Vantage World Travel

Dahabiya Nile Cruise - 8D/7N

There’s a new way to enjoy cruising the Nile, on a small, traditional craft with a pace that suits the river, a Dahabiya boutique sailboat, the closest expereince to having your own private yacht. Dahabiyas are larger than a felucca, some 50 meters long, yet not under the motor power of a normal Nile cruiser.

A dahabiya (from the Arabic for “gold” after their gilded railings) is a beautifully crafted wooden ship, similar to a houseboat and has been the traditional way of travel since ancient Egypt. Dahabiyas were used by pharaohs, pashas, emirs, and sultans. Cleopatra and Caesar spent nine months sailing in one, Napoleon used his own, the Italy, to explore Upper Egypt, Lord Kitcheners used them for his famous trip to Khartoum. Amelia B. Edwards, who had a piano installed on hers, notes in her book “A Thousand Miles up the Nile”, that the sailing vessel was, at that time, the preferred method of transportation among upper class Egyptians and the early tourists attracted by the newly discovered Pharaonic treasures. But when the steamship was introduced to the Nile, the dahabiya soon lost its importance and was eventually repleaced by the floating cruise hotels used by today’s tourist (those who want to have a more basic way of travel go for the traditional sailing boat, the felucca).

Today only a few dahabiyas are in operation. In comparison to the other ways to travel, dahabiyas are the ultimate luxury offering an exceptional ambience, allowing the passengers to sail as it was once done. The smaller dahabiyas can also moor at sites a cruise ship cannot offering tailored itineraries away from the normal crowds. Cabins on dahabiyas are also limited to a maximum of 8, which makes them perfect for private parties who would like to sail the Nile in style and privacy.

In the 1990’s a few entrepreneurs successfully started refurbishing dahabiyas for exclusive cruises, an idea so liked that replicas of the ancient dahabiyas are now being built with the traditional configuration of two lateen sails, and a decor straight out of “Death on the Nile”. A typical dahabiya has a spacious salon; wood-panelled air-conditioned cabins, with brass fittings, wide-windows for viewing the passing scenery, a queen sized bed or two single beds, LCD flat screen TV with built-in desk area on which fresh fruits and sweetmeats are placed, mini bar, in-suite digital safe, and a travertine tiled bath with full shower and roomy washstand with mirror on top, magnified shaving/make-up mirror, hair dryer, Egyptian cotton towels and a full amenity package. The upper deck offers comfortable deck couches, lounge chairs and an outdoor Jacuzzi with shaded zones for dining al fresco. Meals are lavish, with lots of fresh fish and salads, washed down with fruit juices, beer, wines or cocktails. Breakfast and lunch are normally served buffet style while dinner is a sit-down, waiter served, full course meal with the chef happy to accommodate personal food requests. Passengers enjoy personalized service and are not as constrained by schedules and moorings as on cruise boats, making it feasible to visit sites at quiet times or where larger ships can’t moor. After all, with shallow drafts, sails, and oars, feluccas and dahabiyas could navigate not only the great river, but the maze of canals threading through its banks, with or without wind, reaching every part of the kingdom. The Dahabiya will take you back in time to a more gracious era in a 7-night cruise experience between Luxor and Aswan.

Dahabiyas features: Sailing boat - 8 large cabins (18 Sq. meters) - 1 cabin for tour leader or guide - Tug boat - Flexible Program - 5 stars deluxe - Jacuzzi on deck - Out door dining with B.B.Q facilities - In door lounge with dinning space, bar and library - On deck bar for cocktails - Full board including Tea, coffee, local mineral water all day - All visits as per itinerary - * Cruise Itinerary may change due to local conditions, such as lock closure or low water levels of the Nile. However, all sightseeing will be provided.

Cabin Features: LCD screen - Mini bar - Bath amenities - Hair dryer - Tray with coffee and tea with mini boiler - Digital safe box -Large panoramic window

Technical Data: Length: 50 meters - Width: 7.30 meters - Air draft: 4.80 meters - Water draft: 1 meter - Generator: 2 generators 80 hp and 40 hp - Fully air conditioned - 12 crew members on board - In case of no northern winds a tug boat is used

Starts every Saturday : Board either in Luxor or Aswan for an Eight Day / seven night program

Dahabiya Aswan / Luxor cruise - Sample Itinerary:

• Day 1 (Sunday): Check in - Lunch - Visit the Nubian Museum - Dinner & Overnight
• Day 2 (Monday): Breakfast - Visit the High Dam and the Old Dam and the ‘ unfinished obelisk’, lying in ancient granite quarries of Aswan. Then proceed to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, being rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam’s construction - Sailing - Dinner & Overnight on an Island prior Kom Ombo.
• Day 3 (Tuesday): Early Sail to Kom Ombo - Lunch - Visit temple of Kom Ombo dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus the elder, god of the morning sun - Dinner & Overnight Kom Ombo.
• Day 4 (Wednesday) : Early sailing to Edfu - Breakfast on board - Lunch on Island - View of Silsila Temple and Sandstone quarries from the Deck - Visit to one of best preserved temples of Greco – Roman era , that of Horus at Edfu. Experience the horse drawn carriage ride back and forth to the temple - Dinner & Overnight on island .
• Day 5 (Thursday): Early Crossing of lock and sailing to Luxor - Visit the town and temple of Esna dedicated to the creator god Khnum - Sail to Luxor - Lunch on board - Arrive Luxor - Overnight.
• Day 6 (Friday): Breakfast - Visit the gigantic temples complex of Karnak, followed by the awesome Luxor Temple started by Amenophis III in the 14th century B.C. and extended by Ramsis II - BBQ Lunch - Dinner & Overnight Luxor
• Day 7 (Saturday): Breakfast - Visit the West Bank Necropolis, the burial ground of the Pharaohs - the Valley of the Kings - where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Proceed to the nearby Valley of the Queens, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsuit and the Colossi of Memnon - Lunch - Leisure - Dinner & Overnight
• Day 8 (Sunday) : Breakfast - Check out

Dahabiya Luxor / Aswan cruise - Sample Itinerary:

• Day 1 (Sunday) : Check in - Lunch - Visit the gigantic temples complex of Karnak, followed by the awesome Luxor Temple started by Amenophis III in the 14th century B.C. and extended by Ramsis II - Dinner & Overnight
• Day 2 (Monday): Breakfast - Visit the West Bank Necropolis, the burial ground of the Pharaohs - the Valley of the Kings - where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Proceed to the nearby Valley of the Queens, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsuit and the Colossi of Memnon - Lunch - At leisure - Dinner & Overnight
• Day 3 (Tuesday): Early Sail to Esna - Lunch - Arrive Esna - Panoramic visit of the town and temple of Esna dedicated to the creator god Khnum - Dinner & Overnight Esna.
• Day 4 (Wednesday) : Early sailing to Edfu - Breakfast on board, View of El Kab tombs and site from the deck - Lunch on board - Arrive Edfu - Visit to one of best preserved temples of Greco – Roman era , that of Horus at Edfu. Experience the horse drawn carriage ride back and forth to the temple - Dinner & Overnight near Edfu
• Day 5 (Thursday): Early sailing to Kom Ombo - BBQ lunch on A Nile Island - Sail to island (Meneh) near Kom Ombo and View the Silesia Temple and sandstone quarries from deck - Overnight Meneh Island.
• Day 6 (Friday): Visit km Ombo temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus the elder, god of the morning sun - Breakfast - Sail to Aswan - Lunch BBQ on a Nile island - Sail to an island prior Aswan island ( Copania ) - Dinner & Overnight on board
• Day 7 (Saturday): Breakfast on island - Sail to Aswan - Visit the High Dam and the Old Dam and the ‘ unfinished obelisk’, lying in ancient granite quarries of Aswan. Then proceed to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, being rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam’s construction - Lunch - Visit the Nubian Museum - Dinner & Overnight Aswan.
• Day 8 (Sunday) : Breakfast - Check out

Return to Cruising in Egypt

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