Aswan is the loveliest stretch of the whole Nile, and the felucca, a traditional wooden boat with a tall triangular sail, is the perfect way to drink it in. There is no engine, just the wind and the water and the creak of the rigging, as the boatman tacks between islands, granite boulders and the golden dunes of the west bank. A typical sail loops around Elephantine Island with its Nubian villages and ancient ruins, past the grand old Cataract hotel and the hilltop domed Mausoleum of the Aga Khan, and out to Kitchener's Island, where you can land and stroll the shady Botanical Garden of palms and exotic trees planted over a century ago. Sunset is the moment, when the light turns the sails amber and the desert pink and the whole scene goes still. Agree the length and price with the captain first, then settle in; this is Aswan doing what it does best, gloriously slowly.
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