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Nebyt Dahabiya on the Nile: 5 Night Sailboat Cruise
The Dahabiya Nebyt: just 6 cabins and no more than 12 guests, sailing entirely in the traditional way. This dahabiya nile cruise runs Esna→Aswan as a Nile cruise 5 nights long aboard an intimate sailing boat, with exclusive calls at El-Kab, Gebel Silsila and Banana Island. A Real Egypt trip, well away from the big-ship crowds.
Early booking secures your dates · English-speaking Egyptologist guide included · Spread the cost over 3 instalments, no fees
Why Choose Dahabiya Nebyt: What Seasoned Nile Travellers Know
While the big cruise ships file down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, 150 cabins and canteen buffets apiece, a few traditional Nile sailboat owners keep alive the traditional egypt veil the industry left behind: the dahabiyas. Twin-masted, hushed and graceful, these boats echo how Victorian aristocrats first explored Egypt in the 19th century. This is the genuine Egypt charm cruise, well clear of the tourist convoys.
Among them, the nebyt dahabiya is one of the least known. Six cabins, twelve guests at most, and as many crew as passengers. Sailing esna aswan dahabiya style means canvas alone whenever the wind cooperates: no engine, no din, just water slapping the hull and rope creaking. If you want nil intimate navigation, this is what it looks like
Semelegantvoyage has secured favourable pricing on the Nebyt: our entry rate is £1,380 per person for 5 nights with all meals, roughly 30% cheaper than the Nour el Nil “flagship” dahabeyas for what is, in quality terms, the same experience. Guests wanting more can take the Prestige package at £2,070, which adds a panoramic suite and a private day at El-Kab.
Standard Cabin
- Standard cabin lower deck, porthole
- 5 nights full board Esna→Aswan
- Edfu + Kom Ombo temple excursions
- English-speaking Egyptologist guide
- Chef on board, Egyptian cuisine
- Luxor/Aswan Transfers
Superior Cabin
- Main deck upper cabin, large window
- All Essential Content
- El-Kab (provincial tombs) + Gebel Silsila
- Half day Banana Island to Aswan (felucca)
- Egyptian wine tasting at sunset
- Price most chosen by our customers
Panoramic Suite
- Panoramic suite with 180° Nile view
- All content Signature
- Privatization day El-Kab (tombs + desert)
- Private chef dinner on the star deck
- Traditional Egyptian massage on board
- Welcome bottle of champagne
💡 Reserve well ahead, popular dates go quickly · Pay in 3 instalments at no extra cost from £1,150
Technical Sheet: The Dahabiya Nebyt in Detail
| Type | Classic Dahabiya with two lateen masts, wind-driven plus auxiliary engine |
| Length | 52 meters |
| Width | 8 meters |
| Cabins | 6 cabins (4 standard of 14m², 2 superior of 18m²), classic dahabiya 6 cabins layout |
| Capacity | 12 passengers maximum (no additional groups) |
| Crew | A crew of 12: captain, chef, butler, engineer, 4 deckhands, 2 housekeepers, guide and hostess |
| Bridges | Main deck (restaurant, lounge-library) + upper deck (solarium, jacuzzi, bar) |
| Kitchen | Egyptian chef, local dishes reimagined, produce bought daily at market (Esna, Edfou, Kom Ombo) |
| Electricity | 220 V, continental sockets (UK adapter needed); WiFi at town moorings only |
| Itinerary | 5 nights / 6 days: Esna, then Edfu, Gebel Silsila, Kom Ombo and Daraw, ending at Aswan |
Your 5 Nights from Esna to Aswan, Day by Day
Day 1: Boarding at Esna and Through the Lock
We meet you at Luxor airport and drive you privately to Esna, about 60 min away. You board the Nebyt at roughly 3pm and take a welcome drink on the upper deck. Then comes the Esna lock, a signature moment that lifts the boat 8 metres. Dinner at sunset, the crew introduce themselves, and you spend the night moored on the river.
Day 2 - El-Kab: Provincial Pharaonic Tombs
Four hours' sailing through the morning brings you to El-Kab, a stop few boats make: ancient Nekheb, home of the vulture goddess Nekhbet. The New Kingdom rock tombs of Ahmes son of Abana and of Pahery are opened for your party alone, nobody else about. Lunch aboard, an afternoon's sail to Edfu, dinner on board.
Day 3: Edfu's Temple, then the Gebel Silsila Quarries
A horse-drawn carriage takes you from the quay to the edfu temple of Horus in the morning: no Ptolemaic temple in Egypt is better preserved, and its pylons stand 36 m high. Sailing resumes after lunch, with a call at the gebel silsila careers, the vast sandstone workings that fed Karnak, Luxor and the Ramesseum, where Ramesses II, Mineptah and Akhenaten left carved steles in the rock face. Night on board.
Day 4: Kom Ombo, then the Nubian Market at Daraw
The morning is for the kom ombo temple, the one temple in Egypt built as a double sanctuary, Sobek the crocodile on one side and Haroeris the falcon on the other, plus the Crocodile Museum and its mummies. Then on to the Daraw camel market (Mondays and Thursdays), Africa's biggest, fed by Sudanese caravans. Lunch and dinner aboard, then Nubian musicians on deck after dark.
Day 5: Under Sail to Aswan, via Banana Island
You spend the whole day under sail, covering roughly 50 km to Aswan past date-palm groves, Nubian villages on the shore and migrating birds. A felucca takes you from the boat to banana island aswan (Banana Island), a lush tropical garden thick with banana, mango and guava trees. Aswan comes into view late in the afternoon, and the captain hosts his farewell dinner.
Day 6 - Disembarkation in Aswan
After breakfast you leave the boat at 9am. We can take you to your hotel in Aswan, straight to the airport, or onward to Abu Simbel (priced on request). Your Nebyt dahabiya cruise ends here.
Nebyt or Nour el Nil: The Part the Bloggers Leave Out
In the dahabiya world, Nour el Nil (Meroe / Adelaide / Aswan) is the name the press knows, championed by magazines such as Le Figaro, Condé Nast Traveller and Voyage. They charge £2,000 to £2,620 per person for a trip much like the Nebyt's.
The Nebyt, a true dahabiya boutique vessel run by Djed Egypt Travel (an English-speaking operator with 22 years behind it), delivers the very same authentic-luxury proposition, and adds:
- ✅ 6 cabins where Nour el Nil has 10: more intimate still
- ✅ Identical itinerary, 5 nights Esna to Aswan, identical pharaonic calls
- ✅ Chef on board equivalent Egyptian cuisine
- ✅ English-speaking guide Egyptologist like Nour
- 💡 A markedly lower final price, the result of our direct partnership
Why does it matter? What you keep back (between £620 and £1,080/person) is enough to pay for your return flight from London + 3 nights at the Sofitel Old Cataract in Aswan, or an Abu Simbel add-on.
Nebyt Against the Big Cruise Ships: A Frank Comparison
Large MS Boat (TUI/FRAM)
- 150 cabins, 300 passengers
- Motorized, noisy
- Industrial sideboards
- Grouped stopovers, crowds
- Price: £690 - £1,390
- Profile: first trip, low budget
🏆 Dahabiya Nebyt (SEV)
- 6 cabins, 12 passengers
- 100% veil when possible
- Chef + market cuisine
- Exclusive stopovers (El-Kab, Gebel Silsila)
- Price: £1,380 - £2,070
- Profile: slow travel, authenticity
Dahabeya Oberoi Zahra
- 27 cabins (too big for the label)
- Dominant motorization
- International cuisine
- Lux-mass tourist clientele
- Price: £2,920 - £4,310
- Profile: 5★ floating hotel
What's Included in Your Nebyt Dahabiya Cruise
✅ Included in the Package
- 5 nights on board the dahabiya Nebyt herself
- Full board - breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas
- Welcome + English-speaking airport assistance
- Private transfers Luxor↔Esna and Aswan airport
- Guided visits to Edfu, Kom Ombo, El-Kab and Gebel Silsila
- Entrance to monuments and archaeological sites
- English-speaking Egyptologist guide during excursions
- Daraw Nubian Market (market day)
- Felucca Banana Island (Aswan)
- Unlimited mineral water, coffee, tea on board
- Nubian musical entertainment (evening day 4)
- Guide and crew gratuities
- Port taxes and Esna lock
- Domestic flights in Egypt organized by SEV (Cairo-Aswan on the outward journey, Aswan-Cairo at the end of your stay) according to your program
- 24/7 WhatsApp support during your stay
❌ Not Included
- Your flight to Egypt (to be booked according to your departure city)
- Egyptian Visa (US$25 on arrival)
- Alcohol aboard, including Egyptian wines and Stella beer
- Travel-cancellation insurance (recommended 3-5% of the price)
- Abu Simbel D+1 option from Aswan (+£170/pers)
- Cairo extension 3 nights (+£450/pers, on quote)
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
- Full privatization of Dahabiya (on group quote)
SEV Customer Testimonials - Nebyt Cruise
“Nour el Nil or Nebyt? We could not decide. What won us over was the SEV team's unusual candour: identical route, identical standard, −£920/couple. After 5 nights we can confirm he was right. 6 cabins, a superb chef, total quiet once the sail goes up. The saving paid for extra time in Aswan. »
“The honeymoon we dreamt of. Panoramic suite, champagne on arrival, a private dinner from the chef under a sky full of stars: the Nebyt knows hospitality. At El-Kab our Egyptologist opened the Ahmes and Pahery tombs for the two of us alone, not a tourist in sight, unimaginable in Luxor. Slow travel at its finest. »
“My third dahabiya in 8 years, after two trips with Nour el Nil. Nebyt is lower-profile and, in all honesty, every bit as good, and the value is impossible to beat. Gebel Silsila floored me: to stand alone at the foot of deserted pharaonic quarries is something only a dahabiya can give you. I would recommend SEV without a second thought. »
FAQ: Your Questions About Sailing on the Nebyt Dahabiya Answered
What exactly is a dahabiya?
Dahabiya, or dahabeya, is the name for Egypt's traditional two-masted Nile sailing boat, in use on the river since the 19th century. Today's dahabeyas carry between 6 and 12 cabins, against 120 to 150 on a motor cruiser. With 6 cabins and no more than 12 guests, the Nebyt sits firmly in the boutique class.
Why choose Esna-Aswan rather than Luxor-Aswan?
Passing the Esna lock is a technical manoeuvre the big MS fleet can no longer manage, so those ships avoid it. Because the Nebyt embarks at Esna, she sails a far quieter stretch of river and can call where others cannot: El-Kab and Gebel Silsila. The whole feel is far more intimate.
When is the best season for Nebyt?
The best months run from October to April, with 22-28°C and clear skies. May to September brings 35-42°C heat, offset by lower prices. December to February is busiest (the Christmas break and half-term), so reserve 4 to 6 months ahead.
Are children accepted on board?
Yes, we welcome children from age 6. With only 12 guests aboard, the Nebyt feels both family-friendly and intimate. Reduced rates apply for 6-12 year olds and again for 12-18s. An additional bed in the parents' cabin can be arranged on request.
Is there WiFi on board?
WiFi is limited to the town moorings at Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan. Under sail there is none, by design, so you can properly switch off. Anyone who must remain contactable can rely on mobile roaming, as 3G/4G coverage along the Nile is decent.
What is the difference between Nebyt and Nour el Nil Meroe?
Nebyt: 6 cabins, 12 guests, 52 m, priced £1,380-£2,070. Nour el Nil's Meroe: 10 cabins, 20 guests, 60 m, priced £2,000-£2,620. Service is of equal quality; the Nebyt is lower-profile and, thanks to SEV's direct partnership, considerably easier on the wallet.
Can Nebyt be privatized for a group?
Yes. Charter the whole boat from £12,310 for 5 nights and up to 12 guests. Perfect for milestone birthdays, weddings and company retreats. On request we add an on-board celebration, bespoke menu, photographer or traditional musician. Message us on WhatsApp.
Is the Nebyt suitable for people with reduced mobility?
Only in part. Boarding, moving between decks and reaching the top deck all involve steps; the cabins are reachable but narrow. The sites ashore (Edfou, Kom Ombo) have uneven ground. We advise against it for severe mobility limits, though we will consider individual cases: get in touch.
What should you wear on board?
Aboard, dress is relaxed: swimwear for the upper-deck jacuzzi, a wrap for evenings (nights turn chilly from December to February). Ashore, shoulders and knees covered at temples and the Nubian market. Captain's dinners (D1, D5) call for smart casual: trousers and shirt, or a simple dress.
How does the reservation and payment work?
Message us on WhatsApp (+20 10 96569859) and a quote tailored to you arrives within 24 hours. Any booking of £1,150 or more can be paid in 3 instalments at no extra cost, by Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer or PayPal. Cancellation terms are flexible.
Book Your Nebyt Dahabiya Cruise
With just 6 cabins, and SEV holding only a share of each year's departures, dates go fast: reserve 4 to 6 months ahead. Your tailored quote comes within 24 hours and commits you to nothing.
📱 WhatsApp - Quote in 24 hours 📧 Detailed formContinue Your Trip to Egypt with SEV
More from Semelegantvoyage: other dahabeya sailings, combined cruises and Egypt tours:
- The Nile in Dahabeya (6 days / 5 nights)
- Dahabiyas Nuun and Nuut - Prestige Collection
- 12 Days Tour Cairo → Marsa Alam
- Cairo + Nile Cruise + Hurghada 12 days
- Little Golden Program - Essential Egypt
- Nile cruise 7 days classic MS
- Luxor - Karnak, Valley of the Kings
- Aswan - Philae, Abu Simbel
- Cairo - Pyramids, GEM
- Discovery Tour 11 days (Cairo + Nile)
Semelegantvoyage, an English-speaking agency working out of Cairo since 2020, partners directly with the Dahabiya Nebyt's owner (Djed Egypt Travel, 22 years in the business). WhatsApp support around the clock while you travel.
