The Best Way To See The Nile – Dahabiya Nile Cruise

Despite the political turmoil, savvy travellers are seizing the opportunity to visit well-known and secret temples and tombs.

While there was a time when there were easily 350 Nile cruise boats, numbers have dwindled down to 60 which makes it the perfect opportunity to visit with no crowds.

THE DAHABIYA NILE CRUISE

In Arabic, it literally means ‘the golden one’ and is essentially a large sailing boat with two large lateen sails. Think of it as a house-boat.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAHABIYA NILE CRUISE ITINERARY

Kom Ombo Temple As the first stop on any cruise itinerary going from the South to the North, pay your respects to a temple that pays homage to crocodiles and the crocodile god Sobek. 

Walking through the quarry, we learned about the slaves that worked there and could see the full scope of the operation there, with remnants of half-cut stone and marks from chisels.

Sandstone Quarry of Gebel el-Silsila

Local Village Life

There’s no tourist sights here, but it gives you a true picture of life in the countryside where palm and mango trees thrive and there’s plenty to live off of thanks to the giver of life, the Nile.

Temple of Edfu

From miles away, you can spot the 36-meter-high pylon, which acts as a gateway. Beyond, there’s the courtyard, antechambers, halls, and shrine to explore.

Tombs

In the ancient town of Nekheb, there is a significant archaeological site along the Nile where you get to explore the remains of temples and tombs cut right into the cliff.

Next steps

More amazing travel inspiration in the blog post!