Dahabiya Nile Cruise – a way through Egypt that offers luxury, tradition and a dash of magic.

The waters of the Nile are beautiful, a place like few others in the world. It runs through Egypt like a lifeline, the sustenance of Egypt’s great civilisations. And so the only fitting way to see the temples that have stood for so long is to take a trip by boat.

Dahabiya with AfricanExplorations.com

But here there are a great number of choices, and some are not in keeping with the image of the Nile people have in mind before they depart. Big boats with big engines, chugging up and down without character or even any flavour of Egypt – it can take the edge off experiencing such a remarkable part of the world.

That’s why I can recommend dahabiyas so heartily. They are traditional Egyptian sailing vessels, so they offer a total immersion into the spirit of the river.

They are luxurious, built in the style of early 20th century vessels which ferried the aristocracy along the Nile. Now with modern twists and creature comfort, they fit in with the era, as well as set their own standards.

Dahabiya Nile with AfricanExplorations.com

And they do offer that little something extra, a dash of magic. Whether it’s enjoying the setting sun sat in the on-deck Jacuzzi, or heading on to a Nile island for a barbeque lunch in a private spot, there are experiences on board that other, larger ships simply cannot offer.

And all that comes before you feast on the temples themselves!

Dahabiya Nile Cruise with www.africanexplorations.com

Dahabiya – These traditional sailing boats are quite possibly the best thing to have happened to Egyptian tourism in recent years.

Dahabiya with AfricanExplorations.com

The sights along the Nile are as wondrous and fascinating as they have been for millennia, but as more and more people visit them, the Nile cruisers started to dominate the river. The dahabiyas, however, are the perfect tonic!

They’re intimate, with a maximum of just eight cabins. They’re luxurious, echoing the way that the aristocracy used to travel almost a century ago. And they’re sailing boats, which is surely the spirit in which you should experience the Nile.

And it’s not just the benefit of being on board a charming ship – dahabiyas get you to places others don’t manage. They are able to pull up by islands in the middle of the river, stopping for barbeque lunches and simply adding to a quite unique ambience.

Dahabiya with AfricanExplorations.com

They fit into an extended programme through Egypt beautifully, meaning that you can combine them with a visit to the capital Cairo, seeing the likes of the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, or continuing down to the deep south to see Abu Simbel, or even heading out to the Red Sea for a few days of rest and relaxation.

For me, though, nothing beats the stillness of a moment on the Nile in the waxy evening sunshine, taking in the peacefulness and beauty of the river. The top deck feeling on a dahabiya is very hard to match anywhere else.