At last the Nile Cruise Guide is finished.
You can download it to your computer by clicking here. Any feedback for additions and improvements would be gratefully received.
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Archive for April, 2008
Hopefully it will be completed and uploaded onto the main Nile Cruises 4u website and also here on the blog tomorrow. I’ll put a post here as soon as it’s ready for download. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
If you are the adventurous type we can book you a fabulous Felucca Nile Cruise where you would enjoy the relaxed pace and outdoor feel of a journey with no fixed stops as these depend largely on the elements. A canvas canopy acts as a sunshade during the day and keeps the dew off at night when you would sleep on the deck under the stars. Food is bought in villages along the way and cooked on board by the crew, Egyptian-style. Your luggage is stowed beneath the deck. You would stop occasionally to walk through fields and villages or to visit one of the ancient sites. At lunchtime you may furl the sails and enjoy a buffet style meal while drifting down the river. Often a brisk north wind picks up and you would make exhilarating progress. You would moor up before dusk, usually at one of the mid-river islands before settling down for a three-course dinner. A relaxed evening around the camp-fire follows when your Nubian crew may bring out their drums to sing and dance under a star-filled sky. A Felucca Nile Cruise is a true adventure and its’ not for everybody but if you would like more details of this fantastic travel experience please call me on Freephone 0808 1089 100. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Episode 5. I talk with Gwyneth Willmore about her recent Nile cruise onboard the Domina Prestige. Gwyneth has some tips on dealing with the “Pharoah’s Revenge”, (dicky tummy to you and me) as well as describing her “hair-raising” hot-air balloon adventure!! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! What the heck does that mean and who are the Texas Devils? Well the Texas Devils are an American Air Force couple who are on a two year stint in Russia completing a Master’s Degree and enjoying life in St. Peterburg. They have a truly interesting blog at the Texas Devils Blog and in February they took a Nile Cruise and when I read it I thought that maybe our readers would enjoy it to. Here’s their post and you can read it on the Texas Devils website by clicking here. They’ve got some great photos too. Thanks to Courtney for her kind permission to reproduce their story. _____________________________________________________________ The cruise was fantastic. Hands down. The Olmsted Foundation encourages independent and cheap travel. A Nile cruise is neither. They hold your hand at every step, serve you, cater to every whim with an “of course, Sir!” and, in summary, are totally awesome. After almost killing ourselves with stupidity in Tunisia, we needed it.
So, join us on the deck of the Nile Adventurer. Not bad, eh? In Egypt, luxury is well done, and available at middle-class prices. The staff were very helpful, and not in that “yes Sir, but secretly I want to kill you” way. I honestly felt that the Egyptians were some of the most hospitable people I have ever met.
As you can see, the Nile is not short on beauty, especially at sunset. The incredible thing is the strip of green life near the river, and the total lack of vegetation after that. They say that the Nile has no tributaries within Egypt… think about that for a second. Crazy, huh?
All along the way you see herders and farmers who live off the river, all pretty much entirely without rain. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
I begin each day with great intentions to complete another chapter and then the office phones start ringing and the day’s gone. But I’ve managed to finish 2 chapters out of the intended 13 chapters so maybe in about another….year(!) I’ll have it finished. Just kidding, should be finished in about 2 weeks. I’ve just found these facts about the mighty River Nile that I’m going to add to the guide: Did you know… 1) The year 1010 was the last time the Nile froze? 2) 10% of Africa is covered by the Nile Basin, spread over 10 countries. 3) The River Nile streches for 6,650 kilometres. 4) The temples at Abu Simbel were moved 200m in 1964-68 at a cost of $40 million. More facts to come!! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! I was only thinking over the weekend what a wide range of vessels are available to those wanting to cruise the Nile. At one end of the spectrum you can cruise on a “felucca” which is a real “no-frills” option with no cabins, no toilet and no running water, where you will sleep on the deck or “camp” on-shore each night. These can be booked independently in Aswan but you need to determine just what is included in your trip. A real “adventurer’s” option. At the other end of the scale is the Oberoi Zahra, the newest and most luxurious Nile cruise ship currently sailing. In between are a large selection of 4 and 5 star ships that you can choose from depending on your taste and budget. Obviously we have our own favourites that we know and can recommend. The King Tut 1 and the El Fostate being just two of several we would suggest. Plus there are the beautiful “Dahabiyyas” that I mentioned in an earlier post, which are luxurious and a true sailing experience. So, like many thing in life, you get what you pay for and, on the Nile you can pay as little or as much as you like. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Strange headline? Well I thought I’d just let you know what a variation of Nile Cruises we’ve been asked for this week.
But we’ve also had several bookings that had 3 nights in Cairo at the start or the end of the 7 night cruise which allows the traveller to visit the Sphix, the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum. The hotel we normally recommend, by the way, is the Sofitel Sphinx with views directly over the Pyramids, (!!). We’ve also had a booking from some people who are living out in Cairo and want to fly from Cairo to Luxor to join the cruise and then at the end of the cruise fly down to Sharm El Sheikh for a week’s holiday before heading back to Cairo. We’ve had a booking for a cruise from a family in the Netherlands who wish to fly from Amsterdam to Gatwick and then on to Luxor for their cruise and several other enquiries from travellers in other European countries wanting to do the same. Must be cheaper to fly here and then onto Egypt. Several requests for the luxury Oberoi Zahra cruise have come in. Hopefully they will be made definite today and we’ve also had an enquiry for a Dahabiyya Nile Cruise!! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! We’ve had some really nice feedback recently about the Nile Cruise Podcast which is great and we’re hoping to add a new episode at least every month. If you’ve just returned from a Nile Cruise and you would be prepared to take part in a future episode I would be grateful if you could call me on Freephone 0808 1089 100 and we’ll arrange to set up a time when we can set up the interview with you. Your views and experiences will help someone else to make up their mind about taking a Nile Cruise or will let them know what to expect when they actually travel. Thanks, Colin If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! If you want something a little “out-of-the-ordinary” or if the typical 8 day Nile Cruise doesnt’ fit the bill, we would be delighted to arrange a “tailor-made” Nile Cruise for you. For instance yesterday I had an enquiry from a young lady who wanted to arrange a Nile Cruise as a surprise to celebrate her husband’s birthday. However she wanted to combine it with a visit to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx as well as taking a few days at the end of the cruise to relax. So, we put together an itinerary that went as follows: Day 1: London Heathrow - Luxor. Check in for 2 nights at the Sofitel Sphinx Hotel, Cairo. B&B Room with “Sphinx View” The price, including flights on EgyptAir, the Nile Cruise and all hotels came in at around £1200 per person but it was a great itinerary and it was exactly what she was looking for. Obviously that itinerary was “tailor-made” for that particular client but I am sure we could put together a “tailor-made” solution for you too if you require something a “little different”. Perhaps just a few nights in Cairo or a week on the Red Sea after your cruise. There are many combinations. Please call either Barbara or myself on Freephone 0808 1089 100 to discuss possible “tailor-made” Nile Cruise options. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! |
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A Felucca is a traditional Nile cruise vessel that has been the most popular vessel on the Nile for centuries and is still widely used today. It’s usually about 11m long and rigged with a tall lateen or triangular sail. It has no motor and relies only on the steady north wind.
I’m currently re-writing our 
We’ve had a lot of quite straight forward Nile Cruise bookings. In other words fly directly to Luxor to join the chosen Nile Cruise vessel, cruise and then fly directly back.
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