I have been lucky enough to travel down the Nile twice, once with my parents and the other time to join a friend and her family on holiday. Neither Luxor nor Aswan should be skipped when visiting Egypt, for both places have so much to offer. I have journeyed up and down the Nile by boat, train and plane; and each mode of transportation provided me with a different kind of experience. Varying in practicality, each voyage always ended with a gorgeous location; the scenery teeming with life and natural beauty. The contrast between desert and fertile green landscape always stunned me. On one side you had temples carved into mountains, with lush riverbanks on the other. The image of the river Nile carrying travellers with its current is painted beautifully in Season of Migration to the North, a novel by the Sudanese author Tayeb Salih. Although Salih draws on his personal memories of leaving his native country, his story conjures up images similar to those I witnessed southern Egypt. Many people have asked me which destination I preferred, and which I would recommend if I didn’t have enough time…
