Just spent a week on the Dahabiya Dream - a wonderful, newly built but old-fashioned sailing boat on the Nile - and thoroughly recommend it. The boat itself is beautifully made and maintained. The passenger cabins (six in all) are spacious, beds comfortable, ensuite perfect with a powerful, hot shower. Two windows through which we could watch the Nile. On deck there was a choice of sitting in comfortable deckchairs in the sun, or chairs and sofas under the awning where the dining table was also laid. There is also a comfortable lounge/bar with a wind-up gramophone, and a selection of books and games.
Unfortunately the wind was not kind so we didn't have the sails up much, but the little tugboat that pulled us along meant we didn't have a noisy engine as we relaxed on deck. Sitting back and watching the Nile drift by was remarkably soothing, and there was much of interest to see on the banks, from farmers tending banana, mango and guava "orchards" to a wide variety of birds.
The boat's crew, ably led by Mahmoud, the boat manager, were attentive and friendly - on a few evenings they led us in singing and dancing which we all enjoyed. The food throughout was excellent - three hearty meals a day, plus afternoon tea. The "magic" fruit cocktails are especially recommended. Alcohol on board is local beer and wine, and imported spirits.
The boat was a wonderful base for the cruise, from Luxor to Aswan and back, which took us to several of the amazing temples and tombs Egypt is famous for, with the excellent Sameh as guide. He brought the history of Ancient Egypt alive, gave us an insight into the lives of the Pharoahs and to the symbolism of the amazing art of carvings, statues and hieroglyphs. Under his tutelage it was easy to see why people become fascinated by Egypt. We also marvelled at some of the engineering feats - from the Aswan High Dam to the incredible moving of temples when the dams flooded their original sites.
Be prepared for some serious temple visiting - comfortable shoes or sandals - and wear clothing suitable for an Arab country. Be ready for early morning starts to get to sites before the crowds. We were there in the last week of January/beginning of February and found the weather very good - about 80F every day with clear, sunny skies, cool in the evening and a bit chilly in the early morning. It can be cooler in January, and much hotter later in the spring.
In case you are worried, there are no crocodiles downstream of the Aswan High Dam
