The fractal advection-diffusion equation (ADE) is a generalization of the classical AdE in which the second-order derivative is replaced with a fractal order derivative. While the fractal ADE have been analyzed with a stochastic process In the Fourier and Laplace space so far, in this study a fractal ADE for describing solute transport in rivers is derived with a finite difference scheme in the real space. This derivation with a finite difference scheme gives the hint how the fractal derivative order and fractal diffusion coefficient can be estimated physically In contrast to the classical ADE, the fractal ADE is expected to be able to provide solutions that resemble the highly skewed and heavy-tailed time-concentration distribution curves of contaminant plumes observed in rivers.