Latest news
Read our blog articles below to learn more about Princess Donia and travelling on the Nile
Princess Donia Sails Again
The Princess Donia, her Captain and crew are the first Dahabiya on the Nile river to qualify for Egypt’s very stringent Covid 19 safety certificate. Each member of the crew has been trained to the highest hygiene standards. We have invested in the latest cleaning and...
Princess Donia in Water Colour
Church members expressed their gratitude for the incredible life changing achievements of the Princess Donia project. They wanted to know how the project became a reality that seven local Egyptian men are now able to support their families by managing the operation of...
This is Adham…
This is Adham our Salon Manager. He is the person in charge of House Keeping, the Bar and is also the go between for our guests and Chef Mohammed. Nothing is too much trouble for Adham, his primary aim is to serve our guests and make them very happy. His first daily...
The Gentle Giant
This is Essam our gentle giant, he is Captain Hassan’s younger brother and what is also a surprise to many is that Essam is also a fully qualified ship’s Captain for both sail and cruise boats, he also speaks very good English just like his big bro Captain Hassan. You...
The Captains Travels
This is Hassan, Captain of the Princess Donia. Captain Hassan is responsible for just about everything on the Princess Donia but whenever we get back to Luxor, our major local City, we sometimes lose Hassan for an hour or so and we’ve only just discovered where he...
Increased Catering Allowance
This is Mohammed, our Chef. He is such a fabulous Chef that we’ve now increased our catering allowance to provide for his wonderful, extravagant and exotic creations and that’s not to mention the additional cost of bigger uniforms for the crew every year!
Adham ………. highlighting excellent service
I took a four day break while building Princess Donia and booked a cabin on the next available cruise boat heading from Luxor to Aswan, which was a very nice cruise boat mainly catering for the German tourist market. I wanted to see what the big cruise boats offered,...
60 second interview with Lee Allan, Creator of The Princess Donia
Please tell us about the Princess Donia and how this became a reality? “What began as a devastating initial diagnosis of a potentially life-threatening brain tumor, turned out to be an event that made the Princess Donia a reality. At first it was incredibly difficult...
? Welcome to February … the month of Love ?
Treat your loved one to a fabulous holiday on this luxurious Dahabeeyah sailing ship, we offer a unique experience for those seeking to get away from it all. This romantic 36m ship will take you on a magical sailing trip from Luxor to Aswan. Message us for more...
Spotlight on our chef – Mohammed
Q: How long have you worked on the Princess Donia? A: I have worked on Donia for eleven years now. Q: How old were you when you started cooking? A: I started cooking when I was very young at home and when I left school at aged fifteen I started my culinary training in...
Karnak Temple
Karnak Temple is a vast temple city, with many of its structures dating back over 3,000 years. It is today the largest remaining religious site of the ancient world and it is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Being...
The Great Pyramids of Egypt
It is generally accepted that a visit to Egypt to see the magnificent Pyramids is on almost everyone’s bucket list. I remember when I first travelled to Giza which is a small town on the outskirts of Cairo, many people think that the Pyramids are in the middle of...
The Princess Donia maiden voyage
The maiden voyage of Princess Donia was in February 2018. On board, the spacious upper deck provides different areas to relax, whether it is to sunbathe on the sun beds or sit in the shade and watch the Nile scenes (which have not really changed in hundreds of years)...
Laying the keel – Lee Allan
With the help of thirty men it took me exactly one year to design, build and fit out the 36 metre sailing boat. I spoke no Arabic and had no boat building experience but my technical drawing lessons given by my schoolteacher Mr Hogg when I was aged just 14 proved very...