If you have never tried kayaking, you still can join the first kayaking club in Cairo at the Mohamed Ali Club. “We accept beginners as well as people with a background in kayaking. Beginners will be given a briefing session and escorted by one of our trainers in their kayaks. All they have to do is book by messaging us on our Facebook page,” Nouran Ashri, co-founder of the Nile Kayak Club, said. Kayaking in Egypt “We aim to increase awareness of the Nile's eco-system and promote outdoor adventure tourism by launching kayaking on domestic and cross-country routes as a new product for all,” she added. The Nile Kayak Club is the first commercial kayaking club in Egypt. It started early last year when its founders went on an expedition to discover a kayaking route from Aswan to Luxor. Nouran, one of the adventurers, had earlier climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, crossed the Alps by bike and kayaked from Egypt to Jordan. Ahmed Nayer, her partner in the club, had earlier crossed more than 16 countries by bike and had been a cross-continental swimmer in Istanbul last year. These and others are your trainers if you decide to go on a Nile Kayak Club trip. “The club offers different packages that include sightseeing, island-hopping, coffee stops and more during the ride, depending on the group's physical fitness and the wind forecast, but it always offers the best options,” Nouran said. Those who have not been kayaking before may be wondering about the best clothing to wear. The surprise is that sitting in a kayak should keep you dry, though you will get wet from water splashing up while paddling. Lycra sportswear is recommended, including t-shirts, shorts or trousers, padded gloves and snorkelling shoes, if available. For sun and dehydration protection, you will need sunglasses, a hat, sun screen and a water bottle. For long rides, energy bars or dates are recommended. You will also need an extra dry outfit and a towel, as you may get wet. Don't take belongings such as car keys, your wallet, mobile phone, etc. with you in the kayak. In terms of swimming proficiency, you should be able to maintain your buoyancy and swim for at least 10 m. Children below 14 years old will require direct monitoring through the ride. They can only join a private one-to-one ride, not the group rides, for their safety. The club runs single kayaks with a 110 kg weight limit. There is also good news for those with pet friends. The club allows you to take pets with you in the kayak, and they will be given life jackets too. It charges LE150 for a one-hour introductory ride around Manial Island, or LE220 for 45 to 60 minutes of kayaking against the current towards Maadi, a true assessment of your upper body fitness, followed by a stop at a restaurant and then a return back on a current-assisted 15 to 20 minute ride. The service includes tips for beginners, escorting by one of the club's trainers, and an on-call rescue boat. There are more packages and programmes you can ask about before booking. The club's operating hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. “We were invited by Nouran Ashri, one of the Nile Kayak Club's founders, to enjoy kayaking for a day and experience this extraordinary activity,” is how Aya Safwat, 28 years old and co-founder of the Cairo Runners, a running group, described her first experience with the Nile Kayak Club. “I didn't think there was kayaking in Egypt. I thought there was only rowing, but I was happy to discover that there was kayaking as well. It made me love kayaking, which I have even done outside Egypt. It's really challenging and not too hard at all. They gave us a 15-minute demonstration, and I found that this was all you needed,” Safwat said. Lobna Al-Samman, a 27-year-old HR specialist, said that she had read about kayaking in magazines and heard about it from friends. “I've tried it before in the Philippines, and it was an amazing experience. It's very safe since you wear a life jacket and you have very professional guides. What I loved the most was that you can rest anytime and enjoy the beautiful scenery. You can also use the Mohamed Ali Club facilities. There is a LE220 parking fee at the entrance.” For those wishing to try kayaking on the Nile, the Nile Kayak Club has two branches in Cairo, one at the Mohamed Ali Club in Manial and the other in Maadi. It is planning to open a further branch in Zamalek very soon.
