Saray El Nil is a rare authentic and original dahabiya built in 1882. She is now privately owned by a British family that is devoted to preserving the heritage of this rare river boat from the golden age of Nile travels.

The owners also wish to preserve the spirit of exploration and adventure that travellers such as Amelia Edwards and Lucie, Lady Duff Gordon experienced in the second half of the nineteenth century. To enjoy Saray El Nil for yourselves, is to embrace both the boat’s unique state of preservation and the bespoke service true to her historic past.

A Saray El Nil charter is exclusively and privately for you. We ensure that you do not share the boat with strangers, since this is very much in keeping with how dahabiyas used to be chartered in the past. You will have your own personal chef and crew under the expert aegis of our captain, Rais Ashraf, who has captained the boat for over ten years.