalia, which was well worth the LE40 pounds per person. I highly recommend it. The owner’s wife was very kind and friendly, with excellent English. Asmaa waited for us and walked us back to near the Aswan Museum, where he introduced us to his 35-yr. old son Sherif Hamada. He does some work at the museum but also will take you around the island. He walked us around to places we hadn’t seen yet. This is a very authentic Nubian village, if you want to see something real. It is very easy to get lost here, so I’m glad we had help. Sherif’s English was quite good. He is eager to meet more tourists and take them around his island. He also has a boat, if you want a ride. His number is +201062992301. You can find him near or at the museum. We tipped both father and son about LE 200 each, but neither asked for a certain amount. If you’re with a large tour group which is spending hours on a bus going to Abu Simbel (leaving at 3:30 in the morning), consider skipping that and coming here instead, followed by going across the river to see the ruins of San Simeon with a camel ride (separate review). You will have the most unique and memorable experience!