yalla nile yacht

Sailing the Nile Aboard a Traditional Dahabiya

12 feb 2024 04 nov 2011 | dan.

We follow in the footsteps of Egypt’s 19th-century explorers and set sail on a Nile cruise aboard a beautiful, traditional dahabiya sailing boat.

We couldn’t blame Enrique for trying. Our dahabiya host was determined to get us off the boat at least once a day to experience ‘the real Egypt’ as we sailed up the Nile on a five day journey from Esna to Aswan in Egypt’s south.

The thing was, having settled very quickly into a blissful reverie of sleeping, eating and chilling on the cushion-strewn deck of our elegant sailboat, we were very hard pressed to do anything at all.

But Enrique won the day, every day, by sheer force of personality, and not a little guilt on our parts about passing up the opportunity to see the temples, tombs and villages that have watched the ebb and flow of this mighty river for thousands of years.

Having experienced the magic of a Nile cruise on one of the river’s many floating hotels on my first trip to Egypt, I was adamant that John and I include a river trip on this visit, but that this time it would be slower, feel more like a voyage, and engage more with the life, stories and scenery of the ancient river Nile.

A felucca, perhaps? As romantic as these little sailing boats are, especially at sunset, we weren’t keen on living aboard one for three days, doing our ablutions in the river reeds.

The dahabiya though, traditional mode of river transport for the intrepid travellers of the 19th century, was right up our alley (or waterway as it were).

A dahabiya Nile cruise is a wonderful opportunity to slow the pace of a trip through Egypt and see life on the river close up.

Unlike the big cruises, these beautifully appointed wooden sailing boats can moor away from towns in quiet places and visit some of the Nile’s smaller and lesser known ancient sites. 

So it was that we found ourselves on a truly unforgettable Nile cruise adventure, sailing up the Nile aboard the beautiful dahabiya boat, the Assouan.

We were very ready for the break, after the intensity of Cairo and Alexandria, and four jam-packed days on the temples, tombs and baksheesh circuit of Luxor, renowned as the ‘hassle capital of Egypt’.

Hassle aside though, Luxor – ancient Thebes – is an archaeological treasure chest par excellence and we planned our visit diligently to ensure we got to see as much as we could without succumbing to temple and tomb fatigue.

Our first day, after arriving on the overnight train from Cairo and dropping our bags at our charming mud-brick guesthouse on the West Bank of the Nile, we returned to the east side of the river to take on the Temples of Karnak, the world’s second largest ancient religious complex (Angkor Wat has the title apparently).

We’d intended to go it alone at Karnak but on a whim, engaged a guide at the site. Mr Abdelrahim turned out to be worth his weight in lapis lazuli as he showed us the myriad hidden secrets (things we’d have never noticed or found on our own) of the huge temple precinct of Amun-Re.

He also shared with us his own very plausible theory on the ancient colour palette used at Karnak; it’s a secret though, we were sworn to silence.

Secret corners (and colours) of Karnak.

Over the ensuing days, in between relaxing on the roof terrace at our guesthouse – with its views of the Theban mountains and the Temple of Medinet Habu – we visited the Valley of the Queens, the Valley of the Kings, Deir al-Medina (the tomb workers’ village) and the Tombs of the Nobles, clocking up 11 tombs…and 11 tomb guardians keen for baksheesh.

While all the tombs we visited were extraordinary, each offering its own wow-factor of colour preservation or architecture or scale, our favourites were truly spectacular.

At the Tombs of the Nobles, Sennofer’s tomb had us gaping at a vine and grape-covered ceiling (a man after our own hearts!) and vivid scenes of him with his leading ladies.

At Deir al-Medina, the exquisite colours and scenes in the tomb of Sennedjem proved the master artist left his best work for his own resting place.

And at the legendary Valley of the Kings, Ramses VI’s tomb, with its huge, superbly decorated burial chamber, left us speechless; it was well worth the additional entry fee.

The vibrant colours and scenes in the tombs will have to live on in our memories though – no cameras allowed.

When not climbing into tombs, we were exploring the West Bank’s impressive monuments, like the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut with its soaring cliff backdrop.

We visited the Ramesseum, where a restoration team was taking great care to mechanically lift a van-sized block of the fallen Ramses II colossus. And the legendary, 3,400-year-old Colossi of Memnon, built for Amenhotep III to guard the entrance to his enormous, mostly vanished mortuary temple.

We also paid a daily visit to the temple just near our guesthouse, our favourite temple after Karnak: the excellent Medinat Habu, where huge pylon reliefs depict scribes counting the hands and castrated bits of defeated enemies.

Consequently, by the time we boarded the dahabiya at Esna for our Nile cruise, we felt we were good for little more than drinking tea in a hammock and watching the Nile slide by.

In all fairness, there was plenty of time to do nothing. John’s nose was stuck in a book for much of the downtime, while I was quite content to sit on deck and watch life play out on the river.

Daily Nile cruise viewing.

Visiting during a turbulent time in Egypt, there were just seven of us on a boat made for 16, and we were pampered and spoiled by the charming crew of local Luxor lads throughout the trip.

I ‘learned the ropes’ sailing the boat under the teasing supervision of the captain (I won’t be skippering a dahabiya anytime soon), and John played football with the crew on a little strip of land among the cows.

I literally learn the ropes while John plays some barefoot soccer by the Nile.

We wandered through crops and banana plantations, and visited several impressive temples, admiring carved columns like those in the beautiful hypostyle hall at the Temple of Khnum in Esna.

We also explored the extraordinary rock-cut nobles’ tombs and remains of the ancient town of Al-Kab, where a 2,500-year-old, 12-metre thick mud-brick wall still surrounds the ruins.

Our unsuspecting group was charged here by a gaggle of raucous kids trying to sell us woven placemats. We spent the entire walk back to the boat exchanging names: ‘What’s your name?! Danielle! What’s your name? Mena! What’s your name? Danielle! What’s your name? Fatima!’.

Perhaps my favourite Nile cruise stop though (and there were several), was the quarries of Gebel Silsila, where mini shrines, temples and graffiti carved by workers thousands of years ago scatter a huge site of quarried cliffs, and chisel marks look so fresh it seems the workers only downed tools yesterday.

Another excursion off the boat saw us taking tea with a local family in a small river-side village.

Once the girls and I got over our shyness with each other, they took me indoors and ‘made me up’ a la local wedding style. I may have emerged looking a little retro for my tastes, but we all had a good time, despite the language barrier.

Throughout our Nile cruise, the crew served up delicious feasts of local food like Nile perch and we talked into the late hours with our fellow dahabiyans.

Enrique and the crew had to practically drag us off the boat on our last day.  It’s a journey we would happily make again and again.

Hopefully one day we will. Next time though I’m not getting off.

Good to know

Cruising the Nile: Sailing up the Nile aboard a traditional dahabiya is a truly unique luxury experience. There are a number of companies running multi-day dahabiya Nile cruises with boats and rooms at different price points. We travelled with Nour el-Nil aboard the Assouan.

Where does the cruise start and finish: Our Nile cruise departed from the town of Esna and finished in Aswan. Esna is a little over 50-kilometres south of Luxor in Egypt’s south and can be reached by taxi from Luxor.

Getting to and from Luxor and Aswan: Luxor has an international airport, and overnight trains also travel there from Cairo. A train is the easiest means of returning from Aswan to Luxor or Cairo for a flight after the cruise.

Visiting Luxor: The World Heritage site of Ancient Thebes (Luxor) and its necropolis is truly epic and deserves at least a couple of days to it justice. The west bank alone offers a wealth of temples and tombs – have a plan and try to beat the heat and the crowds by visiting sites early morning or late afternoon.

Breaking it up also helps avoid temple and tomb fatigue, a very real risk when you’re faced with so much extraordinary art and architecture (and tomb ‘guardians’ seeking tips/baksheesh). Hiring a taxi for a couple of hours is a good way to get between some of the more spread out sites.

Staying in Luxor: There’s plenty of accommodation in Luxor, but for something a bit different, we stayed at guesthouse, Beit Sabee, on the rural West Bank. With views over the desert and the temple of Medinet Habu, it was one of the most evocative places we’ve stayed.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt? Certain areas of Egypt like the Western Desert have government travel warnings for all but essential travel, however the tourist areas along the Nile river, such as Luxor, Aswan, the Valley of the Kings and Abu Simbel are not included in these round-ups. Always check the latest information with your country’s foreign office before you go.

From a personal perspective, we have travelled to Egypt a number of times and we’ve never felt unsafe. You can expect some heavy hassle by sellers and ‘site guardians’ at some ancient sites, and you should exercise all the usual cautions with your personal safety and belongings, but the Egyptian people are friendly and welcoming, and with Egypt’s tourism industry having taken a tumble over recent years, the economy needs tourism now more than ever.

Got a question or comment? Drop us a message below!

Last updated: 18 June, 2017

2 thoughts on “Sailing the Nile Aboard a Traditional Dahabiya”

Are there a choice of boats. We want good quality on small boats from 28th October to 1st November. What are the prices. We want two cabins Thank you

Hi Keith, we travelled with the company Nour el Nil, which you can find online – they have a fleet of beautiful dahabiya boats with cabins at different price points. Their website has lots more information. Happy travelling – Egypt is an amazing destination.

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What It’s Like on a Nile Cruise

A nile cruise is an essential part of most trips to egypt, and a dahabiya sailboat cruise is the way to get more out of the experience..

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A dahabiya is a shallow-bottomed wooden sailboat that offers a different kind of Nile cruise experience.

Courtesy of Dylan Chandler/Nour el Nil

The Nile River is full of a variety of cruise ships: large tourist vessels, midsize hotel boats, luxury vessels with gorgeous decor and air-conditioning throughout, some even with swimming pools on top. They all travel between Luxor and Aswan in three or four nights, on itineraries packaged with land exploration that may include time in Cairo as well. But my friends and I wanted more time on the river itself, and something more intimate—like the kind of wooden boat Cleopatra might have sailed on. That’s why we booked a Nile cruise on a dahabiya .

A dahabiya is a great way to experience the river and the sites along its banks, as long as you are willing to forgo some higher-end luxury trappings for a more local, rustic experience.

What is a dahabiya?

Freshly made meals and snacks are included in the price of the trip; alcohol costs extra.

The word dahabiya is derived from the Arab word for “gold,” highlighting its ancient royal origins. The wooden sailboats, with only two decks and shallow bottoms, have been an option for travelers on the Nile since the 19th century and are based on designs that go back millennia.

The company my friends and I chose for our Nile experience was Nour El Nil, which has been around for more than a decade and operates seven dahabiyas with distinctive red-and-white striped sails fore and aft. The company was the brainchild of three partners: a Parisian interior designer who does the decor, a Mexican-born businessman, and an Egyptian sailor who oversees construction of the vessels.

Their boats have 8 to 12 cabins (accommodating 16 to 24 passengers), and they sail under wind power when the weather cooperates and are pulled by a small tugboat when there’s little breeze (which happened frequently on our sailing).

Nour El Nil has gained a reputation as a luxury operator, and in some ways it is, but in other ways the experience is on the rugged side, appealing to travelers like me with a sense of adventure.

The opulence is in the small-ship and small-group experience, with everyone dining at a long table on the open deck, waving at one of the 13 crew members for a drink, docking at historical sites and villages that larger ships can’t access, and exploring ancient ruins with expert guides.

The onboard experience

The open-air top deck serves as living room, dining room, and a place to relax.

Photo by Fran Golden

We were five couples traveling together for a friend’s birthday celebration. Our boat was the 12-cabin Adelaïde , and we shared it with 12 other travelers.

Most of the time, we found ourselves lounging on the plush, colorful, fabric-covered chairs, sofas, and daybeds on the open deck, which is shaded by tarps and festooned with chandeliers for an environment that is practical, with a touch of class. Unlike the hotel ships with indoor dining rooms, the deck was our dining space and lounge. This is where you catch views, feel occasional breezes (including from ceiling fans), admire the sails, spend time chatting or reading or playing games such as Scrabble and Hearts with your sail mates. If you’re me, it’s where you might stretch out in the hammock and fantasize about Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile (written at the famed Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan) and imagine backstories for your fellow passengers—which in our case hailed from the United States, Germany, France, Poland, and Brazil.

The boat had 10 rooms like this and 2 panoramic suites.

The cabins are all on the lower deck, with soft white linens, chandeliers, and Old World–style artwork, windows with sliding shutters and screens, and a mirrored bathroom reminiscent of nautical heads (the shower had no curtain or door, so the bathroom got wet when you used it). The boat also has two “panoramic suites,” each with floor-to-ceiling windows and an indoor sitting area. There aren’t private balconies as on some of the hotel ships. Portable air-conditioning units kept the rooms cool, though they get turned off in the middle of the night when the boat cuts its main generator to save on gas (ceiling fans and lights, on a separate system, remain on).

Sense of place was a constant. Our Egyptian crew, dressed in flowing galabiyas of various hues, sometimes struggled with English but were always willing to figure out what you wanted. If the fabrics on deck were end-of-season dusty and faded, they matched the colors of desert. Other views were surprisingly green riverbanks and mangroves, and as we lazed around with cocktails, we enjoyed watching village life go by: water buffalo wading in the river, fishermen angling in their small boats, farmers in carts pulled by donkeys. Sometimes, we’d hear calls for prayer ring out from minarets.

Part of the fun of a dahabiya is getting to know the crew, who take care of everything from sailing the boat to cooking fresh meals.

You knew it was mealtime when a crew member walked around the ship ringing a little bell. We were served family-style on a table set with textiles and pottery, with a delicious menu based on whatever was fresh and available from farmers and fishermen along the route. One day that might be lamb, another roasted ducks or fried Nile perch. There was an array of flavorful vegetable stews, whether eggplant, okra, or zucchini. And bowls of tahini, french fries, and flatbread were constants on the table.

All meals were included in the price of the trip, but booze cost extra. Still, it was a bargain: a gin or vodka tonic made from local liquor was less than $2.50, a bottle of local wine was about $13 ($19.50 if you wanted to upgrade to a bottle imported from South Africa).

Another bargain: massages for about $44, delivered by a crew member in the ship’s little used indoor lounge on the cabin deck.

Ancient sites and shoreside activities

Sometimes we pulled up to villages or off-the-beaten path areas.

Courtesy of Dylan Chandler/Nour El Nil

Of course, a very nice boat experience is one thing, but if you’ve come all the way to Egypt, you also expect to tour ancient historic sites and learn a thing or two. Nour El Nil’s contract Egyptologists deliver small-group tours with aplomb. For us English speakers, there was Adel Abu ElHagag, an expert on hieroglyphics who was determined to teach us to recognize the symbols for Cleopatra, among others.

While hotel ships follow a set route (you’ll see them docking at the same sites at basically the same times), our dahabiya cruise was a tad more improvised and able to include key sites on and off the standard tourist path. Our small boat could tie up to a tree, so shoreside exploration went beyond the river cruise norm, and with no printed itinerary, every day brought a sense of adventure. Crew leant a hand as we sometimes walked the plank or up dirt hillsides. Sometimes, we walked across two other Nour El Nil boats that we at times sailed with in a convoy.

Because of its small size and less rigid schedule, dahabiyas can stop at spots along the Nile that bigger ships can’t access, such as the tombs at El Kab.

For instance, the typical Nile cruise does not visit El Kab, the site of colorfully painted tombs and temples where Adel read hieroglyphics detailing the life stories of nobles and priests. “It’s like buying confession,” he said of the artistic depictions, dating from 1550 to 1050 B.C.E. “What you did in your life. Did you look at your neighbor’s wife?” But we also hit main sites such as the temple to the falcon god Horus in Edfu.

Some of my friends would say a highlight of the dahabiya cruise—and definitely not offered by the larger river ships—was swimming in the Nile. I am too much of a germophobe to try that.

My magical moment came one day in the early evening, when about 15 of us passengers disembarked at a narrow point in the Nile River near the temple of Gebel el-Silsila and its sandstone quarry that provided much of the material for several of the temples and tombs we’d see on our trip. We passed through a dusty brick village and walked higher into a moonscape of imposing sand dunes to watch the sunset. Biblical stories came to mind, even though our trek of a few miles crossed a small piece of the Nubian Desert, not the Sinai. The off-the-beaten-path setting was breathtaking in its sparseness, especially as the sun, a fiery orange orb, dipped below a distant dune. This is the way to cruise the Nile.

How to book

Sunset near the temple of Gebel el-Silsila and its sandstone quarry

Nour El Nil is one of a few companies offering a dahabiya experience on the Nile. The seven boats range from 16 to 24 passengers. Wi-Fi, meals, and shore excursions are all included; alcohol and tips for the crew are not (I spent about $140 on tips).

Additional options

Cairo-based Nile Dahabiya Boats has four 10- to 15-passenger boats doing a three- or four-night route between Esna and Aswan, double occupancy fares from $360 per person.

Luxor and Aswan Travel represents 11 dahabiyas, fares from $835 per person for a three-night cruise.

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The luxury YALLA yacht is a multi-award-winning yacht built by CRN Yachts. The YALLA was delivered from CRN’s Ancona shipyard in 2014.

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Omega Architects contributed to the exterior design of the yacht. The YALLA is the very definition of a luxury experience on the water.

YALLA yacht interior

The stunning interior of the YALLA yacht was designed by Droulers Architecture in collaboration with CRN’s in-house Interiors and Design Office.

There is accommodation for 12 guests in 6 deluxe staterooms, including an owner’s suite and VIP staterooms.

The guest accommodations all have the best quality furnishings, amenities, and en-suite bathrooms.

There are facilities for 22 highly trained crew members, making the yachting experience of the highest quality for guests.

The yacht has many features that include a beach club that creates an area for indoor-outdoor living level with the water.

There is a pool, a well-equipped gym, and plenty of areas for socializing and al fresco dining opportunities.

There is an abundance of options for sunbathing on the YALLA. The garage has a limousine tender and many water toys that offer fun and action while aboard the yacht.

The interior of the YALLA yacht was a finalist for The ShowBoats Design Awards 2015 for Interior Design in a Motor Yacht over 500GT.

The exterior of the YALLA yacht was a finalist for the Naval Architecture Award on a Displacement Motor Yacht and the Exterior Design & Styling Award on a Motor Yacht over 500GT at The ShowBoats Design Awards 2015.

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A Houseboat on the Nile: Designer Tarek Shamma Has Envisioned a Palatial Floating Home With an Agatha Christie Touch

By Mark C. O'Flaherty

Photography by Billal Baruk Taright

The idea of a palatial houseboat on the Nile conjures images of Hollywood blockbusters and a certain fictional detective out to solve a great mystery… but these are recent pop culture references. The river Nile has been Egypt's life source for centuries and while the pace of life in Cairo and by the pyramids in Giza may be as frantic as anywhere you could find on the planet, the Nile remains a constant, languorous thread through Egypt.

Thousands of tourists cover the Nile every year, and city dwellers use it as a weekend retreat. Passing through the southern stretch, between Luxor and Aswan, is a reason to visit the country in itself – drifting by palm trees and sunsets in a way that’s changed little in over a century, through a landscape that’s remained static for much longer. All of this inspired AD100 designer Tarek Shamma to create the shape and interior of Yalla Nile, a 50-metre, two-masted riverboat with six bedrooms – and a timelessly elegant vessel.

The 50-metre Yalla Nile in full sail.

Inside This Glamorous Houseboat on the Nile

Tarek Shamma on board the Yalla Nile.

Tarek Shamma – best known for his work creating highly stylised private and commercial spaces for Christian Louboutin – approached the project as an art director would a film. He wanted the materials and imagery evident on the boat to conjure up moods from diverse eras of Egypt’s history . “I wanted the style to be totally Egyptian, but to me, that means Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic, Ottoman, Islamic and modern,” he explains. “One of my favourite things with any interior is to combine objects in a way that means you don’t know what was designed by me and what was old and found. It’s like when I designed a folly in Portugal for Christian, which looks like an architectural anomaly and makes you wonder: when was it built?”

Meet The 2024 AD100 Honourees

Tarek Shamma – designed furniture, including satin armchairs and a Karnak table, looks towards the custom bar cabinet at the rear left.

A key inspiration for the boat was the landmark museum in the capital city. But not the flashy new Grand Egyptian version ; the 19th-century original, with its battered Victorian wooden cabinets. “It’s one of my favourite buildings,” says Shamma. “I feel like Indiana Jones every time I walk in. Nothing looks out of context. I love patina; for the bar on the boat, I found beautiful old Baccarat crystal and Christofle silver that wasn’t too shiny, so that when you are on board, you wonder how long it’s all been there.”

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A reading nook with custom-made Hermès cushions.

As well as being a private craft for the owner and his friends, the Yalla Nile was conceived to be a partly commercial cruise ship, with profits from the operation going to two charities: Professor Magdi Yacoub’s Chain of Hope Foundation, which treats children from developing and war-torn countries with heart disease, and The Littlest Lamb, a community home for orphaned and at-risk children in Cairo. This is a special, wholly Egyptian project and piece of design. When an individual commissions a boat, the result is often what Tarek Shamma dismisses as “a floating mansion in the shape of an iron without any point – placing you so high up above the water, you don’t experience any kind of voyage.” Shamma’s client wanted something boutique and beautiful, so the designer put the guests close to the horizon, with no futurist architectural quirks. “We built it entirely from scratch because we couldn’t find a suitable hull,” says Shamma, “but it feels like it’s been sailing for years.”

The rear master suite's private balcony.

The project also represented a homecoming for Shamma. He built his career in London, working with Zaha Hadid and David Chipperfield before founding his own studio. “I didn’t think I’d be back in Cairo over 20 years after leaving,” he says, “but it presented a nice set of challenges. It’s difficult to find the right people here for projects. Everyone talks about Egyptian cotton all the time, but it's actually hard to find because it’s all made for export. I worked with a lot of artisans to create a thick ‘duck’ canvas for sails and embellished it with details. I had a jacquard created, and a sofa made with the pattern of an old Egyptian rug I particularly liked.”

One of the Yalla Nile's bedrooms, with its teak-and-rattan ceiling and 800-thread-count Egyptian cotton bedding. The brass-and-glass wall sconces are by Tarek Shamma and the rug is a vintage piece.

The owner specified six cabins with two suites that are full-beamed and four comfortable doubles. “It wasn’t built with selling rooms in mind,” says Shamma. “It was about comfort and experience and creating the right graphics. The bedrooms are at water level, and one of the suites is positioned right at the front, so couldn’t have a 180-degree vista. I drew a trompe l’oeil landscape to suggest depth rather than literally depict what is outside, and I had it realised with khayamiya , which is an appliqué technique done only by Egyptian men, who traditionally used it to decorate tents. I was telling a story of the flora and fauna of the Nile, while also using it to conceal the cupboards."

In the front master suite, a trompe l'oeil tapestry depicting a Nile scene – an illustration by Athan Mytilinaios – is rendered in the khayamiya appliqué technique, and conceals closets. The brass-and-glass lighting and teak-and-alabaster coffee table are by Tarek Shamma.

Shamma worked antithetically to the design of most existing Nile cruise ships, which customarily have a main sundeck, often too chilly to use in the more popular winter months. “You usually end up with a small sitting room that is uncomfortable,” he says. “We created a super deck with a passage all the way around, an area partially shaded with mashrabiya latticework, and a sun deck at the front, decorated with two large parasols, so it feels like you’re sitting under a real palm tree. The idea was to have breakfast at the front, dinner at the back.” Another essential specified by the owner: a sauna cabin in the middle section. “He has a sauna twice a day,” says Shamma, “so it was a must.”

The sun deck at the front with its rattan loungers and large parasols, with palm tree motifs.

Many elements of the designer’s past work with Chipperfield's studio were channelled into the Yalla Nile décor. “I have worked a lot with the lighting designer Arnold Chan in the past,” he says. “And Arnold said to me once that a hotel is all about drama. Residential space is one thing, but if it’s a hotel, or in this case a boat, the user is there for such a small amount of time, there needs to be theatre. It needs a homey feel, but it also needs to be fun.”

Papyrus-and-teak walls adorned with Pharaonic-inspired brass sconces.

The Yalla Nile is, ultimately, more cinematic than theatrical, because the connotations of the landscape and a cruise through it are inescapable. “I still wanted that Agatha Christie aspect,” says Shamma. “And yes, I always want to watch Death on the Nile on a cruise. We have a drop-down screen with a projector in one of the bulkheads. You have to have a movie night.”

A porthole view into the front master suite.

A sitting area with a Loto sofa by Tarek Shamma and parchment-covered walls.

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The Nile River’s First and Only Luxury Charter Yacht Is Now Available for Hire

Float along egypt's famous river for around $100,000 per week., rachel cormack.

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Yachting Partners International (YPI) is giving you a chance to cruise the Nile River like very few others.

The full-service yachting house has welcomed what it claims is the first and only luxury charter yacht available on the world-famous body of water. Located in Luxor, Egypt , the 180-footer, christened Berge , will take seafarers along Africa’s longest river in the utmost comfort.

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The route, which runs between Luxor and Aswan, showcases a renowned stretch of the river that is dotted with incredible landmarks and breathtaking natural wonders. You’ll have the opportunity to see ancient monuments, such as Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple, along with the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

The superyacht’s large windows give a great view of the Nile.  Barry Iverson

Guests will have a chance to appreciate Egyptian culture onboard, too. During “oriental night,” you’ll feast on the finest local cuisine, before dancing the night away to traditional Arabic music. You’ll also be treated to a gourmet candle-lit dinner on a private island by the Nile.

As for accommodation, Berge is equipped with nine lavish cabins and can sleep up to 18 guests in total. Each cabin features a soothing color palette, original artwork and full-width windows to highlight the surroundings. You can also expect luxe marble ensuites and plush Egyptian cotton fabric throughout. Naturally, butler service can be arranged to ensure you don’t have to worry about a thing while cruising.

Guests can enjoy all-day drinks and snacks on the sun-drenched upper deck.  Barry Iverson

Outdoors, meanwhile, there is ample space to soak in the views—and a few cocktails. In the spacious lounge area on the upper deck, for instance, guests can enjoy drinks and snacks before they take a dip in the refreshing plunge pool. You can also choose to indulge with a daily afternoon tea.

Sounds very civilized, indeed.

Berge is available for charter both in summer and winter. The weekly base rate is €84,037 ($93,750) in the low season and €99,225 ($110,693) in the high season. That price includes taxes and all onboard expenses.

Check out more photos below:

Barry Iverson

Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

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Book Entire Cruise Ship

Booking and cancellation policy, booking policy:.

• Bookings made in advance are confirmed against a deposit as follow :
• Upon confirming the booking, 25% of the cruise price
• 50% of the cruise price, 60 Days prior to embarkation date
• Full payment, 45 Days prior to embarkation date

Cancellation Policy:

• Cruises may be cancelled free of charge if cancelled more than 90 days in advance
• 25% If cancelled less than 90 days and more than 60 days.
• 50% If cancelled less than 60 days and more than 45 days.
• 100% If cancelled less than 45 days .
• No refund for unused meals or unused nights less than the selected itinerary

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ملوكي & ياقوته

Molouky & yakouta, experience luxury with heritage.

The Molouky. A marvel of modern engineering inspired by the grandeur, luxury and opulence of a Dahabeya, a vessel that the royal families of Egypt cruised the Nile on. Come, relive experiences of royalty gone by, on the Molouky, the ultimate word in cruise luxury on the Nile, an experience that you can customise and call your own.

Yakouta - the pride of Nile River Cruises - a journey across multi-hued landscapes in art, culture, architecture, cuisines in a royal Dahabeya - an experience in luxury down the Nile, where no sunset, no sunrise has ever been the same since the beginning of time.

An experience in opulence, a pharoah's life, is meticulously planned, executed and delivered to you in every inch of space on the Dahabeya. Right from the woods, to the textures, to the tones, to patterns and the very fabric - every aspect of the Dahabeya recreates an entire yacht-like experience designed to transport you in time and space to the golden years of the Nile. 

برنامج الرحلة

Itineraries.

What is luxury, if not handcrafted. Come, experience a new level of personalization and customization done exclusively for you on the Dahabeya. Indulge in a level of detailing that covers a spectrum as wide as the itinerary itself to detailed cuisines prepared to suit your palate, as we cruise between the cities of Luxor and Aswan

• Luxor / Aswan 5 Nights / 6 Days
• Luxor / Aswan / Luxor 7 Nights / 8 Days

Experiences

/dahabeyatcruises

Your digital dahabeya experience, delivered. Welcome aboard, sail with us.

The Dahabeya specialist awaits an opportunity to help you handcraft your memory down the Nile with us.

+201279999872 enquire now.

• [email protected]
• +2 01006861688
• Our Magazine

WELCOME TO DAHABEYA

Dahabeya Cruise Ships sailing between Luxor and Aswan are amazing Egyptian Dahabeya Boats , sailing from Luxor, Esna to Aswan. We are offering fantastic Nile Cruises, Small boats, sailing houses where you will be able to see lots of sightseeing along the river between Luxor and Aswan. The Dahabeya is 2 Mast ship sailing with the wind, sometimes pulled with Tug boat if the wind is calm. They accommodate different capacities of Passengers plus the crew who serve the guests. Our guests on board will have their own stewards who are responsible for helping to make their stay with us as enjoyable as possible. Dahabiya is an ideal small boat for small groups, friends, individuals, and honeymooners also families use it as a private Cruise or family boat/house with high-end privacy, private tours, special food, and special memories of the Nile and People.

• Dahabeya Aida
• TECHNICAL DATA

8 double cabins, 2 suite, Sailing every Saturday from Luxor ( Esna ) to Aswan for 5 or 6 nights .

• Dahabeya Amunet

• Dahabeya Aton Sun

10 double cabins, 2 suite, Sailing every Saturday from Luxor ( Esna ) to Aswan for 5 ، 6 or 7 nights .

• Nefertiti Nile Cruise

Ms Nefertiti 3 nights from Aswan unique cruiser offers magnificent scenery from its private balconies in the guest cabins.

• Dahebeya Queen Charlotte

8 double cabins, 1 suite, Sailing every Monday for 5 days / 4 nights from Esna-Luxor to Aswan

• DAHABIYA PRINCESS DONIA

4 double cabins, 1 suite, Sailing every Friday for 5 nights /6 days from Esna to Aswan

• DAHABEYA ASIYA

8 double cabins, 1 suite, Sailing from Luxor -Esna to Aswan for 5 or 6 nights .

• DAHABIYA AMOURA 4 NIGHTS

• DAHABIYA AMOURA 3 NIGHTS

8 double cabins, 1 suite, Sailing every Monday for 4 days / 3 nights from Esna-Luxor to Aswan

What is a Dahabiya Nile Cruise ?

Dahabiya Nile Cruise is a 2 masted sailing ship that sails the Nile with wind power, it should have no engines except for a generator that makes electricity, dahabeya in Arabic has many different ways of writing, you can write it Dahabeya or Dahabiya or Dahabeeya or Dahabiyaa or… and the word Dahab itself means Gold, it means the Golden Boat! our Dahabeya Ships are very comfort , fully furnished cabins with private bathroom, Egyptian cotton linen  Shower , large window to watch the Nile during the sailing . The history of this kind of ship goes back to the Pharaonic times: there are inscriptions of very similar boats in the tombs of ancient Egyptian Kings and Nobles. The Famous Egyptian King Farouk used to have a dahabeya in the Nile and his follower President Sadat had one too. Our guests especially the repeater who came to Egypt before will enjoy the dahabeya very much as he will see and experience the Nile from different points of view. We stop during the sailing very close to the temples even we arrange special catered candlelight dinner in front of one of the temples, we stop at the villages, we visit the farmers, camel and animal markets even buy our fresh vegetable from the farmers while stopping there. 

Our Dahabeya ITINERARIES

O ur Dahabeya Ships have many different itineraries with different embarkation days that suit your travel plan, for example,  Dahabeya Amoura has embarkation every Monday from Luxor / Esna to Aswan for 4 nights / 5 days and Every Friday from Aswan to Esna for 3 nights /4 days. Dahabeya Princess Donia has embarkation every Friday for 5 nights /6 days from Esna to Aswan and   Dahabeya Judi has embarkation every Saturday from Luxor to Aswan for 5 or 6 nights .

• ITINERARY ( Dahabeya Aida )
• ITINERARY ( Dahabeya Amunet )
• ITINERARY ( Dahabeya Aton Sun )
• ITINERARY ( Nefertiti Nile Cruise )
• ITINERARY ( Dahebeya Queen Charlotte )
• ITINERARY ( DAHABIYA PRINCESS DONIA )
• ITINERARY ( DAHABEYA ASIYA )
• ITINERARY ( DAHABIYA AMOURA 4 NIGHTS )
• ITINERARY ( DAHABIYA AMOURA 3 NIGHTS )

Day 1 : Luxor – Esna

Pick up from Luxor airport or your hotel in Luxor. Start the sightseeing tour in Luxor to visit the Valley of the Kings ...

Day 2 : Esna – Edfu

Gently sailing on our way to Edfu; enjoy breakfast at your leisure, visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage, the temple is ...

Day 3 : Edfu - Silslea

Breakfast will be enjoyed during our relaxing journey to the temple of Gibil el Silsila. You will be amazed as we tie u ...

Day 4 : Silslea / Kom Ombo

Breakfast during sailing to Kom Ombo. Listen to the sounds of the water buffalo as they wade in the shallow water besid ...

Day five : Kom Ombo / Aswan

Enjoy your breakfast as we sail to Aswan, the gateway to Nubia and Sudan. Visit some of Aswan highlights, Temple of Phi ...

Day Six: Disembarkation

Check out after breakfast. Our Rais and crew will say goodbye. Your luggage will be collected and will be ready for you ...

Pick up from Luxor airport or your hotel in Luxor. Start the sightseeing tour in Luxor to visit the Valley of the Kings, ...

Gently sailing on our way to Edfu; enjoy breakfast at your leisure, visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage, the temple is o ...

Breakfast will be enjoyed during our relaxing journey to the temple of Gibil el Silsila. You will be amazed as we tie up ...

Breakfast during sailing to Kom Ombo. Listen to the sounds of the water buffalo as they wade in the shallow water beside ...

Enjoy your breakfast as we sail to Aswan, the gateway to Nubia and Sudan. Visit some of Aswan highlights, Temple of Phil ...

Oriental Tours Egypt representative will meet assist you at the airport or train station, then transfer to your Nile Cru ...

In the early morning, your ship will sail to Kom Ombo where you will visit the unusual double temple dedicated to the cr ...

After breakfast it is time to focus on the West Bank of Luxor: explore the great valleys of the Kings where generations ...

Check out after breakfast. Disembarakation. transfer to the airport or train station.( Breakfast) MS La Boheme 3 Nights ...

Dahabeya Queen Charlotte

We are very flexible, as we can add more nights if our clients wish to stay more on our DAHABIYA QUEEN CHARLOTTE, normal ...

Esna – Edfu / Silsela

Enjoy your breakfast wile sailing to Kalabsha where you will visit Kalabsha Temple dedicated to the Nubian god Mandulis. ...

Kom Ombo / Aswan

Breakfast on Board , pick up by private bus to visit the Philae Temple , The High Dam enjoy walking in Aswan Bazzar , In ...

Aswan - Disembarkation

After breakfast, we bid farewell to the crew. Your luggage will be collected and will be ready for you to travel to your ...

Silslea / Kom Ombo

Breakfast at your leisure, sailing to Kom Ombo Temple, visit the Greco Roman Temple Kom Ombo. Sailing heading to Aswan, ...

Day One: Luxor – Esna

Sightseeing in LXR to visit the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Memnon Colossi, Karnak rsquo; Temple, then transfer to ...

Day Two: Esna - Edfu

Morning Sailing gently en-route to Edfu; enjoy breakfast at your leisure, visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage, one of t ...

Day Three: Edfu – Silsila

we set off for the relaxing journey to the temple of Gebel el Silsila, another of our less frequented destinations. You ...

Day Four: Silsila – Kom Ombo

Breakfast at your leisure as we sail on to Kom Ombo. Here we visit the Greco Roman Temple at Kom Ombo. The temple build ...

Day Five: Kom Ombo – Aswan

Enjoy the privilege and luxury of days gone by as we sail to Aswan, the gateway to Nubia and Sudan. We should arrive ar ...

Day Six : Disembarkation

Sightseeing in LXR to visit the Valley of the kings, Hatshepsut, Memenon Colossi , Karnak rsquo; Temple , then transfer ...

Morning Sailing gently l en-route to Edfu; enjoy breakfast at your leisure, visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage, one of ...

Breakfast at your leisure as we sail on to Kom Ombo. Listen to the sounds of the water buffalo as they wade in the shal ...

Enjoy the privilege and luxury of days gone by as we sail to Aswan, the gateway to Nubia and the Sudan. We should arriv ...

After breakfast, we bid farewell to the crew. Your luggage will be collected and will be ready for you to travel to you ...

Dahabeya Amoura

We are very flexible, as we can add more nights if our clients wish to stay more on our DAHABIYA AMORA, normally we do 4 ...

Enjoy breakfast at your leisure, sailing to Edfu , arrive around noon time, Visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage, one of ...

Luxor / Esna

About program of Dahabeya Amoura

We are very flexible, as we can add more nights if our clients wish to stay more on our Dahabeya AMORA, normally we do 4 ...

Amoura relaxing Tour

at the end of the 3 nights Dahabeya AMORA Cruise, you have the possibility to extend for another 4 nights Cruising trip ...

Day One: Aswan - Kom Ombo

Visit Philae Temple, The High Dam enjoy walking in Aswan Bazaar, Arrival to Dahabeya AMOURA, the Captain, and his crew ...

Day Two: Kom Ombo Silsela

Breakfast at your leisure. Here we visit the Greco Roman Temple at Kom Ombo. The temple building is totally symmetrical ...

Day Three: Edfu – Farewell dinner Esna

Enjoy breakfast at your leisure, visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage, one of the largest and most intact of Egypt #39;s ...

Day Four :Disembarkation - Esna - Luxor

After breakfast, we bid farewell to Captain Hassan and the crew. Your luggage will be collected and will be ready for y ...

OUR GALLERY

The Gallery of our charming Dahabeya Ship contains lots of indoor and outdoor pictures of the Ships, for high-Resolution picture please contact us!

Choose Language

Alexandria excursions

Fayoum excursions, sharm el-sheikh cairo excursions to pyramids, sharm el sheikh safari quad biking camel riding excursion, sharm el-sheikh snorkeling and diving excursions and boat trips, excursions in sharm el sheikh swimming with dolphins water park, sightseeing tours from sharm el sheikh mountain moses, sharm el sheikh airport transfer, sharm el-sheikh luxor excursions, sharm el-sheikh petra excursions, sharm el- sheikh jerusalem excursions, sharm el-sheikh snorkeling and diving excursions, sharm el-sheikh riding camel bedouin snorkeling kanion, turkish bath, sharm el-sheikh alexandria 2 days excursion, hurghad cairo sightseeing excursion, hurghada safari quad boggy and jeep excursions, hurghada snorkeling and diving boat excursions, hurghada airport transfers, sahl hasheesh makadi bay excursions safari and day trips, safaga and soma bay excursions and tours, hurghada luxor sightseeing excursion, aqua park hrghada, hurghada city tour, hurghada water sport, sightseeing trips abu simbel, luxor from marsa alam, marsa alam hotels, nile cruises, cairo tours and hotels, world cub 2026.

Nile Cruise 3 nights 4 days

Cruise only 3 nights from Aswan

Nile cruise package with hotel stay.

Cleopatra Arr. Cairo St. Asw.

Cleopatra Arr. Cairo St. Lux.

ISIDA S. Luxor arrival Cairo

ISIDA St. Aswan arrival Cairo

ISIDA St. Aswan arrival Hurghada

ISIDA St. Aswan arrival Sharm

Jasmine St. Aswan arrival Cairo

Jasmine St. Luxor arrival Cairo

King Ramses St. Aswan arrival Cairo

King Ramses St. Luxor arrival Cairo

Mystery Pharaoh St. Aswan arrival Cairo

Mystery Pharaoh St. Luxor arrival Cairo

Nefertiti (A.class)St. Asw. Arr. Hur.

Nefertiti (A.class)St. Lux. Arr. Hur.

Nefertiti St. Aswan arrival Hurghada

Nefertiti St. Luxor arrival Hurghada

Osiris start Luxor arrival Hurghada

Queen Hatshepsut St. Aswan arrival Cairo

Queen Hatshepsut St. Luxor arrival Cairo

Romantic 7 nights St. Aswan

Romantic 7 nights St. Luxor

Cruise only 4 nights 5 days.

Why Book With Us?

Profesional and reliable tour service., low rates & savings, excellent support, be inspired and discover more with yalla international, discover new places and experiences.

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NOT FOR CHARTER *

This Yacht is not for Charter*

SIMILAR YACHTS FOR CHARTER

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YALLA yacht NOT for charter*

73m  /  239'6 | crn | 2014.

Owner & Guests

Cabin Configuration

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• Guest elevator
• Impressive 5,500nm range
• Generous pool
• ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) ✠A1, Yachting Service, Ⓔ, ✠AMS, ACCU classification
• Airy beach club

The 73m/239'6" motor yacht 'Yalla' was built by CRN in Italy at their Ancona shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Droulers Architecture and she was delivered to her owner in August 2014. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Omega Architects.

Guest Accommodation

Yalla has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 22 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Her features include beauty salon, elevator, beach club and air conditioning.

Range & Performance

Yalla is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by twin diesel Caterpillar (3516C-HD "D" Rating) 16-cylinder 3,386hp engines running at 1800rpm, she comfortably cruises at 18 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 19 knots with a range of up to 5,500 nautical miles from her 180,000 litre fuel tanks at 12 knots. Yalla features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels. Her water tanks store around 50,000 Litres of fresh water. She was built to ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) ✠A1, Yachting Service, Ⓔ, ✠AMS, ACCU classification society rules, and is MCA LY2 Compliant.

*Charter Yalla Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Yalla is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Yalla Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Yalla Photos

Yalla Awards & Nominations

• The ShowBoats Design Awards 2015 Exterior Design & Styling Award – Motor Yacht over 500GT Finalist
• The ShowBoats Design Awards 2015 Interior Design Award – Motor Yacht over 500GT Finalist
• The ShowBoats Design Awards 2015 Naval Architecture Award – Displacement Motor Yacht Finalist
• The World Superyacht Awards 2015 Displacement Motor Yachts of 1,300GT to 2,999GT – Below 74.99m Finalist
• International Superyacht Society Awards 2016 Best Power 65m+ Nomination

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Specification

M/Y Yalla

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Motor Yacht

Yalla is a semi-custom motor yacht launched in 2004 by Heesen Yachts, in the Netherlands.

From day one, Heesen has pursued a consistent mission: to create yachts with exceptional standards of engineering and meticulous attention to detail.

Yalla measures 46.70 metres in length, with a max draft of 2.85 metres and a beam of 8.50 metres. She has a gross tonnage of 498 tonnes. She has a deck material of teak.

Yalla has a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure.

Her interior design is by Art Line.

Yalla also features naval architecture by Heesen Yachts.

Yalla is a semi-custom 4700 Steel model.

Performance and Capabilities

Yalla has a top speed of 15.00 knots and a cruising speed of 12.00 knots. She is powered by 2 6125a diesel lugger engines and uses a twin screw propulsion system.

Yalla has a fuel capacity of 60,000 litres, and a water capacity of 17,000 litres.

She also has a range of 3,500 nautical miles.

Accommodation

Yalla accommodates up to 10 guests . She also houses room for up to 12 crew members.

Other Specifications

Yalla is MCA compliant, her hull NB is 12246.

Yalla is a DNV X A1-LC-Yacht-RO Large Commercial Yacht Code LY2 / MCA class yacht.

• Yacht Builder Heesen Yachts No profile available
• Naval Architect Heesen Yachts No profile available
• Interior Designer Art Line No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other heesen yachts, related news.

CRN Megayachts

YACHT ID NUMBER

YEAR LAUNCHED

LENGTH OVER ALL

73.00 m / 239 ft 5 in

NAVAL ARCHITECT

CRN Engineering

EXTERIOR DESIGN

Omega Architects

INTERIOR DESIGN

Droulers Architecture

Exclusive travelling in safe relaxation,

exploring shallow waters and anchoring closer to the shore

YALLA is a bespoke superyacht characterized by sleek, slender and sporty lines, which make the profile particularly streamlined. With 5 decks, M/Y she can host up to 12 guests in her six cabins, including the Owner Suite and VIP cabins, together with a crew of 22.

Specifications

HULL/ SUPERSTRUCTURE

Steel/Aluminium

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CRN Shipyard Via Enrico Mattei, 26 60125 Ancona Italy

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Ferretti S.p.A.

Tax code and VAT no. 04485970968 Registered Office Via Irma Bandiera, 62 – 47841 Cattolica (RN) Italy REA no. RN 296608 - Companies Register no. 04485970968 Share capital € 338.482.654,00 fully paid-up PEC: [email protected]

Designed by: Biasi – Tunnel Studios

Engineered by: Yodigito

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73m superyacht Yalla launched by CRN

Italian yacht builder CRN has launched its 73m superyacht Yalla .

CRN welcomed more than 1,000 guests to the launching ceremony of CRN 132 Yalla , held late this morning at its shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The launch ceremony included speeches from Alberto Galassi, new CEO of the Ferretti Group , Lamberto Tacoli, Chairman and CEO of CRN, Xinyu Xu, Vice-chairman of Weichai Group, and the Mayor of Ancona Valeria Mancinelli.

Part of the Ferretti Group,  CRN  specialises in custom yachts up to 90 metres in steel and aluminium. Yalla is the first yacht built by CRN on its new 12.5m beam platform. More than 430,000 hours from CRN and its subcontractors were spent on Yalla 's build, with contributions from 150 employees.

Exterior styling comes from Omega Architects in The Netherlands, in close collaboration with the CRN Engineering Department. The five-deck motor yacht features sleek, sporty lines and a streamlined profile. Superyacht Yalla 's interiors are by Droulers Architecture, working with CRN's Interiors and Design Office. She hosts up to 12 guests in its six cabins, including an owner's suite and VIP cabins, along with 22 crew members.

'Following the launch of CRN 133 61m superyacht a few months ago, we are proud to celebrate the launch of the new Yalla of 73m, which represents a challenge and an objective for the whole CRN shipyard,' says Lamberto Tacoli, Chairman and CEO of CRN. ' Yalla will mark another important result for the development of CRN in the world. A sincere thanks for the trust of the owner and for the work of all employees and subcontractors who have worked on the project, to the architects Franck Laupman of Omega Architects and to Droulers Architecture. I also thank our shareholder Weichai Group and the new CEO of the Group Alberto Galassi for their participation in this important event for CRN and for the whole Ferretti Group.'

The Ferretti Group currently has five superyachts underway at the Ancona shipyard, including the 74m CRN 131, 55m CRN 134, a Ferretti Custom Line CL 124, the 61m CRN 133 and the Riva 122 Mythos , which are at the delivery stage.

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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Restaurant-Yacht Chaika

Ratings and reviews, location and contact.

Pleasantly surprised, service is good so is the food. Great selection of Fusion food, a mixture of Italian, Japanese, European, Asian etc. A pleasantly nice dining experience, highly recommended, a must try!

Thank you for your feedback and invite you to have lunch or dinner again aboard the ship in an atmosphere of high standards of yacht hospitality.

everything was perfect - the food, the service, the desserts were the best, nice atmosphere and the location - magical

Best food, best view in Moscow. absolutely faultless from arrival to finish. Best risotto i had for many years absolutely perfectly cooked. The view on Ukrainian hotel and the white house by night is amazing

Had to wait for the food for 1.5 hours and then another 20 minutes for the check. Finally called for the manager and he offered... a 10% discount as a compensation. Simply pathetic! The food is mediocre at best. Not bad per se, but one... would expect something better considering the prices. There are many places to eat in area that are much better. Avoid this one at all costs. More

Hello, Alexander Your comment is extremely important for us, thank you a lot for it. We are terribly sorry for your time that you`ve spent waiting your order and we have already taken actions to improve quality of our service and it would be realy... More

Food is very expensive,very pretentious, doesn't worth that money. Portions are very small. We ordered ravioli and there were 4! Four raviolis! For almost 15 euros. Then we asked to bring us dessert menu but nothing, they didn't even bothered, so we payed and left... without dessert. Very poor service for that price. More

This is a very good restaurant. The food is really good, maybe the best in Moscow. The service is also good. The view from the restaurant is great. The prices are very high.

I often visit this restaurant and must say it’s one of the best in Moscow in terms of quality and service. Staff really try hard to make sure that you are happy and satisfied. Customer service is a huge problem in Moscow but Chaika sets... a great example for others in the industry! Food is delicious and the menu has lots of options for everyone! Atmosphere is great and view is beautiful on the embankment. Special thanks to German & Oleg! More

Thank you for your feedback! Again aboard the yacht restaurant "Chaika" in accordance with the high standards of yacht hospitality.

Highly recommended, great location in the city center of Moscow with a superb atmosphere. Too many menu choices, though all delicious!

Thx a lot for your review! We are looking forward to see you in our restaurants.

Visited this lovely restaurant with a friend of mine. It was relaxingly warm August evening - so the place on the river seemed like a good idea. We came quite early and the restaurant was not full. The hostesses kindly offered several places to sit... and we chose to sit on the sofas. We had some wine, which was good. We struggled a bit when deciding about the food as few options (scallops) were not available. Fish on ice on display did not look very fresh. To be honest it was an unusually hot August and it is probably understandable that some see food options were not available. However, we did manage to order something and sat waiting and looking onto the river. My long-legged friend struggled sitting at the low sofa and the manager noticed that, offering as a very good, proper table beside the open window. It was nice touch and I was very pleased by their polite observations and immediate reaction to solve the problem. Food was quite good and presentation was perfect. Perhaps I can something about the food, but 1 visit is not enough to criticize or make a definitive opinion. Overall, quality place, which of course, does not come cheap. I would recommend this restaurant without hesitation. More

Good afternoon! Thank you for your detailed feedback! We are looking forward to seeing you again, we are sure that you will be delighted with our dishes!

I've been here several times during two business trip in Moscow. The overall quality for both service and food is absolutely top-notch, plus the location is very unique.

Hello! Thank you for your feedback! We are looking forward to visiting again!

Located on a boat at Krasnopresenskaya River Bank this 5 Star Restaurant transforms into a party location due to multiple groups hosting events. Impressive wine selection, Asian and European kitchen...

Thx a lot! We are waiting for you!

It is a nice place to gather specially at the lounge The service and staff very good I like the river view The food is almost like all restaurants in Russia they serve different cuisine. Staring Russian appetizer till Asian dishes Presentation and taste amazing... I consider it overpriced little bit More

Good location. Nice views. Good choice of food and drinks. European and Asian menu. Nice service. Pricey enough.

Had a large group dinner here. Food was above average and service quite good. The real attraction is the view of Moscow from the river on a nice night. Great place for a larger group dinner. More

Hello, John We are really pleased by reading that you and your friends were satisfied by our service, client`s experience is the highest value for us. We will be happy to see you again, come and enjoy some new dishes from our chef and nice... More

The luxurious atmosphere of this place, the view and the location make it quite outstanding. We had dinner here with friends and the dishes were amazing, accompanied by a chilled bottle of Chablis, it really made me feel as if it was a part of... the classic Russian movie. More

RESTAURANT-YACHT CHAIKA, Moscow - Presnensky - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

• Service: 4.5
• Atmosphere: 4.5