The Complete Guide To: Nile journeys

The longest river in the world?

Yes. It's the pub-quiz question that everyone should get right, but many don't, thinking the answer is the Amazon. The Nile, which rises in Uganda and Ethiopia and irrigates north-east Africa, is reckoned to be 4,130 miles long, pipping its South American rival by a hundred miles or so.

There are many different ways of exploring this extraordinary river. For example, for a three-point Nile trip, one could fly to Khartoum, have a week's stopover in Ethiopia, then travel north (downstream) overland through Sudan and Egypt, and fly home from Cairo.

Remind me exactly where it is?

Picture a map of Africa, and divide it in four. The top right-hand bit – the north-eastern quadrant, for the geographically minded – is dominated by the Nile. It has two main tributaries: the White Nile, flowing out from Lake Victoria in Uganda; and the Blue Nile, originating in Ethiopia. These two rivers flow into Sudan, meeting at Khartoum to form the Nile, which then continues north through the eastern edge of the Sahara and into Egypt, finally reaching the Mediterranean near Alexandria.

The Nile's main features include some of the largest lakes in Africa. In Uganda, accompanying Lake Victoria is, inevitably, Lake Albert – as well as swampy Lake Kyoga. In Ethiopia, the Blue Nile flows out of Lake Tana, the Horn of Africa's largest body of water. Then there's Lake Nasser, backed up for 300 miles behind Egypt's gargantuan Aswan Dam, which creates one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.

For overland travellers, a boat along Lake Nasser is the usual way between Sudan and Egypt. But unlike on some of the world's other major rivers, ultra-long ferry journeys down the Nile are not possible, due mainly to rocky rapids, or cataracts, cutting across the river. Had the Nile been navigable from the Mediterranean to its Blue and White tributaries in the deep interior, the map and the history of Africa might have been very different.

Blue and White? How do the rivers get those names?

From the colour of the water. The White Nile carries creamy silt from Central Africa, while the waters of the Blue Nile are darkened by soil eroded from the Ethiopian Highlands.

Before they meet, these tributaries have plenty of interest – such as the Sudd, in southern Sudan, where the White Nile becomes a vast grassy wetland. Rusty barges carrying cargo and passengers used to traverse the Sudd on a one- to two-week voyage between Kosti and Juba – always a memorable leg for Cape-to-Cairo overlanders – but civil war closed the route in the 1980s. Although the conflict in the south is now over, Paul Clammer, author of The Bradt Travel Guide to Sudan, advises: "Travel by boat on the Nile to or from Juba is not really viable. Barges go in convoy only twice a year and the trip can take up to four months." If you cannot commit that sort of time to a trip, perhaps you should look at one of the many river trips offered further downstream in Egypt.

Where exactly is the source of the Nile?

Good question – indeed, the quest for the source of the Nile was a magnet for late-19th-century European explorers (see box, below). The point where the White Nile leaves Lake Victoria is sometimes regarded as (or, to be more precise, billed as) the "source of the Nile". The point where the Blue Nile leaves Lake Tana is often similarly dubbed. But, of course, many small rivers flow into these lakes, and the source of one of those is the true birthplace of the great river. But which one? Geographers define the source as the furthest point from the mouth of the river. So, for the Blue Nile, it's a remote spring called Gishe Abbai in western Ethiopia. For the White Nile, it's the top of a tiny stream in southern Rwanda.

The Nile in Rwanda – who'd have thought?

Notable for mountain gorillas and its remarkable renaissance after the 1990s genocide, Rwanda's tourist brochures trumpet the country as "the land of a thousand hills". One of those hills is Mount Bigugu in Nyungwe Forest Reserve, and a spring on the hillside is now regarded as the true source of the Nile. Only recently discovered, its status is apparently still to be verified, as other rivulets in Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi also claim to be the Nile's most upstream point.

Nyungwe Forest Reserve can be reached independently, but is more easily visited on an organised tour including other Rwandan highlights, such as Lake Kivu and Akagera National Park, plus, of course, the gorillas. Rwandan operators include Thousand Hills Expeditions (00 250 504 330; www.thousandhills.rw). UK-based Rwanda specialists include Rainbow Tours (020-7226 1004; www.rainbowtours.co.uk), which offers a Culture and Nature tour, taking in the capital Kigali, Lake Kivu and Nyungwe National Park, where the group tracks chimps and monkeys. The 10-night trip costs from £2,695 per person, and includes flights from Heathrow to Kigali via Nairobi, transfers, B&B accommodation, some meals, activities and guiding.

Let's go downstream. What about the Nile in Uganda?

The town of Jinja overlooks the Nile's outflow from Lake Victoria, and a few miles downstream are the rapids of Bujagali Falls. Taking advantage of spectacular scenery and powerful water, numerous companies offer white-water rafting and kayaking. With bungee jumping, quad biking and similar pursuits also available, adventure-travellers familiar with the set-up at Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe may get a sense of déjà vu.

Access is quite easy. You can fly from Heathrow to Uganda's airport, Entebbe, on British Airways 3 7 (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com); the airport is very close to Lake Victoria.

Places to stay in Jinja include Explorers Backpackers (00 256 43 120 236; www.raftafrica.com /backpackers.htm), with doubles for US$15 (£7.50). Out of town, Kingfisher Safaris Resort (00 256 772 632 063; www.kingfishersafaris.net) has bungalows from €50 (£36). There are more options around Bujagali Falls, including The Haven (00 256 782 905 959; www.thehaven-uganda.com), fabulously located with bungalows from $100 (£50), full board. Most hotels in and around Jinja arrange countrywide safaris and local adrenalin-fuelled activities.

The next major drop for the river is Murchison Falls, where the Nile is forced through a narrow cleft of rock and then thunders down a gorge below. The surrounding National Park is more tranquil, and one of the best wildlife experiences in East Africa. UK-based operators covering Uganda include Tribes (01728 685971; www.tribes.co.uk), which offers a 12-day Gorillas, Chimps and Wildlife trip from £2,350. The price includes B&B accommodation, most meals, transfers and activities. Flights to Uganda are not included.

Ethiopia: what are my options?

Lake Tana is often included on tour itineraries (along with Gondor, Aksum and Lalibela). The Coptic monasteries built on islands in the lake are a reminder that Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world. The lake's main town of Bahar Dar has several places to stay, though none overflow with style. Best option is the shoreside Tana Hotel (00 251 582 200 554), with doubles from $50 (£25).

About 15 miles downstream is Tis Isat, better known as Blue Nile Falls. The river used to plunge into a tree-filled ravine, but thanks to a new dam above the falls, the cascade is now a trickle of its former self. Some Bahar Dar hotels offer tours, but it's easy to get there by bus. Entry costs the equivalent of £1.

This is a very good time to visit Ethiopia because the country operates on a different calendar to the rest of the planet, and is about to celebrate its millennium. For tours of the Nile region or beyond, Solomon Berhe Tours (00 251 116 614 921; www.solomonberhetours.com) is an excellent local operator. As the name suggests, it is run by Solomon Berhe, an extremely knowledgeable and genial guide.

To reach the upper Blue Nile, fly first to Addis Ababa – from Heathrow with British Airways or Ethiopian Airlines – and get a small plane to Bahar Dar. Specialist UK operators covering Ethiopia include Footloose Adventure (01943 604030; www.footlooseadventure.co.uk); and Exodus (0870 240 5550; www.exodus.co.uk). Footloose, for example, offers a Historic Route tour of Ethiopia from £1,550 per person based on two travellers. The 10-day tour includes B&B accommodation, most meals, transport and guiding, but not international flights. The itinerary takes in the Blue Nile, Tisisat Falls, Lalibela and small villages.

Where exactly do the White and Blue Niles meet?

A bridge between Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and the neighbouring city of Omdurman overlooks the spit of land where the two rivers meet. Some water is diverted by Tuti Island, so the bridge between Omdurman and Khartoum North can be a better place to see the blue and white (OK, darker and paler) waters clearly flowing side by side, before succumbing to turbulence and mingling a few miles downstream.

You can fly to Khartoum from Heathrow on British Mediterranean, on behalf of British Airways (0870 850 9 850; www.ba.com). Nile-side accommodation in Sudan's capital includes the historic Grand Hotel, now renamed Grand Holiday Villa (00 249 183 774 039; www.holidayvillakhartoum.com), with doubles from around $190 (£95). For budget travellers, there are numerous cheaper options in the city centre.

North from Khartoum, the main road runs parallel to the Nile, although the river is often frustratingly out of sight. About 20 miles beyond the ancient slave-market town of Shendi is Sudan's best historic monument: the 2,000-year-old Pyramids of Meroe. These relics from the now-forgotten Kushite kingdom are still impressive and, unlike in Egypt, you'll probably have the whole place to yourself. The pyramids are close to the main road, so easily reached by independent travellers; entry to the site costs the equivalent of a few pounds.

For an organised tour to Meroe and other sites in this region, operators include Globtours (00 249 183 798 111; www.sudan.globtours.com), owned and run by the affable Midhat Mahir, a keen cyclist and organiser of (among other things) the Sudan stage of the Tour d'Afrique.

North of Shendi is the town of Atbara, where the Nile's last (and usually dry) tributary enters the main river. At the sandy outpost of Abu Hamed, the Nile turns and flows south-west for almost 200 miles, before continuing its northward progression towards Egypt.

Egypt: classic Nile country?

Egypt certainly provides the Nile images that most people expect: a wide and languid river dotted with the sails of feluccas and lined with ancient monuments, with sand-dunes beyond. And that is indeed the scene from the terrace of Aswan's Old Cataract Hotel (00 20 97 231 6000; www.sofitel.com), a monument to the grand old days of travel, where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile. Some grandeur survives, and doubles start at €120 (£86), including breakfast. For somewhere cheaper, there's Keylany Hotel (00 20 97 231 7332; www.keylanyhotel.com), with rooms from 88 Egyptian pounds (£8), including breakfast.

From Aswan, you can reach the remarkable temples of Abu Simbel (dismantled and rebuilt in the Sixties); local operators arrange day-trips (E£115/£10 to E£170/£25), or you can take the bus (E£23/£2). Admission is E£72 (£6.50).

In Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes, you're spoilt for choice in terms of ancient monuments. On the east bank of the Nile stand two of Egypt's finest temples – Luxor and Karnak – while across the river, under the rocky, orange Nile Escarpment is the stunning temple of Queen Hatshepsut, one of the few female pharaohs.

A stiff walk over the escarpment, or a bus-ride round, takes you to the Valley of the Kings. Other sites include the Valley of the Queens and the Colossi of Mennon, the only remains of yet another temple, now standing incongruously among crop-fields. A day-trip to all the sites on the west bank is easy to do under your own steam; entry to each site costs around E£35 (£3), or E£70 (£6) for three tombs, and bikes can be hired in Luxor for a few pounds per day. The ferry-ride across the Nile is a highlight in itself.

You're spoilt for choice in Luxor when it comes to hotels, too. Of the many backpacker options, Happy Land Hotel (00 20 95 237 1828; www.luxor happyland.com) has dorm beds from E£12.50 (£1). At the other end of the price-range, the Winter Palace (00 20 95 238 0422; www.sofitel. com) offers Victorian atmosphere and doubles in the Old Wing from €120 (£86), including breakfast, and views across the Nile.

Can I drift downstream?

The stretch of river between Luxor and Aswan is your best bet for a relaxed cruise on the Nile. The idea was introduced over a century ago by an up-and-coming holiday entrepreneur called Thomas Cook. Three to five days is standard, with a chance to see yet more temples – notably Idfu and Kom Ombo. The two main options are to go by felucca (small, basic, sleeping on deck, from E£80/£7 per person, plus food), or by "hotel boat" (larger, more comfortable, sleeping in cabins, from E£2,260/£200 to E£11,300/£1,000 all-in). A small number of boats cruise Lake Nasser – an unusual, more exclusive, and far less crowded experience.

Many UK-based operators include Egypt in their brochures; they include Discover Egypt (0844 880 0462; www.discoveregypt.co.uk) and the original operator, Thomas Cook (0870 010 0437; www.thomascook.com). Discover Egypt can incorporate three- or four-night cruises on Lake Nasser into a longer Egyptian itinerary, while Thomas Cook offers seven-night Nile cruises from around £560 per person, full board.

Where can I find out more?

History fans can dip into the journals of Speke, Grant and the other explorers – or possibly Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. For an engaging historic overview, The Blue Nile and The White Nile by Alan Moorehead are classics.

Good websites include: www.rwandatourism. com, www.visituganda.com; www.tourismethiopia.org; www.sudan.net; www.touregypt.net.

Know any good Nile jokes?

Fans of Spike Milligan may recall a Goon Show episode in which two characters journey upriver to discover a giant bottle of ketchup. It was, of course, the sauce of the Nile.

David Else is the author of numerous guidebooks, including four editions of Lonely Planet's 'Africa on a Shoestring'

Back to the source

Locating the source of the White Nile has challenged European geographers for almost 200 years. In 1848, a Swiss missionary called Johannes Rebmann became the first European to see Kilimanjaro – which he suggested might be the source of the Nile – and his report inspired the Royal Geographical Society to send Richard Burton and John Speke to East Africa in 1857.

They reached Lake Tanganyika, then Speke travelled north alone to become the first European to see Lake Victoria, assuming this was the source. Four years later, Speke returned with James Grant and they reached a large river that flowed northwards out of the lake. To prove it was the Nile, they followed the river downstream to Gondokoro, in southern Sudan. The source had been found, and the mystery solved.