Heading south from Luxor, the fertile green Nile Valley narrows considerably and becomes more and more enclosed by the desert, which in some places edges dramatically close to the river banks. The climate also changes and becomes increasingly desertlike, with mostly warm and dry days in winter – there’s an average temperature of about 26°C during the day – but often surprisingly cold at night. Summer days are dry but often very hot, with temperatures hovering between 38°C and 45°C, making it difficult to visit sites outdoors. At the height of summer, temperatures hardly seem to drop during the night