The Nile

I recently took a cruise up the Nile River with a friend from the US.  We flew into Luxor and cruised to Aswan.  As an aside, the Nile runs south to north.  It was spectacular!  I was unprepared for the simple beauty and apparent serenity along the banks of the river.  The scenery was ever-changing, quickly moving from marshy flatlands to sandy mountains.  Birds were swooping about and water buffalo waded at water’s edge.  As with all landscape pictures, these photos do not do justice to the beauty.  I do hope however, that you will get some sense of the river’s allure and its importance to the people of Egypt.

Cruise Boats Docked

Living on the River

Fishing boats near the river bank

Working near the River

Water Buffalo Circling to Pump Water from the River

Bank of the Nile

Bathing in the Nile

Lush Green to Dry Brown

Beautiful Palms next to Banana Plantation

Fishing

Living Along the Nile

Sandy Hills in the Background

Cruising the Nile

Banana Plantation on the River Bank

Foliage on the Bank

Sandy Bank of the River

Sandy Dunes above the River

Boats Used for Transport on the Nile

Peaceful

The first cataract of the Nile is near Aswan.  We took a small boat up the river through that cataract to visit the Nubian Village.  Cataracts are shallow stretches where the water’s surface is broken up by many boulders and stones, as well as numerous small islands.  The water flows very swiftly through these areas.  There are seven cataracts on the Nile, but the first is the only one in Egypt.  The other six are further south in the Sudan.

Still Portion of the First Cataract

Rock Outcrop in the First Cataract

Swift Water - the First Cataract

Navigating the Cataract

Feluca in the First Cataract