Every year, thousands explore the mysteries of Ancient Egypt on a Nile cruise, motoring between Luxor and Aswan with breaks for temple tours and galabeyya nights. But often, these floating hotels don’t offer the scenic views that you might expect on such a trip — with so many boats on the river, the view from your cabin could well be the inside of another cruiser’s cabin.
The solution? A felucca, that simple wooden sailboat that has floated along the Nile for centuries. This is the ‘cruise’ for you if you want to experience serenity, wake up with the sunrise, take a dip in the Nile at any given moment, dock by green banks with palm trees and discover Aswan in a less traditional way.
What makes this trip special is that you can tailor it in both length and destination.Some drift just a few days, others spend weeks on the water. With a long weekend in mind, we opted for a two-day, two-night journey upriver from Kom Ombo to Aswan. Kom Ombo is about 80 kilometers from downtown Aswan and accessible by either train or service taxi. Once there, make your way to the banks of the Nile to meet your captain and your humble abode for the next two days.
Reservations is a must as the captain needs to stock the boat for the trip. While travel agents don’t usually offer this trip, hotels in Aswan or Luxor might have leads on trustworthy boats. Best bet for those living in Cairo: Head to your favorite felucca dock and ask the captains. Many of them hail from Nubia and can recommend colleagues back home.
Always negotiate the price in advance; you are in Egypt after all. The cost of the trip depends on the size of the boat and number of passengers. Feluccas can sleep six to ten comfortably, and the crew supplies the food and drink.
The crew consists of a captain and an assistant who prepares all the meals. If you enjoy strong flavor, you’re in for a treat. Nubian food may not surprise in terms of being foreign, but the spices used add extra zing to the meal. Breakfast is universal with a twist, fuul with eggs, shakshouka (eggs cooked in tomato sauce) and bread. And of course coffee and tea. If you have special dietary requirements, make sure you tell the captain before embarking on your trip.
As the boat drifts, spend your time drinking your morning coffee and taking in the scenery. Pick an island and ask the captain to stop for a walk though nature at its best. Don’t shy away from taking a dip in the Nile; down here, the river is clean, calm and very much a symbol of power and beauty.
Sunset is the best time of day, when the meditative atmosphere envelops you: the river reflecting a rainbow-colored sky and green trees, and everything draped in silence. At night, as you are anchored at a little island alongside a few other feluccas, the air fills with folk songs, clapping hands, dancing feet and the smell of shisha.
After a lazy cruise, the bustling sounds of Aswan may come as a shock at first. But the people of Nubia are a joy to be around. A kind people by nature, their more conservative and rural ways will be more interesting than restricting. The pace of life is comforting and slow.
Some sights are accessible by felucca, while others are best arranged in Aswan. Must-sees include the Nubian villages, where you can experience firsthand how the locals live; Elephantine Island, with archeological ruins spanning centuries; the modern mausoleum of the Aga Khan III on the west bank; and Kitchener’s Island with its Eden-like botanical garden.The Nubian Museum traces the region’s history from prehistoric times to modern day, while day trips to the island temple of Philae and the High Dam are easy to arrange.
After roughing it on the river, treat yourself to a room in Aswan’s charming Old Cataract Hotel, where Winston Churchill once stayed and Agatha Christie wrote her famous murder mystery Death on the Nile. Unlike detective Hercule Poirot’s infamous Nile cruise, don’t expect drama on your Upper Egypt trip. Adventure, maybe. Relaxation, most definitely.
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