The Nile is about 6,650 km long, one of the two longest rivers on earth. Its two main branches meet at Khartoum in Sudan: the White Nile, from the lakes of East Africa, and the Blue Nile, from Lake Tana in Ethiopia, which brings most of the water and, before the dams, the silt. From there the river flows north through Egypt into the Mediterranean.
The Nile in Egypt
In Egypt, the Nile runs from Lake Nasser and the High Dam at Aswan, north past Kom Ombo, Edfu, Esna and Luxor, then through Middle Egypt to Cairo. North of Cairo it divides into the Delta, with its two main branches reaching the sea at Rosetta and Damietta.
Upper and Lower Egypt
Because the river flows north, the south is called Upper Egypt and the north, the Delta, Lower Egypt. This is why the unification of Egypt was described as joining the Two Lands.
The cruise stretch
Most Nile cruises sail the 200 km between Luxor and Aswan, the most beautiful and monument-rich part of the river. See the sights on a Nile cruise and our Nile cruises.
