Location: The Nile River - a blue river.

There's a river called "Blue Nile", which is actually not the Nile river, but a tributary of the latter. And it's not blue. In fact, I had never seen a "blue" river in my life - blue meaning: the water looks literally "blue". Most rivers I've seen usually have a brownish or greenish color. The bodies of water I've seen which exhibit bluish hues have often been seas or lakes.

In Cairo, the Nile river has the same brownish, sometimes dirty greenish coloration of a river which is plagued by the environmental effects from the big city it's fathomed to cross forever. It looks just like any other river running through a populated area.  I didn't think much about the river's color until we arrived in Aswan. We would be cruising the Nile for the next 3 days, and all we were thinking about was seeing crocodiles in the murky brownish waters of a river. Surprisingly, however, the Nile in Aswan is not green, or brown. It is incredibly blue, like a mirror reflecting the clear sky. And astonishingly peaceful, dotted with  feluccas, Egyptian traditional sailboats.
 

View of the Nile from Elephantine Island

And what about the crocodiles? Well, we didn't see any (except for mummified ones in one of the temples). According to our tour guide, after the Aswan Dam was built, the crocodiles stayed behind, unable to cross over!

No trip to Egypt would be complete without experiencing a Nile cruise. It is one of the best ways to experience what Egypt has to offer in terms of culture. A cruise is an excellent way to visit major sites: Aswan, Luxor, and other ports on the way, with a surplus of exquisitely preserved temples and monuments to the gods of Ancient Egypt. Not to be missed are Edfu, for example, which is actually the best preserved temple built on the banks of the Nile, and the temple of Isis at Philae. While in Aswan, surround yourself with the sounds and sights of the Nile with a stay at the Movenpick hotel at Elephantine Island. The view from the island is magnificent; you can really appreciate the bluish of the Nile while submerging yourself in a 2000 + year old culture and atmosphere.

Felucca boats sail across the blue river on a sunny afternoon

So yes, the Nile is blue!