Nile Odyssey (Kayaking Lake Nasser)

Nile Odyssey - Behind the Scenes

When the world came to a pause during COVID-19, I was quarantining like most people, until my friend Omar El Galla told me about his plan to kayak the full length of the Nile with his friend Omar Hossam, founder of D-31 adventure trips. They were later joined by another kayaker, Nadim El Messiry, who eventually became my kayaking partner for the Lake Nasser section of the journey.

Kayaking Lake Nasser came with its own set of challenges: securing permits to access restricted zones, dealing with the presence of Nile crocodiles, enduring the intense August heat, and navigating the complex, branched waterways of the lake. To help us, we hired a retired Nubian sailor, Am Ali, whose experience proved invaluable, though not without its share of misadventures.

Filming this expedition was never the main objective; I was primarily a participant in the journey. My camera was tucked under my legs in multiple layers of dry bags, making it difficult to access during the paddle and adding extra weight for Nadim, who shared the kayak with me. Despite the limited access to gear, I eventually gathered footage from my camera, phone, and additional material from Omar El Galla’s phone, combining it with graphics and visuals to tell the story of what became the first team to kayak the full length of Lake Nasser, or simply four friends chasing adventure under the brutal heat of August.