Aswan River Nile Upper Egypt, is Egypt's sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town located about 81 miles south of Luxor, has a distinctively African atmosphere.

Its ancient Egyptian name was Syene. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful settling on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent strolling up and down the broad Cornice watching the sailboats etch the sky with their tall masts or sitting in floating restaurants listening to Nubian music and eating freshly caught fish.

The Red Sea coast is famed for its crystal clear blue waters and exotic marine life, attracting thousands of tourists yearly. The reputation is well deserved - in 1989, an international panel of scientists picked the north part of the Red Sea as one of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the World.

Aswan feels so relaxed after being in Luxor. There are few people around you trying to convince you into doing things you don't want to do. And the beauty of Aswan is striking, too. Taking a journey around the islands on a white felucca is compulsory, but this means that you expose yourself to those always looking to get some more money out of you.

Among the major attractions of Aswan are of course the Aswan Dams. There are two. The first was finished in 1902, and was the largest in the world in its day. The new one was completed in 1971, and came as a result of the higher needs of the increasing Egyptian population. But it's far from containing it's maximum amount of water, due to low water in the Nile up from Aswan.

In Aswan the Nile is at its most beautiful, flowing through amber desert and granite rocks, round emerald islands covered in palm groves and tropical plants. Explore the souk, full of the scent and colour of spices, perfumes, scarves and baskets.

View the spectacular sunsets while having tea on the terrace of the Old Cataract Hotel (Named due to the location of the Nile's first cataract located here). Aswan has been a favourite winter resort since the beginning of the nineteenth century, and it's still the most perfect place to get away from it all.