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The Botanical Island, also called Kitchener's Island, is one of two major islands on the Nile in Aswan; the other island is Elephantine. It was owned by Lord Kitchener, who served as Consul-General in Egypt from 1911 to 1914. With the assistance of the Ministry of Irrigation, Kitchener transformed the island into a tropical oasis filled with exotic tree and plant species from Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. The island's ownership was later passed to the Egyptian government, which used it as a research station and called it the Botanical Research Institute. Nowadays, the island is a popular destination for locals and tourists who desire to escape from the city's noise. The Botanical Island can be reached by river ferry or felucca.