The Nile : the mighty mystic stream that threads the dream, across the endless sands of Africa...

The very first introduction to the Nile River was in Jinja, northern Uganda, when we arrived at one of the most attractive campsites of our trip -- right there on the banks of the river where it leaves its mother, Lake Victoria. Above the bunjee jump bridge next to the campsite, was a tall vertical sign showing the map of the Nile -- all 4,600 kilometres of it, with an arrow pointing up that showed where the Nile flowed into the Mediterranean Ocean. It was a magical moment -- and one that definitely merited a Red Button -- accompanied by a Nile beer!

Later, there were more glimpses as we started travelling north, and every time we did see a flash of water way in the distance, it took my breath away, again and again -- and again.

There is something quite special about the Nile for me. Perhaps it is because I learned about the Nile in the first -- was it Geography? Was it History? -- no matter -- the first bit of really -- really interesting stuff I learned at school. Even then there was an aura of mystery and intrigue for me around this powerful river. I remember as if it was yesterday (and remember, I am talking at least 53 years ago!) when Mrs van Rooyen drew those two parallel white chalk lines snaking their way up the black board and told us how this river was so special that the people who lived on its banks believed it was a god; how the river provided them with water, with fish for food, with reeds for boats, with the means to travel many miles up- and down river, with the means to make papyrus so they could write; how the river flooded every year and pushed water rich in silt and fertilising minerals up onto the banks so their crops would grow.

(This was also when she told us about ancient Egypt! It was the first country I learned about outside of my own, the first 'different' culture and customs and art forms, the first 'different' peoples we learned about outside of our own realm. I have often wondered whether other people my generation had the same experience? What was your first history lesson about? Were you as lucky as I was to walk through an ancient Egyptian temple portal the first time you time travelled?? -- but more about Egypt later... Back to the Nile)

During this journey we learned much about the Nile -- as we followed it right up the map of Africa -- the White Nile from Lake Victoria in Uganda, through Ethiopia, then saw where the Blue Nile leaves Lake Tana -- us sitting on the water where it leaves the lake to flow through the reeds, the Blue Nile Falls, the magnificent Gorge further north, and then when it flows through Sudan, where, in Khartoum we saw the marriage of the Blue and White -- where the Blue and White Niles meet. At Wadi Halfa we got onto a boat and sailed down river to Aswan, then on a falucca we sailed further to Luxor, in the style of the pharaohs before us, and finally, my last view of the mighty Nile was in Cairo when I crossed the Nile on my way to airport where I ended my journey around Africa.

The River Nile is principally sourced by two great rivers; the Blue Nile and the White Nile. Although the Blue Nile flows fewer miles than her milky-coloured twin, she carries 80% of the water and silt that give life to Egypt’s dry dunes many meanders later.

The 4,900 kilometre (3,060 mile)(this figure varies depending which book or site you read -- some even talk about 6,700 kilometres -- but you get the idea of its length) journey from the source of the Blue Nile to the Mediterranean Sea is one of remarkable colour and contrast.

As mentioned the White Nile flows from its mother, Lake Victoria. It is not a dramatic source. Not at all. It simply is as if the water in the lake has found a little opening where the earth slopes down, and, as is the want of water, it decided to make a dash for it and go see what is on the other side of the hill. Very quickly though, here at Jinja, with the massive force of a huge body of water behind it, it has carved a wider and wider course for itself and not even a kilometre after it leaves Lake Victoria, it is already a wide and powerful river.

The Blue Nile's hydrological source, is much further north -- in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Years ago, to locate its source had been the hope of many great captains and geographers of the classical age: Herodotus, Cyrus and Cambyses of Persia, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Nero. The first Briton to make his way to the source, perhaps in search of the Ark of Covenant, was the Scot James Bruce. However, here, amongst the scattering of islands, many containing 15th Century Monasteries decorated with dazzling religious murals, the tranquility and calm of this beautiful lake, again, without any pomp and ceremony, a small stream escapes the lake and soon becomes another big powerful river.

Along the lakeshore bird life, both local and migratory visitors, make the site an ideal place for birdwatchers. The whole of the lake Tana region and the Blue Nile gorge host a wide variety of birds both endemic and migratory visitors. Covering more than 3,600 square kilometers, Tana is Ethiopias largest lake. Known to the ancient Greeks as Pseboa, its sometimes stormy waters are traversed by papyrus reed boats, called tankwas, which differ little from those found in the tombs of the Pharaohs.

Leaving Lake Tana behind, the river then traces a path through the scenic Ethiopian highlands. Up to only a few years ago, just north of Lake Tana, the Blue Nile used to drop in a cascading spectacle of the Blue Nile Falls or Tis Isat, meaning "Smoke of Fire", with roaring rapids that continued through the breathtaking Blue Nile Gorge. James Bruce, in his search for the source of the Nile, came upon the falls in 1770 and described it like this:

“The river ... fell in one sheet of water, without any interval, above half an English mile in breadth, with a force and a noise that was truly terrible, and which stunned and made me, for a time, perfectly dizzy. A thick fume, or haze, covered the fall all around, and hung over the course of the stream both above and below, marking its track, though the water was not seen. ... It was a most magnificent sight, that ages, added to the greatest length of human life, would not deface or eradicate from my memory.”

Photo credit Anna Nicholson >>

However, in 2004 a $63 million, 450 megawatt power generating station called Tis Abay II was built just above the falls, and what was once on of the most impressive waterfalls in Africa, is now no more than a mere trickle.

Driving north from Lake Tana, we climbed and climbed, turning hairpin bends, feeling our ears pop as we reached dizzy heights, and there, down below us, way in the distance, yet another breathtaking scene : the Blue Nile Gorge. The Gorge’s mile-high basalt walls, dubbed the ‘Grand Canyon of Africa’ are blessed with an abundance of wildlife including monkeys, mountain cats and a varied assortment of bird life. A myriad of tribes such as the Gumuz, Mande, Berta, Borano and Welo people make the Gorge their home, many of whom have never before witnessed a westerner.

The sweeping flow continues through the foothills of the Gojam Mountains dotted with small villages of cone-shaped huts. Cut off from modern communications, life in these villages has remained unchanged for millennia, with women still fetching water in gouras (empty rinds of giant fruit) and men still hunting leopards with spears.

The river’s path then continues on to Sudan whose people have lived along the Nile for more than 9,000 years, initially settling in fortified mudbrick villages along her shores. The country today is made up of more than 600 ethnic groups speaking more than 400 languages and dialects. Sudan is the largest country in Africa and is dominated by the Nile and her many tributaries.

The Blue Nile got the 'blue' part of its name because of its muddy color due to the huge amount of fertile soil it erodes from the Ethiopian highlands. Why they called it blue rather than the more logical color of brown, dark brown or even black is open to conjecture. It is this spectacular flood of the Blue Nile that sets it apart from many other great river systems of the world. Each year during the heavy rains, the Blue Nile swells to over 50 times its dry season size and carries with it a staggering 140 million tonnes of rich, fertile silt as it rages, thick and brown, towards the Mediterranean sea.

Finally, the Blue Nile from the highlands of Ethiopia, and the White Nile from Lake Victoria meet in Khartoum, and merge in what Arab poets call 'the longest kiss in history', to form the Nile river. This was the furthest reach upstream that ancient Egyptian travellers dared to journey in their search for the source of the Nile.

Beyond Khartoum, the River Nile weaves her way through the narrow strip of fertile land wedged between the Libyan and Nubian deserts. The region is home to some of the most significant and largely undiscovered ancient temples of the Pharaohs.


The man-made wonder of Lake Nasser and the Aswan Dam signal the Nile's arrival in Egypt. Aswan

Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian described Egypt as ‘the gift of the Nile’ a fitting description that captures her serenity and magic. Since the beginning of history she was the lifeblood of Egypt’s political, religious, economic and social life, a legacy that continues to this very day. Almost no rain falls on Egypt and the country is entirely dependent on the Nile for water, with nearly 90% of the population living along her nourishing banks. Working the land beside the river, farmers still use the same archaic tools and techniques of their ancestors. In the cities, mud brick villages sit amongst Pharaoh ruins that lie between towering glass buildings.

The Red Button view from our hotel in Aswan! Yes! We actually stayed in a hotel -- with beds, sheets!, a bathroom!!, HOT water!!! - AND this amazing view over the Nile River!

And then we sailed on a falucca down the Nile towards Luxor --

two nights and three days -- beautiful!

Delicious food served on the falucca

Sailing underneath bridges -- even as huge as this, was a tricky manoeuvre. The sails had to be folded, the sky-high mast tilted at an angle and even then, we barely scraped through underneath the bridge.

Bob Marley's spirit made sure the boat was well plied with everything necessary to make this a completely chilled experience...

long the banks, always interesting wild life to enjoy

Temples, tombs and Nubian villages along the banks of the Nile -- as it was then, it is now...

Hussein leaning into the tiller as we zig-zag (or is that tick-tack?) against the wind

Emy and Anna decided it might be quicker on a donkey.

But -- to be quicker on a donkey, you first have to be able to get the donkey to go in the same direction...

In fact, the scarabs on the sand on the banks of the Nile probably moved quicker than we did!

What a life -- snoozing, reading relaxing.

No wonder the pharaohs preferred this exact way of travel

The only other traffic on the river -- another falucca or two

A bed with a view -- I like, I like!

Tea time!

Sunset, and we moor alongside for the night

And sunrise -- with the full moon reluctant to let go of its prime position in the sky

While I am enjoying the sunrise, the rest of the group is still fast asleep

And no wonder -- the boys playing cards way into the night, every night.

And morning. And afternoon...

Life on the Nile -- as it has always been, since the beginning of time

And in the evenings, we would make a huge bonfire of dry palm fronds on the beach

...bring out the shisha

...and play the drums

well into the night

Like ghosts these almost empty luxurious boatels glide down the river. No tourists. No business. No smiles in Egypt at the moment. A very sad state of affairs.

Dawn over the Nile - Horus peeps over the palm trees

And if you were in a hurry, there is always the train

Hussein teaching Anna about the string theory. (Really. Trust me)

Anna cooling off in the Nile

The Nile River is 6,700km long, and hence is the longest river in the world. Despite the fact that the Nile flows through one of the harshest deserts, and travels the last 2,400km without a single tributary, it never runs dry.

The Nile river is said to be the life of the Egyptians. There is an old saying that 'Egypt is the gift of Nile'. The entire long history of Egypt, even as far back as the days of the Pharoes and the Pyramids, is closely linked to the Nile river. This is still true even to the present day, as the Blue Nile is vital to the livelihood of Egypt. Almost 60% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the Blue Nile branch of the great river.

The river is also an important resource for Sudan, where dams produce 80% of the country's power as well as irrigation for the Gezira Plain, a project delivering water to over 2 million acres. The Gezira Plain is most famous for the production of its high quality cotton. It also produces wheat, but animal feed crops dominate the production of this vast and rich farmland.

It is ironical that although the Blue Nile has such a big economic impact for Sudan and Egypt, Ethiopia as yet has not benefited from the Blue Nile. This is more eloquently put in an Ethiopian saying, "Ye Abayin lij wuha temat", which means "the daughter of Blue Nile is thirsty".

Besides the natural features of the Nile river, the fact that so many peoples and countries have vested interest in the river, makes it an extremely interesting geopolitical issue.

But it was the fact that when I saw it, face to face, more than fifty years after I had heard its name mentioned for the first time, the Nile had not lost one bit of its mystique, its magic and its allure -- it was as I had dreamed it -- that is what made the Nile River so very special for me.