Egypt is one of the most fascinating countries in the world.  It has a wealth of magnificent pyramids, gigantic temples and splendid imperial palaces that are universally unrivalled.  Between them all, running like a giant highway, you will find Africa’s proudest river, the Nile.  Egypt welcomes you to explore the secrets of the pyramids and the tombs of the pharaohs.  The Temples of Luxor and Karnak are enormous in scale, quite unlike anything else ever seen before.  With their soaring columns and obelisks and life-like wayside of ram-headed sphinxes, the city is bound to entrance you.  From Luxor there is access to the famous Valley of the Kings, where the opened tomb of King Tutankhamen lies.  Nearby, in the Valley of the Queens the beautifully decorated Tomb of Queen Nefertari is sometimes open to a limited number of visitors daily.  The wall paintings of the Tombs of the Nobles can be viewed in colours as fresh as if they had been completed just yesterday.  Luxor to Aswan, with its mix of ancient wonders and modern-day buildings, can be reached by Nile cruiser, train, bus or even camel.  South of Aswan lies Abu Simbel, saved from drowning in Lake Nasser by UNESCO, and a true marvel of engineering skill in both ancient and modern times.

The pyramids have to be experienced to be understood.  With their massive size and imposing presence, their construction is still a mystery.  Modern Egypt is a thriving country with a history pre-dating the pharaohs.  It is a land of variety, based on the narrow, fertile ribbon bordering the Nile as well as on the dedicated workforce found in Cairo.  There began the culture of Islam, and the inspiring mosques of today are a tribute to the strong belief system of this modern Muslim society.

Egypt is a land of exotic sights, smells and sounds. It tantalizes all the senses, and Nile Travel encourages you to visit this truly remarkable country and see for yourself what it is that makes

GEOGRAPHY

Egypt one of the greatest countries of ancient times .Egypt is located in the northeast corner of Africa.  Almost square in shape, it covers an area of one million km².  The longest distance is from north to south at 1 085 km, and the widest distance east to west at about 1 240 km.  More than 90% of the country consists of desert area.  , 11 to 15 km wide.  To the east of the valley is the Eastern (Arabian) Desert – a barren plateau bounded on its eastern edge

Only about 6% of the vast country is inhabited, along the banks of the Nile.  This fertile Nile Valley is a narrow strip by a high ridge of mountains and the Red Sea.  Sinai, east of the Suez Canal, includes Mount Catherine, Egypt’s highest mountain at 2 642 m .  To the west of the Nile Valley is the Western Desert – a plateau with plush oases scattered about a vast desert.  The Nile flows through Egypt from south to north.  Lower Egypt is the north and Upper Egypt is the south, because the country slopes downhill towards the Mediterranean Sea.  Going upriver means heading south to Luxor and Aswan, and going down the Nile means heading north towards Cairo and Alexandria.  North of Cairo the Nile splits into several tributaries, the main two being the Rosetta and the Damietta branches. The valley becomes a delta, a wide green fan of fertile countryside, some 15 500 km² in area.  The northern coast, west of Alexandria, extends for hundreds of kilometers along brilliant white-sand beaches.  Some have been, or are being, developed as resorts.