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On the Nile In Egypt

Click here for the Aswan to Luxor Version - Click here for images of your sailing boat

Neues Angebot: Cleopatra Kreuzfahrt auf dem Nil -Luxus auf dem Nil - Cleopatra
Stilvoll den Nil befahren

Day 1- LUXOR - Saturday
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 vehicle , 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 - please advise us of your preference though)

Day 2 - LUXOR - Sunday ( 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 , Esna - ROYAL CLEOPATRA Monday (BLD)
Breakfast at the hotel. Board your private air conditioned vehicle to Esna :

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, your felucca is docked next to Esna , the ancient Ta-senet (from which the Arabic word Isna (Esna) is derived), tour the small yet most charming temple of Esna , until late 30's , no one suspected that there is a temple underneath the village main square, then one day and archeologist decided to lift and dig up what he thought the base of column, that turned up to be the capital of a column and the ceiling of the temple dedicated to the Ancient Egyptian God : Khnum .
Esna under the Greeks and Romans, became the capital of the Third Nome of Upper Egypt. And was an important provincial capital.

Watch sunset and sip tea on deck. Dinner follows ) , then to bed, with the ripples of the Nile gently rocking you to sleep

Day 4- EDFU- Tuesday (BLD)
Breakfast in your cabin, or on the sundeck.
As the sun rises we sailing towards Edfu. Lunch on board or on one of the islands. We reach Edfu , and dock for the night. Dinner on board

Day 5 - EDFU- Wednesday (BLD)
Breakfast in your cabin, or on the sundeck.

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 6 - 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 7 - Kom Ombo - Aswan Friday (BL)
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 by car , and the legendary Old Cataract hotel or Movenpick Aswan Hotel
Lunch (snacks enroute).

A view from the legendary Colonial Style Old Cataract Hotel In Aswan

Day 8 - Aswan - Saturday (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel .
Today we visit the Aswan High Dam, the red granite quarries of the ancient pharaohs, the Nubian Museum, and the temples of Philae, reconstructed on an island in the middle of the Nile .

The Mystery of Isis

Two millennia ago the Mediterranean world was enthralled by the mystery of Isis:

"I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled."

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was
also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect
the world.

Isis, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless Egypt when you Travel in Style!

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 $

The Staff of Life: The Camel

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).