The Weblog of Spring Tours Egypt

The S/S Karim, Egypt’s only steam-operated Nile cruise boat, will be offered for weekly charters and special events as of November 2010 for a limited number of embarkations.

This historic vessel was originally used by King Fuad I of Egypt and later by his son King Farouk. After the Egyptian revolution, the S/S Karim was used by the state and hosted President Gamal Abd El Nasser and later on President Anwar Al Sadat and his wife Gihan. Still powered by its original 1917 steam engine and stern quarter wheel paddles, the S/S Karim today combines the comfort of the modern era with the grandeur of the bygone past.

The boat has 15 guest cabins and can take up to 30 guests . She is decorated in a period style with many subtle reminders of her distinguished past. The restaurant serves a splendid selection of both – international and Egyptian cuisine with buffet and waiter service. With 32 covers, this elegant room provides an intimate setting for dinner parties on board. The lounge bar offers a full international bar service, a library with a collection of books dating back to 1849, as well as a dance floor and music system.
Outside, the lower sun terrace provides a shaded area with elegant tables and chairs as well as deck bar service. The upper deck has sun loungers, a Jacuzzi pool and is home for the ship’s steam funnel with original ship’s steam whistle. The reception area has colorful stained glass windows through to the restaurant .

The S/S Karim offers an unmatched opportunity to sail the Nile on a truly authentic historical vessel. The boat is available for charter on limited embarkations as of November 2010 . The start date in Luxor is Mondays for a return trip to Aswan .
For available weeks and a detailed itinerary (which can be slightly adjusted to meet special requirements), please contact Spring Tours Egypt at info@springtours.com .You can also see the following URL http://springtours.com/boats/Karim.html.

Spring Tours Egypt
Cairo Head Office
Address :3, El Sayed El Bakry St. ET-11211 Zamalek, Cairo.
Tel: +202 2736 59 72
Fax. +202 2736 59 67
E-mail: info@springtours.com

The SS Karim Royal paddle steamer

Spring Tours would like to extend sincere thanks and appreciation to Glasgow City Council for their prompt efforts to keep the S/S Karim, the last surviving quarter-wheeler built in Scotland in 1917, running on her original steam engines.

A few months ago, Spring Tours called on the Glasgow City Council for advice about procurement of rare parts for the royal paddle steamer’s one-of-a-kind engine. The city council relayed the request via the media to companies and enthusiasts.

Mr. Ian Mcmillan of Glascgow’s Waverly Excurions Ltd. visited Egypt in June 2009 to inspect the boat’s engine. With the invaluable aid of Mr. McMillan’s report, the Egyptian engineers were able to restore the original engine back to excellent working order.

The SS Karim will be embarking on its inaugural post-restoration Nile cruise today, October 12th 2009.

Meet us at the following roadshows, fairs and events:

• JATA World, Tokyo: September 18th to 20th
• TT International, Warsaw: September 24th to 26th
• Motivation Show, Chicago: September 29th to October 1^st
• ITB Asia will take place from October 21 to 23, 2009 in Singapore in Cooperation with Uniglobal
• Road Show, Chicago: October 1st
• Road Show, Boston: October 5th
• Road Show, New York City: October 6^thWTM, London: November 9th to 12^th

Please be so kind and contact us prior to the event to fix an appointment

Spring Tours has now launched a new web site www.springtours.com. The most important new features of this web site include:

• More detailed information about Spring Tours and its sister companies.
• The latest photos of Spring Tours Nile Cruises with detailed information about the boats.
• The Dahabiyyas Judi & Amoura.
• In-depth information about the most important cities and sites in Egypt with interactive Google Earth maps.
• Google-powered search engine.