Felucca Friends: Finding the Right Felucca Trip in Egypt

Everyone loves a good boat trip, relaxing on the deck as the wind catches the sails pulling your Felucca down the Nile. No concerns and no worries, all you need to do is bond with your fellow passengers, and take in the sights and sounds of your experience. Trouble free, right?

We opted for the Felucca trip that most people with a bit of time in Egypt opt to do, three days and two nights aboard a boat, from Luxor to Aswan. The boat would take us as far as Edfu where we would join other Felucca passengers for a trip to The Edfu Temple and then to the Temple of Kom Ombo before arriving in Luxor.

In Aswan, every second Nubian offers us a trip on his (or his uncle’s, cousin’s, brother’s or neighbour’s) boat and so we have no problem negotiating a cheap price. We’re down to 85LE (Egyptian Pounds) per person for the trip before we meet Captain Jack.

Captain Jack Sparrow as he prefers to call himself is another breed of salesman, his pitch is smooth, he offers service unrivalled by his competitors, he tells us about the dodgy business practices of other Felucca captains and he wins our trust quickly. We take a trip out to see his Felucca and see what differentiates it from everyone else. His promises start at the useful end of the spectrum: a bigger boat to ensure everyone has room, soft pillows for a mattress and enough blankets to ensure everyone is warm. He goes on further, utensils to enjoy the amazing food he and his staff will cook, a music player so we can party into the night and my favourite of all cups with handles so we don’t burn our hands holding glasses.

Captain Jack tops off his pitch by showing his book of references, of course we ignore it 99% of the time, these are hand written, but still we have a good feeling so we decide to take the Felucca journey with him – everyone that is except for my sister, she’s indifferent to his sales pitch and says there’s no point in paying the premium he commands (an extra $4 USD per person). We’re not stupid though, we meet with him the following morning and give him half the money upfront and tell him at the end of the journey, as long as we get everything that he promised, we’ll be paying the remainder on completion of the trip.

When it comes to the day of the Felucca trip, I fall incredibly sick, fever, sore throat, cough and a runny nose. We call Captain Jack to tell him we can’t make it. He’s understanding and says he’ll be back the following day and that we can go then. When Brawy (the guy we met in Alexandria’s Castle) finds out, he’s devastated and concerned, sharing some family secrets for curing me. Next thing you know, my sister is feeding me garlic until my stomach burns, my father is feeding me lemon until my eyes water and when I have the strength to eat, the waiter of the restaurant where my dad gets rice is incredibly concerned about me, someone he’s only seen once.

The following day I’m feeling good as new and we’re ready to embark on our Felucca trip of a lifetime…