- The wooden sailing boats known in Arabic as dahabiya are the most beautiful on the Nile, and an authentic and romantic way to travel along the great river with a small group of guests, avoiding the crowds.
- The dahabiya is operated mainly by sail, but the boats travel with a tugboat in case there is insufficient wind. Sailing in a dahabiya from Esna (1 hour drive south of Luxor) to Aswan or in the reverse direction will enable you to experience many places less often seen by tourists. You will visit villages along the river and get close to real life in Egypt, and can also enjoy kayaking and swimming in the Nile.
- Large Nile cruise boats only stop at a few places to see the historic sites, and the number of passengers means you are seeing the monuments in a large group. The onboard entertainment is touristic and not really representative of Egyptian culture.
- Felucca are much smaller sail boats that do not have the comfortable suites and cabins or the facilities of a dahabiya. Although they can stop at many places along the river, they are for visitors who would like a basic way to sail, in comparison our dahabiya are luxurious and offer all the comforts of a high quality hotel, including ensuite bathrooms with hot showers, delicious meals prepared by our chefs, jacuzzi, and spacious deck areas to relax in.
- A dahabiya was the choice of European, British and American travelers in the 1800s who wanted to explore in a leisurely way before steamships and short Nile tours became popular. They were common in Egypt in the days of the monarchy (1920s – 1940s) when aristocrats and sophisticated travelers loved to cruise the Nile in style. They rented the boats for weeks at a time and made their way from temple to temple, also visiting rock cut tombs and quarries along the way.
- For today’s travelers who want to experience culture, history, relaxation and entertainment as they enjoy exploring the Nile Valley, there is no better way than a Dahabiya Nile Sailing cruise on our boats.
- Dahabiya Nile Sailing is a brand / sister company of Real Egypt tours. Egyptologist Samir Abbass founded Real Egypt more than a decade ago, guiding guests throughout Egypt. Initially dahabiya tours between Luxor and Aswan were introduced using dahabiya owned by other companies, however Samir’s interest in environment and sustainability led to the construction of the company’s own dahabiyas, the first “Safiya” launched in 2023 and “Safiya II” launched in 2024.
- Our dream is to create a better understanding of Egypt and Egyptian culture and people, and to create boats and experiences that are fully sustainable, with the minimum impact on the Nile River and its valley and the people who live here.
- An essential element of our tours is community visits. We believe cross-cultural connections contribute so much to our guests gaining a real sense of place and broaden your understanding of contemporary Egyptian life. We aim to create positive impacts and interactions in the places and with the people our guests visit.
- Our guests have opportunities to fish, visit a typical market, and visit with families in their homes and on their farms in local communities. You can enjoy an Egyptian cooking lesson onboard, and kayaking and swimming in the Nile.
- Dahabiya Nile Sailing and Real Egypt understand how tourism can impact environments and the people who live here in both positive and negative ways. We believe that by traveling responsibly you can also have a more authentic experience of our destinations and more positive interactions and connections with people and their cultures and traditions. We want to support your interest in being a responsible, environmentally conscious traveler.
- Dahabiya Nile Sailing has minimized use of single-use plastic, installing water stations onboard and providing each guest with a refillable water bottle. We have added solar panels to reduce diesel consumption on most of the boats. We continue to further improve the sustainability of the boats.
- In keeping with the United Nations SDGs (Sustainability Development Goals), activities on our tours are 100% operated by local people from the towns we visit, so income from the tours goes to the locals.
- Dahabiya has two large sails, which use the wind in conjunction with the currents of the Nile to transport you in the most peaceful way along the river. The sails are used whenever the wind is to the advantage of the direction the boat is traveling. Our dahabiya are accompanied by a tug boat, this is necessary for times when the wind and current are not in our favour, and necessary to keep to the schedule of tours. Unlike the early dahabiya travelers, our guests do not have months to meander along the great river waiting for advantageous winds.
- In the past, when wind was insufficient or the current too strong, the dahabiya crew had to jump overboard and using ropes walk the river bank pulling the boat along, strenuous and exhausting work that often resulted in injuries and even sunstroke.
- You can read accounts of this in books about dahabiya traveling such as A Thousand Miles Up The Nile by Amelia B. Edwards, who went on to found the Egypt Exploration Society, and My Winter on the Nile by Charles Dudley Warner. Your experience on our dahabiyas will be more comfortable and convenient than those past travelers, thanks to the innovations and greatly improved conditions for the crews on both our boats.
You can read these books with free access at https://archive.org/details/thousandmilesupn00amel/page/n7/mode/2up and https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52212 .
- The United Nations SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) include providing opportunities for women, but recognize that this needs to be applied differently in different cultures. Real Egypt and Dahabiya Nile Sailing have many women in our team, including among our Travel Advisors who assist with your planning and booking and our guides who you may meet during your tour. However, our dahabiya crew are men.
- Working on dahabiyas has always been a male role, originally due to the physical demands of the work. Before dahabiya were accompanied by tug boats for times when sails and current were insufficient, the crews often had to use ropes to pull the dahabiya along substantial stretches of the Nile or to move a dahabiya off a sandbank if it got stuck.
- There is also a cultural reason. While boat crews in other countries often include women or may be all women, in Egypt – a conservative and majority Muslim society - a mixed gender crew living together on the boat is not appropriate.
- If English is not your first language or you are not fluent in it, we offer the possibility of guides who speak your language. Just ask our Travel Advisors and they will be able to confirm availability of guides to suit your needs.
- Our experienced guides are also your interpreters in the communities we visit, enriching your understanding of life along the Nile.
- Comfort and security of our guests is among our highest priorities. Our tours do not come close to the borders of nearby countries where there is conflict. We have an excellent record of guest safety and caring for our guests if any issues such as health issues arise during their tour.
- We believe travel is one of the best gifts you can give your family, and a great way to educate children of all ages as well as giving them unique experiences. Touring together with us can create wonderful family memories. We are aware of the concerns you may have for the safety of your children including on the boat on our Dahabiya Nile Sailing tours, and we ensure that you and your children will feel safe onboard as well as during our land visits and experiences.
- Egyptian society is conservative, in some places more than in others. Exposed arms, legs, and more are accepted in big city nightclubs and in tourist hotels in places such as Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada. However, off the beaches and in the streets you will be mixing with Egyptians who mostly choose more modest dress, for religious and traditional reasons.
You will be more comfortable and have the chance for far deeper interactions with Egyptians if you dress modestly. This does not only apply to women, because many Egyptian men cover their arms and do not wear shorts or board shorts that expose above the knee.
- For swimming, which you will enjoy in the Nile on our Dahabiya Nile Sailing tours and in natural springs and lakes on some Oasis tours, it is advised for women to have more substantial swimwear. Shorts or leggings and a shirt are suggested, as you will then be less likely to draw attention and be comfortable while enjoying the water and also have some protection from the sun.
- As you will be starting and ending your tour in Luxor and Aswan, we suggest if your travel time permits that you extend your tour with more sites in either or both cities, and include a tour to Abu Simbel temples.
- If you are flying in through Cairo and have more time, our sister company Real Egypt offers tours of Cairo and throughout Egypt, your experience with us does not need to end when you leave the boat.
- Ask our Travel Advisors about the many options you can add, and for inspiration and suggested tours visit our website https://realegypt.com/ .
- We can pick up / drop off guests from and return them to any location in Aswan and Luxor.
- 4 Days / 3 Nights Itinerary
Aswan pick up 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM.
Esna check out after breakfast, at around 8 AM, followed by Esna tour and drive to Luxor, arriving in Luxor at around 11:00 AM.
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Itinerary
Luxor pick up 10:30 - 11:30 AM.
Aswan check out after breakfast, at around 8 AM
- Yes, the police, tourist police, and army presence is evident wherever you go.
- Egypt prides itself on its high safety record for tourists and will do all it can to maintain this.
- Though many nationalities are exempt from requiring a visa for the many Sinai resorts, a full tourist visa is required if you intend to visit anywhere that lies to the west of the Red Sea/Suez Canal.
- Ask us about our many tour options.
- Yes, beyond the city a full tourist visa is required.
- Ask us about tour options.
- Star ratings get higher as the facilities and overall standard of the accommodation gets better, so imagine a 5 star deluxe (or any suffix added to 5 stars) as being 6 stars.
- Few hotels in Egypt advertise as 6 stars.
- If you are only in Cairo for a few days it is easier for you to see the sites starting from a base in Giza. The traffic from Downtown to the pyramids can cause the journey to take over an hour, which means an early start and that takes time from your sightseeing experience. If you are in Cairo for a while, the hotels at the pyramids are all on a resort basis, on acres of land with outdoor swimming pools and relaxing areas, an experience Downtown hotels cannot really provide. Many Downtown hotels are built like towers, tall and narrow, while Giza pyramid area hotels are limited in height, but cover more ground.
- Cost also comes into the equation as a simple 4-star hotel in the Downtown area is often more expensive than a 5-star resort in the Pyramids area. Cairo is like most major cities in the world in this regard, as city Centre property is a lot more expensive. Though it may appear that Downtown hotels do afford the luxury of being able to wander around the area for shopping and restaurants, most of the Pyramid hotels offer free shuttle buses to allow you to do the same, and taxis are not expensive and can still work out less expensive in the end than staying Downtown.
- We encourage our guests to try the small boutique hotels and guest houses either Downtown or Giza pyramids area.
- Bed and breakfast mean that only breakfast is supplied.
- Half board means that breakfast and dinner are supplied
- Full board has all meals supplied (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), no drinks
- All-inclusive means that all meals and non alcoholic drinks are supplied; some hotels do also supply alcohol.
- Check your preferences with us when making your booking, as all-inclusive is usually in Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh or Marsa Alam.
- No, and we encourage you to go out and enjoy the culture of Egypt.
- Many packages are full board which tends to make people think they have to stay in their hotel, but the sights and sounds of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Alexandria should not be missed.
- This is your holiday, so enjoy every minute, go out and explore. We can advise you and book activities for your evenings if you wish, and some of the evening Options are listed in our tour itineraries.
- A Downtown eating tour is another great way to spend a night, to experience a variety of Egyptian cuisines whilst walking in and around historic Downtown Cairo.
- A Downtown caleche ride across the Nile and around the city is another enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
All hotels and cruises have safety deposit boxes, sometimes even in your room/cabin. All you need to do is ask at reception and they will give you instructions on how to use them, or will safely put away your valuables until you need them.
- Abu Simbel can be reached by flights Cairo-Aswan-Abu Simbel. If you are only interested in a short visit to the temples then this is a convenient way to reach them
- By car or van from Aswan to Abu Simbel transfer takes 3-4 hours each way, with a toilet stop. This way if you wish you can take your time at the temples, stroll beside Lake Nasser, and have a lunch of fresh fish. The overall experience can take 10 to 12 hours.
- Alternatively, there is sometimes a short 20 minute flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel available.
- You can also stay overnight in comfortable hotels in Abu Simbel town.
- Yes, we offer road tours to and from Aswan and Luxor – a day tour takes in the temples of Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo.
- The tour is about 9 hours with stops, an early start so we suggest you take a breakfast box with you from your hotel.
This is not as common as cruises between Luxor and Aswan, however we can offer a Dahabiya Nile Sailing cruise sailing all the way from Cairo to Aswan, with a possible extension to Lake Nasser which takes an additional 4 to five days and includes a land transfer and change of boat.
- Yes, let us know you would like to visit and our guide will purchase the compound ticket for you.
- The Great Pyramid is open every day, the others are open on rotation to allow dispersal of the high levels of carbon dioxide that tends to accumulate inside.
- If you suffer from claustrophobia please do not attempt entering.
- Yes. Photography is permitted inside the tombs, the pyramids and the museums.
- Phones without flash can be used in all places and cameras without flash in some places for no extra charge. Some places in Egypt do apply charges for photography. Commercial photography and video requires official permission.
- Using a tripod is considered a sign of commercial photography.
No. Malaria has not been in Egypt for more than 85 years and there is no need for any type of anti-malaria medication.
- Yes, but ensure that you only bring enough for your stay, with just a few days of extra supplies as a backup. Bring the prescription as well (as proof the medication is required, or for more medication if needed while here.
- If you happen to be travelling onwards from Egypt and have a substantial quantity of your prescribed medicine with you, ensure that you do have the prescription as proof.
- No. Egyptian water has a high chlorine level in it which can upset the microbes in your stomach, causing diarrhoea.
- For drinking purposes it is safer to drink bottled water, ensuring the seal is intact before drinking it.
No, use bottled water.
- Protocol is for men to wear long trousers not shorts.
- Protocol is for women to cover their skin as much as possible. Shoulders and cleavage especially should be covered and a simple scarf will suffice.
- It is advised to wear long pants or skirts, as legs should also be covered. Heads do not need to be covered, though it is a sign of respect if you do this.
- Many women travel alone and have been safe. The police, tourist police, and army are always close by and the Egyptians themselves are generally safe and will try to protect solo travelers.
- Although the chances of being confronted are almost negligible, ensure that you take the same precautions that you would anywhere else.
- Do not be tempted to walk in deserted areas alone.
- Ask your guide about the safest options to return to your hotel after exploring a city. You may receive some invitations which on the whole are innocent, do not accept any of these from strangers.
