Six Days / Five Nights on the Nile in LUXURY : Now you can sail
the great river of Egypt and visit its ancient wonder in the most
authentic manner possible. Travel in Style has arranged Nile cruises
aboard a traditional dahabiya, the Flâneuse du Nil.
Dahabiyas
are the traditional sailing vessel used since Pharaonic times to
reach the farthest reaches of the empire, by river and canal. As
passenger vessels, freighters, floating royal courts and excursion
boats, they have long had an essential relationship with the land
and people. Our dahabiya is updated with non-traditional comforts,
including modern plumbing, cuisine, and a trained staff, while maintaining
the essence of the dahabiya experience in keeping with Egypt’s
traditions.
But
the Flâneuse du Nil is more than the most authentic conveyance.
It’s a different way of relating to the land you visit. You’ll
experience the trip of a lifetime with the comforting assurance
that you’ll leave hardly a trace of your presence on the environment.
You’ll be under sail power 70 percent of the time, leaving
a minimum of contaminants in the river. Water for washing and sanitary
purposes is drawn from the river, treated, and treated again before
being recycled. Bottled water is provided for drinking. All waste
is sorted. Crew members are dispatched to clean up wherever you
stop along the banks.
And
that’s not all. We work to ensure an equitable encounter with
Egypt and Egyptians. All of our food is purchased in the villages
we visit, and we pay our crew double the prevailing rates, and provide
health coverage.
.
Travel should be for the better . . . to better yourself, the places
you visit, the people you encounter. Travel in Style makes it all
happen with our Dahabiya voyage aboard the Flâneuse du Nil.
Day
1 – Cairo : Fly to Luxor and Embarkation - Saturday - Weekly
Year Round (LD)
Please
advise us of your hotel name in Cairo , or ask us for help with
booking your hotel in Cairo .
In Cairo : transfer is included from your hotel to the airport,
always in a private air-conditioned vehicle.
Domestic air fare is included between Cairo and the cruise ( in
business class ) , with all taxes ( subject to availability) .
Transfer is included from Luxor Airport to the Cruise , always
in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Get ready for
a relaxing week sailing the Nile on a luxuriously appointed Dahabbiya.
We’ll meet up in the morning and explore the temples of Thebes,
the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, now known as Luxor. Our visit
will include the Temple of Amon at Karnak, the largest religious
complex in the world, and the impressive colonnades of the Temple
of Luxor. In the afternoon, we board our dahabiya, the Flâneuse
du Nil, and set sail upriver in a convoy for our home port, Esna.
We glide past timeless villages and fields of grain, nourished by
the waters of the great river. By late afternoon, we reach El Hegz,
where we tie up for the night and enjoy our dinner prepared on board.
The Legendary " Flâneuse du Nil" Dahabiya
The Ultimate Honeymoon on the Nile
Day
2 – El Hegz, El Kaab, Edfu, El Ramady - Sunday (BLD)
On our dahabiya, we’ll call at ports where larger cruise vessels
rarely appear. In the morning, we’ll visit El Kaab, built
within a mud-brick enclosure. Founded in the Neolithic era, it embodies
timelessness in its homes, its everyday crafts, and the rhythms
of daily life. Our visit will include tombs hewn into the sheer
rock at Ahmes and Paheri. Back aboard, we’ll resume our cruise
past feluccas, fishing vessels, and cargo boats loaded with freshly
cut sugar cane. We’ll stop at Edfu to visit the Temple of
Horus, one of the largest and best-preserved in all of Egypt. By
nightfall, we will have reached the island of El Ramady, where we
will tie up for the night.
Day
3 – El Ramady, Djebel Silsileh, Maniha - Monday (BLD)
In the morning we continue our cruise deeper into Upper Egypt. We’ll
reach Djebel Silsileh, where the Nile squeezes between steep cliffs.
On the western shore, we’ll espy a sanctuary dug into the
rock, dedicated long ago to the seven divinities of the south by
Pharaoh Horemheb. We’ll explore an ancient quarry where sandstone
was cut for temples, and tie up for the night at the island of Maniha.
Day
4 – Maniha, Kom Ombo, Daraw, Herdiab - Tuesday (BLD)
We cruise onward to Kom Ombo, with its unusually symmetrical temple
dedicated to both Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon.
Back on board, we’ll continue to the village of Daraw, where
traders bring spices, perfumes and crafts from across the desert
and from the heart of Africa. Enjoy the opportunity to gaze at and
bargain for traditional wares and appreciate a way of life that
seems untouched by modernity. After a walk around, we’ll reboard,
and continue our cruise to Herdiab.
Day
5 – Herdiab, El Koubaniya, Aswan - Wednesday (BLD)
We sail onward to the village of El Koubaniya. Perhaps you’ll
note its Nubian character, in the faces of its people, the subtle
rhythms of their language, and graceful ways. Finally, we’ll
arrive at Aswan. But our adventure is not yet over. We’ll
visit the island temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis,
mother and wife of Osiris, and embodiment of fertility and motherhood.
Its reliefs and frescoes make it one of the most attractive temples
in Egypt. We’ll take our last dinner together on board our
Dahabiya.
Day 6 – Aswan /Cairo - Thursday (B)
We’ll disembark at Aswan after breakfast. You’ll continue
your travel homeward, or perhaps you’ll choose to linger for
a few days where royalty have traditionally spent a winter in the
fine, dry climate amid splendid dining and entertainment.
Private
transfer in a private Air-conditioned vehicle to the airport in
Aswan to board your flight back to Cairo, air fare is included back
to Cairo , with taxes , in business class subject to availability.
In Cairo , our local rep. will be waiting for you and assist with
your transfer to the J. W. Marriott - Club Level Room, or the Grand
Hyatt : Grand Suite, or if your prefer the Four Seasons - Standard
Room .
Day
7 – Cairo – Wednesday (B)
After breakfast . Check-out , our local rep. will assist
with your transfer to the airport, always on a private basis.
The Legendary " Flâneuse du Nil" Dahabiya
The Ultimate Anniversary Cruise on the Nile
Year Round ( Except Holiday season)
Rates are per person in USD $
Rate per person in double : $ 3290
Rate per person in single : $ 4350
For
the one and only suite on board : Please add % 30 to the listed
rates
Peak
Season :
Easter ( 2 weeks ) & Christmas and New Year ( 2weeks)
:
Rates are per person in USD $
Rate per person in double : $3750
Rate per person in single : $ 5110
For the one and only suite on board : Please add % 30 to the listed
rates
Price
includes:
On
the Nile in Royal Style Feluccas or Dahabiyas are the traditional
sailing vessel of much of the Mediterranean world, and the traditional
Nile felucca, or Dahabia, was the mainstay of travel in ancient
Egypt.
With
shallow drafts, sails, and oars, feluccas 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.
Dahabbiyas
/ Feluccas long ago transcended their role as humble transports.
They held the ancient empire together, carrying troops, decrees,
and the very mystery of the pharaoh.
Add
Jordan and a Dahabiya Deluxe Sailing boat in Egypt
Click
here for the Dongola Photo Gallery and more images
Royal
feluccas and Dahabbiyas bore a larger-than-life image of the
pharaoh, seated on a throne, to be seen and venerated by inhabitants
even along the most remote canal. In turn, imbued with the same
"ka," or spirit, as the living pharaoh himself, it would
keep watch over his subjects and their activities.
So
integral was the Nile Dahabbiya and felucca to the ancient Egyptian
way of life that it assumed legendary attributes. Even today, you
can see the oldest known Nile felucca, the regal pharaonic Dahabia
of Cheops, the ruler immortalized by the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Known as the Solar Boat, it was believed to sail through
the skies carrying its royal passenger along sunbeams in his single
cabin, the royal suite of its day.
The
regal pharaonic Dahabia of Cheops Museum in Giza is a must see.
In
later times, pashas, emirs, and sultans found that feluccas were
indispensable. When Napoleon invaded Egypt, the Mamluks rulers
observed the Battle of the Pyramids from their dahabeahs, and in
the wake of defeat, set them afire, still laden with treasures,
in the middle of the river. Always one to adapt to local practice,
Napoleon even had his own dahabeah, the Italy, which was used by
his officers to explore Upper Egypt.
