In the Rwenzori mountains, the wide source area of the Nile contains a spectacular feature. One snow-covered peak reaches 5000 metres (5500 yards) above sea level. Underneath its glacier, a fairy-tale forest expands, covered with Giant Lobelia and Aster plants. In this damp and cold world, the stunningly beautiful Lobelia Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird lives its life. The males defend their plants, until the female birds arrive from warmer climes for the mating season. Forests at lower altitudes provide a paradise for reptiles like the insect-hunting chameleons unique to these mountains. The source furthest away from the Nile delta lies in Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park. Thirteen species of primates live there, most notably the truly acrobatic Angola Colobus.

The Blue Nile is the White Nile’s most important tributary. Its source springs from the Ethiopian highlands, one of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. The rocks and canyons of the Simien mountains are a vulture’s paradise and home to some rare animal species. The Walia Ibex and the fantastic Gelada are unique to the land of the Blue Nile. There used to be a Yellow Nile, too, originating in the Chad. This tributary to the Nile dried out some 6000 years ago, but at its source, there is still water and even a tiny lake, sustaining a species of crocodile not found elsewhere in Africa. The last stage of the Nile leads through Egypt, past temples and tombs. Today, more than 80 million people live in the delta, among them two brothers who earn a living by hunting the Egyptian cobra. Finally, the Nile loses its way in a vast delta streaked by countless channels and ends in the Mediterranean Sea.