Exploring the river Nile

Believed to be the longest river in the world, the River Nile stretches over 4,160 miles, flowing through Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Sudan. The river begins at Ripon Falls, within bounds of Lake Victoria, and spills from Egypt out into the Mediterranean Sea.

The River Nile feeds from 2 main tributaries in Central Africa. Time was that apart from the White Nile and the Blue Nile, even the Arbara River flowed through the Nile. However, over the years, the River Nile has gone through a lot of changes in terms of its girth and the area that it covers.

Rightfully referred to as the "River of Life", the River Nile provides water for drinking and agriculture. It is also a source of food for many people and animals in the area. From a distance, you will see that the River Nile is bordered by thick, green oases, even at the mouth of desert areas. Some parts present backdrops of thriving small villages with children playing by the waters and women gathering supplies for their homes with their basins.

The river itself is an adventure, offering a plethora of activities for the hopeful backpacker and the rugged traveler. Apart from being one of the main waterways in Central Africa, the River Nile offers good fishing with a lot of large, heavy-weight Nile perches, toothy Tiger fishes, as well as the massive, plump Vundu Catfishes and Bagrus Catfishes (the equivalent of big game when it comes to river or freshwater fishing). They are highly fragrant and tasty when cooked, with the meat being so tender, it falls off the bones. Apart from these 4 big fishes, the River Nile is home to around 32 species of fish.

Birding is great, too. Along the riverside, you'll find an assortment of whiskered terns, cormorants, egrets, herons, geese, spoonbills, pelicans, grebes, ibises, ducks, shanks, doves, larks, bee-eaters, warblers, shrikes, finches, kestrels, moorhens, coots, stilts, plovers, gulls, kingfishers, wagtails, crows, sparrows, and so on.

Take caution while navigating through the mudflats along the river. The fearsome 10-foot Nile Crocodile inhabits the swampy areas along the Aswan Dam. Despite their size, these ferocious reptiles can gallop at a pace of 30 miles per hour.

For those looking for heritage and culture, the Nile is a good place for tracing Ancient Egypt history. Despite the fact that only 22% of the River Nile covers Egypt, it is considered as Egypt's main lifeline. Discover Egypt through the River Nile.

Egyptian Tourist Board