Aswan, Egypt Editorial Photo

On the northern end of the First Cataract, Aswan in ancient times was a garrison town for the military campaigns against Nubia. Today, slower than most places in Egypt, laid-back and pleasant, it is the perfect place to linger for a few days, to rest and recover from the rigours of travelling along the Nile. The river is wide, languorous and stunningly beautiful here, flowing gently down from Lake Nasser, around dramatic black-granite boulders and palm-studded islands.