26 | Egypt Destination Guide
A voyage along the fabled Nile River uncovers Egypt's ancient history.
Discovering
THE ENDURING NILE
The world's longest and greatest river, the Nile
radiates a mythic quality, packing centuries of
history into each of its meandering bends. This
mighty, deep blue waterway is often referred to
as the lifeblood of Egypt—ancient civilisations
used it as a natural barrier against foreign
invaders, a vital trade route between north
and south, a powerful economic source of
sustenance and a place of hushed worship.
Sailing along this legendary river provides
ample opportunity to take in the country's
major cities and ancient tombs and temples—
relics of a bygone past that once unfolded along
its palm-fringed banks thousands of years ago.
Although the Nile is most famously associated
with Egypt, it flows northerly through or along
the border of ten other countries in northwest
Africa and empties into the Mediterranean
Sea, 4,132 miles (6,650 km) to the north of its
origin point. The Nile is a result of the merging
of two tributaries: the White Nile originates at
Lake Victoria in Tanzania and flows through
the narrow gorge of Murchison Falls before
reaching Khartoum, Sudan, where it joins with
the Blue Nile that rises from a spring far above
sea level in Ethiopia.
The first cruise to set sail here occurred in the
early 1870s when Thomas Cook & Son built a
fleet of steamships that transported wealthy
travellers between Cairo and Aswan. To this
