Kemetale Revives the Art of Slow Travel on the Nile

Design Milk's Adrian Madlener explores how Kemetale brings back the dahabeah, the graceful two-masted sailboat that carried travelers along the Nile before steamships took over. With just eight suites and interiors by Cairo-based studio Eklego, the boat trades rigid cruise schedules for unhurried days between Luxor and Aswan, with time for candlelit dinners, village visits, and birdwatching along the way. The feature highlights the boat's locally made furniture, carved wooden screens salvaged for the lounge, and family-style meals served on handmade ceramics from across Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe.