Kerma

Kerma ruled the Nile's third-cataract reach when Egypt's Middle Kingdom watched it warily: from around 2500 BC the kingdom built Africa's earliest great urban centre south of Egypt, and its signature survives as the Western Deffufa - a solid mudbrick temple massif still rising some nineteen metres, weathered into a small mountain you can climb by its ancient ramp. The site museum beside it earns its reputation as the country's best: the seven granite statues of the black pharaohs, found cached nearby, stand in commanding assembly, and the galleries walk Kerma's burials, crafts and the long argument with Egypt. The living town's Nubian houses paint their doorways all around.

What you actually see

• The Western Deffufa - the mudbrick temple mountain and its ramp.
• The black pharaohs - seven granite kings in the museum hall.
• The city foundations - four millennia of urban Africa.
• Nubian Kerma - painted doorways of the living town.

When to go

November to February for the Nile route's cool season. Check current travel advice before planning, and arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Honest expectations

The frame first, as everywhere in the country: when-possible, arranged, current-conditions travel. On site: the Deffufa's scale carries the visit with the museum's statues - allow both unhurried; Nubian hospitality nearby is the region's famous bonus.

Nearby

The third cataract, Tombos' granite quarries and the Dongola reach.