Egypt at Last: Cruising the Nile in Style!

Boarding our private Dahabiya - The Queen Farida.

Cruising the Nile is a must-do on any trip to Egypt, whether it be on one of the larger cruise ships, or something more sedate. We decided to sail on a dahabiya, an Egyptian yacht. The big advantage of the dahabiya is its small size (only eight cabins) which provides a more personal experience on the Nile. Well, our experience could not have been better or more personal. When we boarded, we learned that the four of us were the only guests on the boat. AND they then upgraded us to suites with our own private balconies!

The elegant top deck of the Queen Farida --
our favorite hang-out on the Nile

The Queen Farida

Our dahabiya, The Queen Farida named after one of King Farouk’s wives, was an elegant wooden boat with felucca-like sails at each end of the vessel. She also came with a small tugboat to pull her along just to get started, and when there was no wind; however, that did not detract from the gentle ride. Our favorite spot was the top deck, a covered but open area with lots of tables and pretty sofas.

Frank goes native on the Nile!

A perfect place to hang out, sightsee, or just take an afternoon nap as we cruised northward along the Nile.

Egyptian rice dish

Life on Board

Life on The Queen Farida was leisurely and luxurious, and we were terribly spoiled. From his tiny galley, our fantastic chef whipped up three meals a day plus afternoon tea (Anne loved that). And almost every meal was served on the open upper deck with a beautiful display of more food than we could ever manage to eat. Wonderful chopped salads, fresh strawberries, and all kinds of freshly-cooked, authentic Egyptian dishes.

Dinner on the banks of the Nile

On our first night on board, the crew docked alongside the Nile in a remote jungle area, carried our dinner table out to the sandbank, and set up a grill. We could not have asked for better ambiance for dining. We donned our brand new Arab galabeya garb and ate a fantastic meal -- the freshest chopped salad, stuffed vegetables, phyllo pastry filled with cheese, and kebabs from the grill.

The crew of the dahabiya entertaining us at dinner

Plus the whole crew joined a couple hired musicians for a night of music and dancing. Every song sounded pretty much the same to us (that pulsating Egyptian beat never varied), but the crew sang along and everybody was grooving -- especially Captain Reis who looked like he was in a trance! Of course, we got up and danced too.

Frank is rockin' to the Egyptian beat!

Frank was gyrating to the beat!! Egyptians sure know how to party. This was one wild and crazy night we will never forget!

With the god Horus at Kom Ombo Temple

Kom Ombo

We started the next day with custom omelets on the deck, and then walked the short gangplank off the boat to see the temple of Kom Ombo. These sights were never boring, and each one was different. We thoroughly enjoyed them all. Kom Ombo is special because it is a dual temple dedicated to both Horus (very popular throughout Egypt) and the local god of the crocodiles, Sobek.

Sobek, the crocodile-headed god

The locals worshipped Sobek because when the Nile rose and flooded their towns, it brought crocodiles with it! So they gave offerings to Sobek hoping to ward off croc attacks. With his distinctive crocodile head, Sobek quickly became a favorite Egyptian deity.

Carving of ancient birthing chair

The carvings at Kom Ombo were unique as well with bas-reliefs of surgical instruments including forceps and an unusual carving of a woman giving birth on an ancient birthing chair. We also saw an old Egyptian calendar with 30-day months made up of three ten-day weeks.

In the holy of holies, the smallest room in the back of the temple, which only the high priest was permitted to enter, our guide Wael showed us an underground tunnel that acted like an echo chamber. When a royal entered the chamber outside the holy of holies, the high priest would speak to him from the tunnel, making the royal think a god was talking to him. A real Wizard of Oz trick!

Nilometer gauged the depth of the Nile in ancient times

Outside the temple, we saw a Nilometer, a deep well that gauged the depth of the Nile. Tax rates were then determined based on how good a crop could be expected.

Mummified crocs!

Last, we checked out the Crocodile Mummification Museum. That’s right, they revered these crocs so much they even mummified them. Some nasty looking critters in there!

Riding thru the town of Edfu the old-fashioned way

Edfu

The following day when we arrived in the village of Edfu, a horse-drawn carriage awaited to take us to the temple. This may sound romantic, but it would have been terrifying if we hadn’t had so many fun things to look at. Dusty streets lined with all kinds of unusual shops and ALL kinds of shoppers (except westerners). Men in galabeyas and scarves or turbans, women wearing colorful head scarves or totally hidden in black burkas. And even a guy dressed in street clothes that climbed on board our carriage for a short while who obviously had a pistol jammed under his shirt in the backside of his belt. It felt like we were visiting a Hollywood movie set.

Camels headed for market

And there we were, in our little buggy, right in the middle of a jumble of strange traffic including cars, buses, tuk-tuks, trucks loaded with camels, and donkey carts. Pandemonium!

Temple at Edfu

We made it safely to the temple of Edfu which is considered the best preserved temple in Egypt. It’s rare to see a temple with a full façade and a roof. This temple is dedicated to another of our favorite gods, Horus (with the head of a falcon). We entered an enclosed room with huge pillars covered with carvings, and some paint colors visible on the ceiling. They say the colors have lasted so long because they were made from all natural materials. The best carved ceiling of all showed Nut, the goddess of the sky surrounded by stars.

Hieroglyphics on wall at Temple of Edfu

One of the side rooms, called the laboratory, was covered with rows and rows of hieroglyphs which were recipes for perfumes and incense used to care for the god. While most holy of holies are empty, this temple is the only one with a niche painted to look like silver, and a wooden boat (a replica) that would have held the solid gold statue of Horus. The high priest, the only one to ever see the statue, would spend his days performing rituals to clean the statue, perfume it, and make offerings to it.

Maintaining our journals on the balcony
of our dahabiya suite

Life along the Nile

After each day’s tour, we hung out on the deck or on our balconies, writing in our journals and watching the world along the Nile go by. Our tours were generally in the early morning when the temps were cool, while the hot afternoons were spent more sedately just taking it easy on our dahabiya. Lots of mudbrick huts and always lots of activity, especially in the morning. A little boy with his father watching the boats pass by. Women in burkas waiting at a makeshift deck. And one woman washing her clothes right there in the Nile.

Samhur helps Frank hem his galabeya

One day, our favorite crew member Samhur helped Frank hem his galabeya. What a nice man! He gave Frank some straight pins, and they worked together to pin up the hem and then sew it. Samhur was obviously a talented man, and became a good friend.

Samhur presents us with a farewell cake

Time to Say Goodbye

On our last night, the crew treated us to a farewell party, and the chef really went all out: so many delicious dishes including tender duck and a multi-layered cake topped with two sparklers. We ended the night with more music and more dancing.

We feel so lucky to have done this unique dahabiya cruise. It was one of the most memorable experiences of this (very eventful and enjoyable) Egyptian trip.