Aswan is found on the banks of the Nile River in southern Egypt. It is the last main stopping point before you reach the Sudanese border. Like much of Egypt’s large cities and towns there are numerous archaeological sites to see. The most well-known being the Isle of Philae but it is also the main travelling point to the more southern ‘Abu Simbel’ which was in fact a temple that was moved and reconstructed to make way for the damming of the Nile to form Lake Nasser during the 1960s.
Diary extract – 25 July, 1988 – Abu Simbel to Aswan Taxi Trip.
“…The drive back to Aswan was absolutely unbearable. (I later learnt the temperature was 40C plus) The hot wind that blew off the desert and hit us full-on choking us because we had the windows down due to no air-conditioning, was incredible. All 8 of us in the taxi carried bottled water but it was now ‘hot’ and no longer gave us the cool relief we needed. There was no getting comfortable. Either your back was dripping with sweat, you stuck to the seat or to your neighbour. Beads of sweat trickled and tickled all over and became really annoying. It was the longest 3 hour car trip I’d done and it was truly revolting…”
A short ferry or felucca trip on the Nile takes you to Elephantine Island. Here you’ll find the Museum which displays many Nubian artefacts. Beyond Elephantine Island, is Kitchener’s Island and soley constitutes the local Botanical Gardens, a popular spot for locals and tourists wishing to have some peace and quiet. Continuing across the Nile to the west bank is the Tomb of Agha Khan, a great viewing spot of the traffic on the Nile and Elephantine Island. A great viewing location of the western bank and the Nile River is from the Old Cataract Hotel. It in itself is a landmark of the city.
An essential travel guide to Egypt including Aswan and the other major travel destinations of this historic country.
One great reason to visit Aswan is to sit by the pool at the beautiful Old Cataract Hotel, that majestically overlooks the Nile River that is constantly busy with feluccas.
Petra is an amazing Nabataean archaeological site located south of the capital Amman, in the area known as Wadi Musa. Petra was the capital of the Nabataean civilisation during the 6th century and was registered on the UNESCO world heritage list during 1985.
Petra is a truly amazing place. From my own experience and knowing little about it on arrival, it was my own ‘discovery’. I had no preconceived expectations. I was in awe at what lay before me after reaching the end of the narrow Siq (a narrow gorge, more than 1 kilometre in length and flanked on either side by soaring, 80 metres high red cliffs).
Diary extract – 23 May, 1989
“…started out at 7.30am for the walk from the hotel to Petra. The temperature at that hour was very pleasant. There were a number of horses and donkey’s for the tourists to ride on but we decided to walk to the site of Petra. Part of the way we walked with local girls heading off to school. They were all covered and very curious about our presence at that hour. We began the walk through the mile long Siq, past the most vivid of colours in the gorge walls. The first glimpse of the Treasury as you approached the final leg of the Siq was truly breathtaking. From the Treasury we went up to the Place of Sacrifice. This was a silent, peaceful spot with fabulous views across all of Petra. I could have sat there all day and just gazed at the beauty of the rock colours and distant temples…”
Petra became even more well known in 1989 when Steven Spielberg’s movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was released. The Treasury, together with many other archaeological delights that are carved into the red stone of the area and are very well preserved and warranted the archaeological site being chosen in July 2007 as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There are a number of walks throughout the archaeological park and it is advised, to see the park thoroughly, at least 2 days is recommended.
Machu Picchu is situated high in the Andes Mountains and 2,000 feet above the Urubamba River in Peru, South America and is not far from the former capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco. Machu Picchu was only re-discovered during 1911 by an American archaeologist and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since then, tourists flock to Machu Picchu and the area receives more than 400,000 visitors annually.
There are a number of options in getting to Machu Picchu – train, bus, or the more strenuous option of hiking the Inca trail. There are varying trails that allow a one day or four day hike, depending how much time you have to spare.
Titbit: in researching this destination, I was surprised to find how often Machu Picchu was spelt incorrectly: Macchu Picchu, Matchu Pitchu, Macchu Pichu, Machu Pichu!
One great reason to visit Machu Picchu is for the outstanding location of the Inca ruins. No trip to Peru would be complete with out a visit to Machu Picchu.
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