The Nile - sailing on SS Sudan

After visiting the pyramids, we took a flight to Aswan and arrived at our island hotel on the Nile late in the evening. An early start did not prevent Helen from taking to the pool after breakfast. I suspect other guests sensed the presence of royalty and waited their turn to enter the pool complex.

After our bags were whisked away, we ventured aboard a Felucca for a trip to the botanical gardens on Kitchener’s Island. These are remarkable sailboats and the intricacies of setting the sails and boom require a crew of three. The Nile has quite a current (up to 4 knots) and these boats were able to make upstream headway in quite light breezes. 

The botanical gardens were quite large and although we were escorted, several of the gardeners were adept at presenting interesting facts about some of the plants, in return of course, to a few Egyptian pounds.

Some of the views around the island were particularly peaceful.

That is probably not the right description for this herd, although they do look content.

Aswan has numerous rocky outcrops, narrow passages with increased flows, all of which was handled by the captains with aplomb. The barren hills that line the Nile are particularly close in Aswan.

We completed our rounding of the island (repelling young lads on surfboards who grabbed the gunnels and sang in the faint hope of a few Egyptian pounds) and headed to our home for the next few days.

The SS Sudan is a steamship that was ordered by Thomas Cook back in 1895. She was eventually completed after WW1 and fell into disrepair in the 1950s. Subsequently, she was rescued and completely refurbished. She is now the only wooden steamship on the Nile. There are numerous cruise ships of a similar form to European river vessels but there was only one for Helen. The romance of course, was due in large part to Agathie Christie staying on board and writing Death on the Nile. (One evening, there was even a showing of the film in the bar.)

From head to toe (sorry, bow to stern) she was photogenic. With beautiful mahogany on the inside and teak on the outside.

The sloping decks would have been a challenge in the wet – but of course, you need rain for that. Wonderful to while away an hour or two reading a book, enjoying a cool drink or just watching the world slide by.

We were particularly lucky (as were Steve and Jilly) because we snagged the two large cabins in the stern. 

With panoramic 90+ degree views, it was easy to lie on the bed and get lulled into a bit of napping. 

The atmosphere in the dining room was sumptuous as was the food, with a different menu each day. Wearing a jacket was not mandatory, but it did seem appropriate.

Being a relatively small ship (20 cabins and a first for us – more staff aboard than guests) we quickly made new friends with whom to share experiences. Mind you, there is no telling who you may meet. Anyone pick the real Poirot?

In the evening, the Feluccas came out in their hundreds as that tended to be when there was most breeze and of course, was conducive to visitors supping a few cocktails and aperitifs before heading to dinner.

The sunsets were glorious – it was hard to pick the best, but this goes a long way to encapsulating the atmosphere.

We did encounter a lock on the way down. Most dams were built to mitigate severe flooding, aid irrigation, and generate hydroelectric power. The initial Aswan dam had to be raised on two occasions to accommodate the annual floods, which were typically 14 metres at Aswan, 12 metres at Luxor and 7.5 metres in Cairo. Those levels resulted in serious damage and led to the construction of the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1970), which at the time was the largest embankment dam in the world.

The SS Sudan still uses her steam engines, although the addition of a pod and bow thrusters has made manoeuvrability somewhat easier. That said, the hissing of a steam engine is vastly superior to the constant fast-paced juddering of the stern motors.

The paddle wheels were just as mesmerising.

Getting off at Luxor after 5 days aboard was a real wrench. If you want to sail the Nile then this is the way to bring some romance into the experience.