Dahabeya

Dahabeya, once and now…

… It was dawning, the crew was quietly getting ready, the ecstatic trilling of birds greeted the night’s lightening and the sail hoisted. The golden ship set sail gracefully again on the Great River. The earthly reflection of Utra, the Celestial River, rocked the royal ark, from which the smell of incense wafted above the water. The systrum sounded in the hands of the Priestess of Hathor, its ringing parting the darkness of night and the light of day. The disk of the sun appeared above the horizon, and at the same time the King and Queen came on board. Their golden crowns and royal collars shone as the sun began to shine. A new day was awakened by the people of Kemet, and the new day was greeted by the royal couple’s offering to the Nile…

This is how it once happened, thousands of years ago, for thousands of years, when the dahabeya first glided across the waters of the Nile.

The discovery of the Rosetta stone and the decipherment of hieroglyphic codes in the 19th century drew the attention of the West to Egypt. The first excavations began, and the excavation of the Ancient Egyptian Temples began. The wealthy travelers of the West appeared in Egypt and, in luxurious conditions, set off from Cairo to the south on dahabeyas, or Nile sailboats, to discover the secrets of this ancient land.

Among the travelers were Agatha Christie, Amelia Edwards, Edward William Lane, Sophia Lane Poole and Florence Nightingale.

This is how Florence Nightingale wrote of her own journey on Dahabeya:

„…Sublime in the highest style of intellectual beauty, without spiritual strain, without suffering… None of its features are accurate, but still, the total combined effect is an expression of spiritual greatness that I could never have imagined before. Its influence on the individual is as great as a thousand voices combined, united in a concordant feeling of enthusiasm and emotion, and weakens even the strongest man…”

And today is no different. The dahabeya, or “golden ship,” is still the highest octave of the journey down the Nile…

Here’s how our travelers write about Dahabeya trips today:

“It is a great gift to travel with Kriszta and Karim in Egypt, especially along the Nile. To perceive the sight, colors and magic of nature, water and sky, as we merge inside and outside with the energies of the Milky Way and its earthly counterpart, the Nile, as the consciousness and knowledge of our human and divine mission awakens in us, is a wonderful experience…” (Klára F.)

“The three days I spent on Dahabeya are the calmest and most peaceful days of my life. Meditations, conversations and sharing have formed lifelong relationships…” (Ági B.)

The modern, today’s dahabeya:

Today’s dahabeyas are built on the traditional 19th-century Nile sailboats, preserving the earlier romantic style, but equipped with all the comforts of today’s world.

The dahabeya has two sails, there is no engine in it, so it is not noisy at all. Unsetting sails and sailing on the Nile is always the highlight of the voyage, but the tugboat also ensures that the boat can sail in windless weather.

The nicely decorated cabins are air-conditioned and each has a private bathroom.

Passengers’ preferred place to stay is the deck, which features comfortably designed seating areas, sun loungers and a bar. Spiritual activities – yoga, meditation, dancing, ceremonies – also take place on board or, in colder weather, in the lounge in the cabin.

But it’s all nothing! There’s more!

Now you can journey upon the Magdalena Temple Boat — a sacred vessel on the Nile, partially owned by Kriszta and Karim. Revered as one of the most beautiful boats on the river, it is wholly dedicated to the Lineage of Isis and Mary Magdalena, and to the holy bloodline of Yeshua and Magdalena.

Highlights of the trip on dahebeya:

• Nile sailboats have 8-12 cabins, so they offer a completely private experience, since only the group is on the sailboat.
• The delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner are cooked exclusively for us by the ship’s chef, with a wide selection of Egyptian and international flavors and dishes. The chef even makes special requests to have gluten-free pancakes for breakfast
• Huge fruit bowls and fresh fruit juices are made from seasonal fruits from Egypt.
• Dahabeya also offers an all-inclusive experience in terms of drinks, because except from alcoholic beverages, everything – hot and cold drinks, juice – is included.
• The ship’s crew works only for us and literally watches over our every wish.
• At night we end up away from the noise of the cities, in the silence of nature.
• We also dock at smaller temples where large ships never do. Moreover, we set our own schedules, so we arrive at temples during crowd-free times.
• For almost all of the year, we stop at parts of the river where we can enjoy the cool waters of the Nile.

Once you try traveling on Dahabeya, you’ll never get on a big Nile boat again!