Our dear friends Mahmoud Ezzeldin, Tarek El Mahdy and Hatem Elkhady with whom we organized The Nile Rowing Expedition back in 2013 have teamed up with RowPerfect UK. They are planning a Red Sea Coastal Rowing trip this October. For more info: RedSeaRowingTour .
Due to some uncertainties the tours for november 2014 have been postponed. The 2013 rowing expedition still has a warm place in the hearts of the participants. The warm welcome we received from the Egyptian people, the stunning landscape and the rich cultural heritage of Egypt has made a lasting expression. We will organise new rowing tours and expeditions in the near future on the Nile and we are thinking about rowing on the sea from resort to resort, but we have not started planning yet.
In this blog you can read the itineraries for the cancelled 2014 tours. If you want to read about the successful 2013 tour click here for the blogpost. If you or your rowing friends are interested in future tours please contact Martin.
The rowing tour from Aswan to Luxor
The outline of the tour: participants will arrive on the 1st of November 2014. On the first day we will get up early and visit the world famous Abu Simpel Temple Complex. The second day is reserved for individual sightseeing in Aswan. On the third day we will prepare the boats. The next day is the first of 5 days of rowing from Aswan to Luxor; a distance of 220 km and an average of 44 km each day. The ninth day is reserved for exploring tombs and other monument in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. On the last and tenth day the participants will explore Luxor on their own and have a closing dinner in the evening. Departure from Luxor will be on the 12th of November. We will stay in hotels along the way. We will try to combine rowing with visiting Pharaonic, Islamic and Coptic monuments along the way. Depending on the amount of participants people will have rest days, but we try to let everybody row as much as possible.
The rowing expedition from Luxor to Cairo
Participants will arrive in Luxor on the 8th of November 2014. The first day is reserved for individual sightseeing in Luxor. The second day is reserved for exploring tombs and other monument in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. On the third day we will prepare the boats. The next day is the first of 10 days of rowing from Luxor to Cairo; a distance of 720 km and an average of 72 km each day. On the fourteenth day you can explore Cairo on your own and maybe pay a visit to the treasures of Toetanchamon in the Egyptian Museum. The last day is reserved for visiting the Pyramids on the west bank of the Nile. Departure from Cairo will be on the 24th of November.
Daily distances are long and traveling between hotels and rowing takes time. That is why we try to have more participants than seats in the boat. In 2013 we had 15 rowers and 2 C4x+’s. When you are not rowing you will enjoy Egypt's rich heritage.
I found a short but interesting documentary about the passion involved in rowing at the Egyptian Rowing Club. Personally I really like the single scull at 08:22
In Pharonic times Egyptians rowed and sailed on the Nile as their main
way of transport. These days the feluccas sail with tourists, the traditional
fisherman row in wooden rowboats and young Egyptians compete in modern rowing
shells. What connects all of them is that they all love the Nile. Rowing
on the Nile is a once in a lifetime experience and because of the success of
last year’s expedition a new rowing tour and expedition are being planned.
With this blog we will inform you about the latest information of
the Rowing Tour from Aswan to Luxor, and
the Rowing
Expedition from Luxor to Cairo.
The
rowing tour from Aswan to Luxor
Come and join us for five days of rowing on the
stunning river Nile in Upper Egypt. Combine rowing with culture. Enjoy Egypt’s
rich Pharonic, Islamic and Coptic heritage during the sightseeing program
before and after the tour. Visit the majestic temples of Abu Simpel, the Valley
of the Kings in Thebes (Luxor) and many more monuments (Gebel Silsila, Edfu
Temple Horus) we pass along the way.
On the first day we will get up early and visit
the world famous Abu Simpel Temple Complex. The second day is reserved for individual
sightseeing in Aswan. On the third day we will prepare the boats. The next
day is the first of 5 days of rowing from Aswan to Luxor; a distance of 220 km.
The ninth day is reserved for exploring tombs and other monument in the Valley
of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. On the last and tenth day the
participants will explore Luxor on their own and have a closing dinner in the
evening.
·Trip: Arrival in Aswan on Saturday the 1st of
November. Departure from Luxor on Wednesday the 12th of November. 10 days / 11
nights in hotels or hotel boat.
·Rowing: From Aswan to Luxor in 5 days. Total distance
220 km. Daily distances from 25 to 40 km. In 2 or 3 C4x+’s with 10 - 15
participants.
·Essentials: Sense of Adventure, white
shirts, long sleeves, sun hats, and lots of sunscreen.
·Estimated price: € 1.650,- based on 10
participants. Included: full board, professional expedition tour leader, rowing
boats, transport, etc. Not included:
flights, baksheesh (tips), admission to museums, etc.
Each day we will try to combine rowing with
visiting monuments along the way. Depending on the amount of participants
people will have rest days, but we try to let everybody row as much as
possible.
The
rowing expedition from Luxor to Cairo
The focus of this expedition is on rowing.
Rowing long distances in a hot climate on the beautifull river Nile. Whenever
possible we will enjoy Egypts rich heritage, like the Mosque of Qena, the
Temple of Hator and the Red Monastry in
Sohaq.
The first day of the expedition is reserved for
individual sightseeing in Luxor. The second day we will explore the tombs and
other monument in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. On the
third day we will prepare the boats. The next day is the first of 10 days of
rowing from Luxor to Cairo; a distance of 720 km. On the fourteenth day you can
explore Cairo on your own
and maybe pay a visit to the treasures of Toetanchamon
in the Egyptian Museum. The last day is reserved for visiting the Pyramids on
the west bank of the Nile.
·Trip: Arrival in Luxor on Saturday the 8th of
November. Departure from Cairo on Monday the 24th of November. 15 days / 16
nights in hotels or hotel boat.
·Rowing: From Luxor to Cairo in 10 days. Total
distance 720 km. Daily distances from 65 to 90 km. In 2 C4x+’s with 15
participants.
·Essentials: Sense of Adventure, white
shirts, long sleeves, sun hats, and lots of sunscreen.
·Estimated price: € 2.250,- based on 15
participants. Included: full board, professional expedition tour leader, rowing
boats, transport, etc.Not included: flights, baksheesh (tips),
admission to museums, etc.
Daily distances are long and traveling and
rowing takes time. That is why we try to have more participants than seats in
the boat. In 2013 we had 15 rowers and 2 C4x+’s. When you are not rowing you
will enjoy Egypt's rich heritage.
Please note that the information provided is still provisional. The rowing tours can still be cancelled if there are not enough participants. Also dates and prices may change.
Organisation:
Dabuka Expeditions, Arab Contractors Sporting Club, Luxor Rowing Club, the
Egyptian Rowing & Canoe Federation & Arie van Veelen, Bert Jonker & Martin Paasman. Under the patronage of the Ministry of
Tourism and the Egyptian Tourist Authority.
Carola, who
lives, works and rows in Egypt and Martin, as an experienced Dutch marathon
rower had the idea of rowing on the Nile. They teamed up and after one and a
half year of organizing they made their dream come true. A group of 15 experienced
rowers from the Netherlands, Germany and America rowed from Luxor to Cairo. A
distance of 720 kilometers in 10 days from the 26th of April to the
5th of May 2013. We rowed in
two Egyptian C4x+. That meant that every day 10 people would row and steer and
5 people could enjoy the rich Egyptian heritage and culture.
Most
participants arrived early in Luxor to visit the beautiful ancient monuments,
enjoy Luxor and to get accustomed to the heat. Their suitcases packed with
white shirts with long sleeves, sun hats, and sunscreen and water. The
expedition started with a day of rigging the boats fit for the expedition,
making some test runs and getting to know each other.
The first
day of rowing started with a ‘blessing’ ceremony with fresh flower leaves for a
safe journey by a representative of the Egyptian ministry of Tourism and made
us feel welcome. Rowing on the Nile past the Karnak Temple (Luxor) on star
board side and the Theban Necropolis on port side was the start of a beautiful
and gruelling expedition.
We mostly rowed
on a slow moving winding river, with palm trees and villages on the river banks.
On the smaller river arms of the Nile we
encountered a lush green scenery filled with birds and fisherman rowing traditional
boats. Sometimes when the river had made her way through an area with rocky
mountains we rowed with a barren desert on one side and cliff’s on the other. What
didn’t change was the blistering sun with temperatures up to 40 degrees
centigrade and drinking huge amounts of water and fresh juices.
The
Egyptian government was very concerned about our well-being. That is why police
boats escorted us all the way on the water and when we drove in a convoy. It
was sometimes difficult to go out for an unplanned after dinner stroll with a
hotel lobby full of guards. But on the other hand in Qena a polite police
general accompanied us to the famous local mosque. Our lunch breaks in little
villages along the Nile proved that the Egyptian people were very friendly.
They provided us with fresh baked ‘sun bread’ , tea and shared the shade under
their trees. In the evening they assisted in lifting the boats out of the
water.
The crew
that did not row was enjoying Egypt’s rich heritage. Like the Pharonic, temple
in Karnak, the Coptic Red Monastry in Sohaq and the famous Islamic mosque in
Qena. They went with a minibus on dusty roads and through Egyptian villages
with friendly people and cattle on the road. Most participants also ‘enjoyed’ one
or two days of not rowing due to food poisoning, sleep deprivation, heatstroke or
exhaustion due to the daily distances of up to 90 km’s. Well……,we did call it
an ‘Expedition’ from the very beginning.
Before we
knew it we were rowing into Cairo. We finished accompanied by an armada of
rowing boats, official representatives and the press. A dream came true!
---
More information:
Martin Paasman, martin.paasman@gmail.com
The Nile Rowing Expedition was an idea of Carola Grün and Martin
Paasman, both members of Rowing Club De Laak in The Hague, the Netherlands. It
was organized together with Dabuka
Expeditions, Arab Contractors Sporting Club, Luxor Rowing Club and the Egyptian
Rowing & Canoe Federation. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism
and the Egyptian Tourist Authority.
Come and join us for five days of rowing on the
stunning river Nile in Upper Egypt. Combine rowing with culture. Enjoy Egypt’s
rich Pharonic, Islamic and Coptic heritage during the sightseeing program
before and after the tour. Visit the majestic temples of Abu Simpel, the Valley
of the Kings in Thebes (Luxor) and many more monuments (Gebel Silsila, Edfu
Temple Horus) we pass along the way. 
Each day we will try to combine rowing with
visiting monuments along the way. Depending on the amount of participants
people will have rest days, but we try to let everybody row as much as
possible.
Most
participants arrived early in Luxor to visit the beautiful ancient monuments,
enjoy Luxor and to get accustomed to the heat. Their suitcases packed with
white shirts with long sleeves, sun hats, and sunscreen and water.
We mostly rowed
on a slow moving winding river, with palm trees and villages on the river banks.
On the smaller river arms of the Nile we
encountered a lush green scenery filled with birds and fisherman rowing traditional
boats. Sometimes when the river had made her way through an area with rocky
mountains we rowed with a barren desert on one side and cliff’s on the other. What
didn’t change was the blistering sun with temperatures up to 40 degrees
centigrade and drinking huge amounts of water and fresh juices. 
