Cruise
the Nile in Style aboard the
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Day
1- LUXOR - Sunday
Please
verify the hotel or address where our local rep will meet you in Cairo
and assist with your transfer to Cairo Airport to board your flight
heading for Luxor.
Our local rep will meet you at Luxor Airport with a private air conditioned
van, and escort you
to your hotel.
Remainder of the day at leisure. Al Moudira Hotel on the West Bank or
the Old Winter Place ( subject to availability advise us of your preference
though)
Day 2 - LUXOR - Monday ( Breakfast at the Hotel)
Today We tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley
of the Queens, including the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, stopping
also at the Colossi of Memnon before heading back to Luxor . This afternoon
we stand in awe before the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak,
and the mighty Temple of Luxor. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation :
Your hotel in Luxor : Al Moudira Hotel on the West Bank or the Old Winter
Place ( subject to availability- please advise us of your preference
though)
Day
3- LUXOR , Edfu - ROYAL CLEOPATRA Tuesday (BLD)
( Keen to spend an extra night
on board Royal Cleopatra and get to see Esna Temple ? please click here)
Breakfast at the hotel. Board your private air conditioned van to Edfu
:
Check-in , and board your Deluxe Felucca the Royal Cleopatra ( rated:
modest 3 stars)
( Your crew of 5 will be available to welcome you : the captain, sailor, chef, housekeeper and of course your Resident Egyptologist)
Welcome drink served upon arrival "Karkadeh - Local herb tea". Lunch will be served . Welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin, watch sunset as we dock north of Edfu and sip tea on deck. Dinner follows ) , then to bed, with the ripples of the Nile gently rocking you to sleep
Day
4- EDFU- Wednesday (BLD)
Breakfast in your cabin, or on the sundeck,As
sun rises we continue our sailing towards Edfu.
In Edfu, climb aboard your private horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best preserved.
Enjoy a grand afternoon of sailing on the Nile watching villages & scenery that changed little since Biblical times. We enjoy lunch at one of the small islands on the way. Dock at Elmerinat.
Day
5- GABAL ELSISILAH - FARES - Thursday (BLD)
Breakfast on board. We sail further upstream heading for GABAL
ELSISILAH
Enjoy lunch on board . We reach Gabal Elsisilah early afternoon and
tour the ancient sandstone quarries. A charming off the beating track
site that 's not yet overwhelmed with large groups of tourists.
Watch sunset as we sip tea on
deck. Dinner follows, then on to Fares where we dock for the night .
Enjoy the Egyptian southern clear skies with thousands of stars to watch
! A galabya will be delivered to your cabin with our compliments.
Day
6- Kom Ombo - Aswan Friday (B)
After breakfast on board. We return to Royal Cleopatra to bid farewell
to the crew. We change our mode of transportation and board an air conditioned
van/car , we stop at Kom Ombo , visit its twin temple dedicated to the
crocodile god of the Nile, a true Greco Roman masterpiece.
Inspect the ancient wall carvings that documents the measurements and detailed description of the medical instruments available to the Ancient Egyptian.
Time permitting we 'll head for Draw for a quick tour of the Camel Market
We enjoy a short walking tour through the local village and souks of Kom Ombo, before heading to Aswan airport , board your flight back to Cairo . Our local rep will await you in Cairo to assist with your transfer to a local hotel or the International terminal at Cairo Airport.
End of our services. Bon Voyage. We'll be glad to assist with any additional
service or extra hotel
nights in Aswan.
For your enhanced privacy and security, your sailing crew will spend the night on a small tug, which will always be at your disposal to assure your progress even on windless days. Your Egyptologist-guide will have his own quarters aboard the Royal Cleopatra, and can assist with your free-time activities. If you prefer, he can stay shore and be called upon only to accompany you during your daytime visits.
Rates per person in USD $
| Individual bookings up to 6 guests |
|
| Triple |
$
2225.00
|
| Double |
$
2325.00
|
| Single |
$
3800.00
|
For private sailing for Honeymooners
We
can ensure that you and your new spouse would have the utmost privacy
and
you can request when and what you would like to tour along your
journey.
In addition, we have a wonderful chef to make your intimate dining
one to
remember, whether you want private dining in your cabin or one on
deck. This will be entirely up to you!
Flowers and other details can also be arranged for additional prices.
These are just some ideas we have for you.
Guide on board :
For your enhanced privacy and security, your sailing crew will spend the night on a small tug, which will always be at your disposal to assure your progress even on windless days. Your Egyptologist-guide will have his own quarters aboard the Royal Cleopatra, or, if you prefer, he can stay ashore and be called upon only during the day. He will accompany you during your visits and assist with your touring and free-time activities, always keeping to your sailing schedule. For the serious Egyptologists and devoted amateurs among our guests, we can even customize a private charter and schedule to allow you to spend extended time at selected sites with your guide.
As you can imagine, the Royal Cleopatra is in high demand, so please contact us as early as possible if you wish to reserve your yacht on a charter basis.
Regrettably, discounts are not available for children on this cruise/tour.
Please remember that we can also arrange a cruise for you on one of
our large, spacious, luxurious air-conditioned Nile cruisers with
all the conveniences: a different experience from the intimate ambiance
of the "Royal Cleopatra."
Rates are per person in US:
Itinerary
is subject to change without notice.
Included:
*
What to Pack:
Most of the year look forward to warm, even hot weather in Luxor &
Aswan, morning & evenings are cooler. For Shore excursions, we suggest
comfortable cotton & natural fabric lightweight clothing. Comfortable
walking shoes are essential. Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing.
Swimsuits, sun hat.
For men, suggest to bring a battery operated shaver.
Boat shoes are required on board the boat
* Please note that sailing boats are subject to delay , if there is no wind, itinerary is subject to change , we keep the right to use car between sites while the boat caches sup with us , in case the winds slows us down. If for whatever reason there is extreme delay , due to weather or traffic on the Nile through the different locks and/or other factors, our obligation is limited to accommodating you on a 5 star deluxe Nile Cruise instead of the Royal Cleopatra sailing boat.
|
Cleopatra
Length : 19 Meters. Beam : 5.20 meters. Cabin : 4.61 Meters x 2.41 Meters |
|
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Available on board : *
For men's electrical shaver : 220 Volt / 110 Volt converter.
( no electricity/ no hot water at night) |
 |
|
For
families and private parties of 5- 6 guests :
( The sofa bed in the foyer is a double bed) |
Read
more on " Cleopatra,
Antony and Caesar"
The Greatest Love Story of all Time |
Available on board :
*
Electrical shaver : 220 Volt / 110 Volt converter.
* Hairdryer. Shampoo, conditioner, soap.
* Music at the bar.
Feluccas are the traditional sailing vessel of much of the Mediterranean world, and the traditional Nile felucca, or dahabeah, 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.
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.
Royal feluccas 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 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 dahabeah 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.
In later times, pashas, emirs, and sultans found that feluccas were indispensable. When Napoleon invaded Egypt, the Mameluke 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 Italie, which was used by his officers to explore Upper Egypt.
In the nineteenth century, the well-equipped Nile felucca was essential to the upper-crust adventurer. Lord Kitshner used several feluccas for his famous trip from Cairo to Khartoum.
It took from two to three months to ascend the Nile under wind power, and another month-and-a-half to float back downstream, stopping at the great temples along the way. King Farouk, Churchill, Montgomery, Mark Twain and others settled in for the journey, and a certain Lady Edwards even had a piano installed on her sailing vessel.
Eventually, steamers displaced dahabeahs, opening up an Egyptian adventure to greater numbers on Thomas Cook's tours, and trains nearly finished them off. But never completely. Even today, despite the inroads of rail, steam power, and highways, the graceful Nile felucca retains its place.
Now, Travel in Style and Nubian Nile Cruises re-create the grand era of Nile adventure. Through their special contacts, they have arranged cruises on private Nile vessels. Completely refitted, our craft will delight the discriminating traveller, with full amenities, and modern conveniences and safety features unimaginable by upper-crust visitors of old or even the ancient pharaohs.
Our private Nile cruisers are at your disposal to accommodate couples, honeymooners, families, children enjoy most this barging cruise on the Nile, and small groups, affording the unique experience of navigating the ancient river on your own.
The M/S Cleopatra is a lateen-rigged Nile sailing vessel, 62 feet long by 24-1/2 feet wide, with sleeping accommodations for two to six people.
Spacious quarters include a main salon, bar, and sun deck. Each of two staterooms has private sink, shower, and toilet, and may be configured for your voyage with a queen bed, a queen and single, or up to three single beds.
A skilled river captain is on board at all times . A guide is at your disposal to plan your itinerary and escort you through the sites you choose to visit. The crew has completely separate quarters, to ensure your privacy.
Meals may be taken as you wish in your cabin, in the salon, or on deck while you watch the timeless way of life along the banks of the river, and villages twinkling at dusk. The temptation to spend at least one night gazing at stars and sleeping on deck may be irresistible. Enjoy luxury and unique adventure, made possible at a price delightfully within your reach through Travel in Style!
For
charter and a PRIVATE Nile Cruise booking :
A NON REFUNDABLE deposit of $ 250 PER PERSON for Royal Cleopatra
is required within 7 days from the date we confirm. Any booking made
45 days or less requires FULL PAYMENT.
If you cancel a chartered private boat less than 44 days or less
, a 100 % cancellation fees apply, there is no refund,
Read
more on " Cleopatra,
Antony and Caesar"
The Greatest Love Story of all Time
The Royal Cleopatra is a traditional wind-driven sailing craft, and is subject to the uncertainties of wind, weather and riverine traffic conditions on the Nile. We will do our best to follow published itineraries, but they must be considered tentative in all cases. We reserve the right to modify or cancel any sailing itinerary as conditions warrant. In case of insufficient wind, weather danger or difficult riverine traffic conditions on the Nile or through the Nile locks, or other cause of cancellation, we reserve the right to accommodate Royal Cleopatra passengers aboard a deluxe Nile cruise vessel, and / or to transport passengers between some sites by motor vehicle along the Nile, to be able to keep up with the itinerary , at our option.
You may know the camel as a gangling, ill-tempered beast of burden, but for generations of desert-dwellers, this magnificent brute has been far more than a curiosity. Camels are shelter: their skin is fashioned into the tents of Bedouins. They ward off the night chill, in blankets and clothing woven from their wool. Their milk nourishes the young, and their flesh, roasted over open fires at desert encampments, feeds the sojourner. They are sport and recreation. And yes, camels are company in the vastness, with personalities and quirks, requiring at once a firm hand and an understanding soul.
We'll be privileged to take a close-up
look at man and camel as we journey from the banks of the Nile to the
village of Draw. Here, traders from all over Nubia have brought their
camels to market over the centuries. We might even witness the arrival
of a caravan that has journeyed all the way from the Sudan. We'll get
tips on what to look for when in the market for a camel, try our hand
at evaluating the merchandise, and encounter a cast of characters, human
and otherwise. And we'll get caught up in the haggling, gestures, sounds,
aromas, and excitement of the camel fair, as we come to understand just
how unimaginable would be the Nubian way of life without these magnificent,
lumbering quadrupeds. It's an insider's look at desert life afforded
rarely to visitors. Don't miss it!
Le base de la vie: Le chameau
Vous connaissez peut-être le chameau comme une bête de mauvaise humeur, mais pour des générations de nomades, ce brute magnifique a été bien plus qu'une simple curiosité. Les chameaux sont l'abris: leur peau devient les tentes des Bedouins. Ils protègent du froid durant la nuit avec les couvertures et vêtements tissés de leur laine. Leur lait nourrit les enfants, et leur chair, rôtie par les feux de campements de désert, nourrit les voyageurs. Ils sont des sports et des loisirs. Et oui, les chameaux sont des compagnons dans l'immensité des sables, avec des personalités et des caprices, exigeant d'une part une main ferme et d'une autre une âme qui les comprend.
Nous serons assez privilégiés pour prendre un regard sur l'homme et le chameau, en voyageant des rives du Nil au village de Draou. C'est à ce marché que les commerçants ont apporté leurs chameaux de toute la Nubie depuis dès siècles. Nous pourrions peut-être même observer l'arrivée d'une caravane qui a voyagé du Soudan. Nous recevrons des avis sur ce que le paysan cherche en achetant un chameau en plein marché, et même essayerons à évaluer la marchandise, tout en rencontrant une gamme de caractères fascinants, humains et autrement. Et nous nous perdrons dans les négociations, les gestes, les sons, les arômes, et l'agitation de la foire des chameaux, pendant que nous arriverons à comprendre comment serait inconcevable la façon de vie des Nubiens sans ces bêtes magnifiques. C'est une chance de prendre un regard privilegié sur la vie du désert, une chose rarement étendue aux visiteurs. N'y manquez pas!
What other guests say about Royal Cleopatra ?
Jan 2005 :
Wallace
Party - On the Royal Cleopatra - Private cruising on the Nile :
Hi,
I've been meaning to email you since we arrived home - the trip was Great!!! All the crew was helpful and friendly - they had their work cut out for them helping us with the old ladies, but they were fabulous with them .
everyone had a fantastic time-the accommodations were lovely and the food delicious. Id certainly recommend it to others!!
Finally, Ahmed, our tour guide was the best - again, friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to be with for 5 days - as much as we loved our guide in Cairo, we were sad to leave Ahmed!!
Thanks for everything
Jen
Royal Cleopatra is a modified felucca type vessel, officially called
a sandal , is modestly furnished and crewed by it's own private staff
of 5 members: Captain, Sailor, Chef, Housekeeper, and Resident Tour
Guide. There are exactly two cabins on-board the vessel, each with its
own bathroom.
Normally, we have the resident tour guide stay on-board with our guests,
in the rear guide's cabin. However, and upon your request , for added
privacy while you are on board , we would ask the resident tour guide
to meet you at all sight seeing excursions along the way.
In addition, the craft is powered by sails only. We have a private tug
boat (Called Garrar - In Arabic!) that would accompany you along the
way, in-case of wind loss.
Although a very ancient way of traveling the Nile (ie. Felucca Style)
- Felucca, Sandal, and Dahabia Private Charter has become a growing
trend for vacationing in Egypt. Especially for those repeat customers,
that want a new experience (rather than a typical Nile Cruise).
Hi,
Kim asked that I tell you about our experience on the Royal Cleopatra. It was one of the highlights of our trip and many one of the highlights of our numerous trips.
As we glided on the river, we were passed by maybe 100 cruise boats and all we could think was - weren't we smart to go on the Royal Cleopatra.
It
was not too large or too small.
Not too large- the cruise boats go up and down the river very quickly
- usually in tan dam with other boats. So they reach Kom Ombo with 10
other boats each holding 100 people - do the math. We usually managed
to get to the sites when others were not there and had a leisurely-
very leisurely chance to study the area. Also being a small boat, we
were able to dock at places that the cruise boats could not. In addition,
the cruise boats tie up 3 or 4 in a line when docked. Your view outside
your cabin is probably of another cabin.
Not too small - we also saw some really small sailing boats on the river
- they were all groups of 10 or more. There was no space to move around
on the boat. It was more like a camping adventure. I like camping but
not in such crowded quarters.
Just right. The R. C. is big enough for two couples or more (There were
three beds in our room and there are two rooms for guests) - we were
the only passengers. I am enclosing my trip log for the days on the
R. C. so I will only add that it was not luxurious but comfortable.
We had plenty of time to sit and read. Lots of fun excursions and the
5 days ended way too quickly. If you go - don't expect an Onasis fancy
boat. It is a real boat. We sailed whenever possible - which was most
of the time. The electricity is run by a generator. The generator is
a bit noisy so its only on when necessary. The staff was wonderful.
The food was excellent (except we could have used fresh bread midway
through - we suggested to Kim to have the crew pick up bread along the
way). Plenty of hot water but the water only runs with the generator
on. You can ask the crew to turn on the generator whenever you need
it to flush the toilet or shower. No booze aboard or buyable on the
way - so bring your own if you want it.
We let Kim arrange our entire trip in Egypt. She even made my Cairo Tel Aviv airline reservations. Everything ran extremely smoothly.
Any questions, please ask.
Nili .....
