Acceptable but below our expectations
We were overall disappointed by our experience in Dahabeya (2 days including New Years Eve, From Aswan to Esna), taking into account the high price we have paid (and which should correspond to higher
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r quality than low budget cruises). Positive points: - The visits were organized such as to avoid crowds which was very much enjoyable to take advantage of the beautiful sites and sceneries, especially the Temple of Edfu which gets very crowded. Please avoid the awful horse carriages at all cost to get to the temple (point detailed below). - The rooms were nice and clean and we had hot water every day for the shower. - The boat is very nice, made of wood and with nice decks to enjoy the sun, the Nile and the sunset! It is also of a good size, with max 25-28 people on board which is very nice to enjoy calm and peace. - Wifi available as mentioned from 8pm to 10pm - Food was good although for the price we paid, I would have expected more diversity and quality (especially to have local Egyptian food). - Entry tickets are all managed by the guide which is nice to have hassle free visits in temples and site that get really crowded. - Suzan who was our main point of contact before booking is a real pleasure to deal with. She attended all our questions before booking and was very accommodating. A few general comments on Dahabeya cruising on the Nile (not specific to Terre d'Egypte): - Most Dahabeyas do not actually sail, but rather are pulled by a noisy motorboat all the time. This is the case for all Dahabeyas we saw on the Nile, whether going upriver or downriver. Of course, on a 2 day trip, it is very difficult if not impossible to use only the sail to navigate, however, the captain did not open the sail a single time. This is not something that was mentioned to us when booking. While it is not the end of the world, keep in mind that your dreamed "calm and peaceful" trip on the Nile might not be exactly as you imagined, with the noise of the motor boats pulling Dahabeyas all around and the smell of gasoline. Negative Points: - The most negative point and honestly, probably the one that stuck with us the most when we remember this journey is the AWFUL visit of the Edfu Temple. The main reason being that we were forced to use the horse carriages to get to the site with horses that were in DREADFUL conditions. Upon seeing the state of the horses, the entire group asked to be brought to the site using another mean of transport (whether tuktuk, car or even walking), however, the guide refused, stating that it was not possible and even illegal in the city as the carriages were the only ones allowed to bring tourists (which is not true as tourists get to the site by car and tuktuk). The horses were not only dirty and malnourished (which is not acceptable but is unfortunately also the state of many people in Egypt), however, the fact that they were hurt, bleeding and beaten is NOT ACCEPTABLE under any term. Some horses had blood dripping down from their back to the bottom of their legs from the carriage rubbing against them. Many were limping and one could not even run as he was so malnourished, while the coachman was beating him like no tomorrow. It is simply unacceptable that we were denied another mean of transport and I truly hope these traveling companies stop supporting animal torture by ordering other means of transport for the tourist to visit Edfu. Any company paying for these carriages is supporting this inhumane treatment. If it is not possible for Terre d'Egypte to use other means of transport, just remove this stop altogether, nothing can justify this misery, not even the beauty of Edfu Temple. - Not stopping in nice and peaceful Nile spots, contrary to what is advertised on the website. On New Year's eve, we were expecting to have a nice dinner stopped somewhere along the Nile to enjoy the last of 2 nights on the boat. The crew decided otherwise and rushed to reach Esna as soon as possible (and the night before the planned day) so that they could go off the boat sooner than expected. That means we actually spent the last night stopped right on the dock of Esna city, where all the fishermen's boats were stopped and where we had the pleasure to listen to motorcycles and cars honking all night long. We could as well just have gotten a cheap hostel in this part of town than paying such a high price for a "Nile" hotel. Not only is it not what was advertised, it is also exactly the opposite as what is stated on their website's FAQ: "C'est un petit bateau qui peut s'arrêter "presque" n'importe où car il est à fond plat. Nous nous arrêtons toujours dans des endroits calme et sauvage." From - Not suitable if you want to sleep in in the morning. Even though the check out was advertised to be at 10am, the crew insisted that we needed to be out of the boat by 7am, which means waking up at 5.45-6am to have breakfast around 6.15am. Again, this would be ok if people are actually informed before-hand about the check out time.
