Nile Dahabiya CruiseThree 5-star sailboats between Aswan and Luxor
Three 5-star dahabiyas, all-inclusive, sail between Aswan and Luxor under canvas, away from the large river cruisers. The SEV team in Cairo builds your dahabiya nile cruise around the Iris, the Akhenaton or the Per-ba, based on the cabin, the season and the number of nights you want.
Luxor → Aswan in 4 or 7 nights, departing every Monday
Full board on board, five-star standard
8 sites with entrance tickets included: Philae, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
Private guide and private air-conditioned vehicle
Prices in US dollars per person, 2026-2027 season and holiday departures
Sailing the Nile the Slow Way
A dahabiya is a traditional Nile sailboat, rigged with two large lateen sails, drawing very little water and carrying a deliberately small number of cabins. Unlike a large river cruise ship, which can carry several hundred passengers and often sails through the night on a fixed schedule, a dahabiya moves at the pace of the wind and generally moors along quiet banks, away from the busy town quays.
The SEV team has selected three 5-star dahabiyas, the Iris, the Akhenaton and the Per-ba, which sail between Aswan and Luxor on an all-inclusive basis, with a private guide and a private air-conditioned vehicle for every visit and every transfer.
You will also see the word spelled dahabeya or dahabieh: these are simply three transliterations of the same Arabic word for this flat-bottomed sailboat built for the Nile. Whether you search for a dahabiya nile cruise or a dahabeya cruise, it is the same slow, intimate journey, built around the river rather than a printed schedule.
This way of traveling dates back to the nineteenth century, when European travelers sailed up the Nile for weeks at a time, with their own crew and their own pace. The British writer Amelia Edwards described the experience in A Thousand Miles up the Nile, published in 1877, after a season spent aboard a dahabiya chartered in Cairo.
The book remains a reference for anyone curious about this slower way of exploring the Nile Valley, and our current dahabiyas keep that spirit of the sailboat while adding the comfort a demanding traveler expects.
Sailing by dahabiya, generally, means fewer guests aboard, meals served at a more unhurried pace, and stops chosen for their quiet rather than their capacity for crowds. It is a format that suits couples, travelers who have already seen Egypt on a group tour and want a slower experience the second time, or anyone who would rather begin a honeymoon with a sail up the Nile than with an airport terminal. Our Egypt honeymoon page covers other ways to plan that trip.
Visits to Philae, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon
All site entrance fees
Private guide
Private air-conditioned vehicle for every visit and every transfer
Dahabiya or a Standard Nile Cruise Ship
A standard Nile cruise ship follows a fixed schedule, often sailing overnight, with several hundred passengers and stops shared with other ships. A dahabiya, generally, carries a far smaller number of travelers, sails mostly by day and moors away from the large public docks. The choice mostly comes down to the pace you want, since both formats exist in a 5-star version.
This format speaks to travelers who already know what matters to them: fewer group stops, more time on deck, and a rhythm that leaves room for reading, conversation, or simply watching the riverbank drift by. Honeymooning couples find an intimate setting here, away from large groups; travelers who have already toured Egypt once find the same sites seen from a different angle, with far less pressure between each visit.
It also suits an extended family or a group of friends who would rather charter the feel of a private sailboat than share a large ship with strangers.
Three Dahabiyas, One Tight Selection
The SEV team has chosen three 5-star dahabiyas for this collection, each one all-inclusive and built around the same core of temple visits. They differ mainly in their cabin categories and their rates. All three sail the Aswan to Luxor route in 3 nights, departing every Friday, as well as the Luxor to Aswan route in 4 or 7 nights, departing every Monday.
Iris
Four cabin categories, from the Double Deluxe to the Royal with veranda.
Our three dahabiyas sail two routes. The dahabiya Aswan to Luxor in 3 nights departs every Friday and suits a shorter escape, added on to a stay in Cairo or Aswan, or a honeymoon that does not stretch past a week. The dahabiya Luxor to Aswan in 4 or 7 nights departs every Monday and suits a more immersive trip, with more time on the water between each stop.
Cabin choice mostly comes down to the deck and whether a private veranda is included. On the Iris, the Double Deluxe cabin is the simplest option, the Junior cabins sit on the main deck or on the upper deck with a veranda, and the Royal cabin, on the upper deck with a veranda, is the top category.
On the Akhenaton and the Per-ba, the choice is between the Double Deluxe and one veranda category. A private veranda lets you take in the Nile from the cabin itself, without going back down to the shared deck. If you are torn between two categories or two dahabiyas, the SEV team in Cairo will advise you based on your budget and your dates.
When to Sail the Nile
The period from October through April is generally the most pleasant time to sail the Nile, with milder daytime temperatures and cool evenings on deck. Summer, from June through August, is very hot across the Nile Valley, which makes sailing less comfortable for most travelers, even though the dahabiyas sail year round.
The end-of-year holiday and Easter departures are especially in demand, so it is worth booking several months ahead, whether you are planning around Thanksgiving week, winter break or spring break. Our Christmas Nile cruise guide covers the holiday-season departures in more detail. Whatever season you choose, visits are scheduled early in the morning or late in the day, when the light on the temples and on the river is at its softest.
Travelers flying from the United States usually connect through a European or Gulf hub from JFK, Newark, Washington-Dulles, Chicago or Los Angeles to Cairo, then take a short domestic flight on to Aswan or Luxor to join the boat. For current travel advisories on Egypt, consult travel.state.gov before you book your international flights.
Rates by Dahabiya
The rates below show the price per person, in the Double Deluxe cabin, for each dahabiya and each length of stay. The festive departures table applies to Christmas, New Year and Easter departures; the season rates table applies to every other departure, within the windows shown under each table. Full cabin and pricing detail for each dahabiya appears on its own page.
Large figures: 2026-2027 season departures. “Festive”: Christmas, New Year and Easter departures.
Double Deluxe cabin3 nightsAswan to Luxor$1,820Festive $2,7804 nightsLuxor to Aswan$2,100Festive $3,2907 nightsLuxor to Aswan$2,950Festive $4,800
Junior, main deck3 nightsAswan to Luxor$2,170Festive $3,1804 nightsLuxor to Aswan$2,670Festive $3,8107 nightsLuxor to Aswan$3,750Festive $5,700
Junior, upper deck with veranda3 nightsAswan to Luxor$2,530Festive $3,5504 nightsLuxor to Aswan$2,950Festive $4,3007 nightsLuxor to Aswan$4,210Festive $6,570
Royal, upper deck with veranda3 nightsAswan to Luxor$2,950Festive $4,3004 nightsLuxor to Aswan$3,510Festive $5,3107 nightsLuxor to Aswan$5,200Festive $8,340
Per person, full board, visits, entry tickets and private guide included
Double Deluxe Cabin3 nightsAswan to Luxor$2,020Festive $2,6904 nightsLuxor to Aswan$2,280Festive $3,1807 nightsLuxor to Aswan$3,030Festive $4,600
Junior Veranda Cabin3 nightsAswan to Luxor$2,410Festive $3,4204 nightsLuxor to Aswan$2,800Festive $4,1407 nightsLuxor to Aswan$3,970Festive $6,290
Per person, full board, visits, entry tickets and private guide included
Departure dates
Season Rates
Price per person, in US dollars. Aswan to Luxor departures from 1 October to 21 December 2026, 1 to 31 January 2027, 1 February to 30 April 2027 and 1 to 31 May 2027; Luxor to Aswan departures on the same windows, every Monday.
Festive Departures
Price per person, in US dollars. Christmas departure Monday 21 December 2026, New Year departure Monday 28 December 2026, and Easter departures Friday 26 March 2027 for the Aswan to Luxor route or Monday 29 March 2027 for the Luxor to Aswan route.
Prices converted from euros at the European Central Bank reference rate of 2 October 2026; your quote confirms the final amount.
The Itinerary: Eight Sites Between Aswan and Luxor
The eight sites below are included on both routes, in reverse order depending on the direction of travel. The exact order of visits is confirmed at the time of booking, based on the schedule of each departure.
Philae: the Temple of Isis, moved stone by stone to Agilkia Island to escape the rising waters behind the Aswan Dam. It remains one of the best preserved sanctuaries in Egypt.
Abu Simbel: the two temples carved into the cliff by Ramesses II, famous for their façade colossi and for their relocation in the 1960s, when UNESCO coordinated the rescue project ahead of the creation of Lake Nasser. The visit is usually made by road, on a day trip from Aswan.
Kom Ombo: a double temple, dedicated jointly to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, the falcon god, with two parallel sanctuaries and a symmetry unique to this stretch of the Nile.
Edfu: the Temple of Horus, one of the best preserved in the country thanks to centuries spent partly buried under sand, which protected its reliefs and inscriptions.
Karnak: the largest religious complex from ancient Egypt, dedicated to Amun, built and expanded over more than a thousand years by a succession of pharaohs.
The Valley of the Kings: the necropolis where the tombs of the New Kingdom pharaohs were carved, on the west bank of Luxor, across from the ancient city of Thebes.
The Temple of Hatshepsut: Queen Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir el-Bahari, built in terraces set against the Theban cliff.
The Colossi of Memnon: two monumental statues of Amenhotep III, remnants of his now-vanished funerary temple, which once guarded the entrance to the west bank.
Aboard, Through the Day
A few images of the Iris under sail, and of daily life aboard a dahabiya on the Nile.
The Iris dahabiya, sails up, facing the Theban cliffs.The Nile banks seen from the deck of the Iris dahabiyaThe Iris at dusk, her reflection on the Nile.A dahabiya moored along the Nile, shaded upper deck.Aerial view of a dahabiya under full sail on the Nile.
The Three Dahabiyas, Deck to Cabin
A few images from all three boats, so you can compare the mood of each before choosing. The Iris and the Akhenaton each carry a small pool on the sun deck, pictured below.
Sun loungers on the upper deck of the Iris dahabiyaPool on the upper deck of the Iris dahabiya.Blue mosaic pool on the deck of the Akhenaton dahabiya.Double Deluxe cabin aboard the Akhenaton dahabiya.Main lounge of the Per-ba dahabiya.Junior cabin aboard the Per-ba dahabiya.Bathroom with tub and Nile view aboard the Iris dahabiya.Sunset over the Nile from the deck of the Akhenaton dahabiya.
Choose your dahabiya and cabinCompare Iris, Akhenaton and Per-ba, then the cabin category that suits you.
Choose the direction and dateLeave Aswan on a Friday for 3 nights, or Luxor on a Monday for 4 or 7 nights.
Ask for your quote on WhatsAppMessage the SEV team and receive a detailed quote for your dates.
Confirmation and arrangementsThe team confirms availability and arranges your transfers and private visits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a dahabiya and a standard cruise ship?
A dahabiya is a smaller sailboat that sails mostly by day and generally moors along quiet banks. A standard cruise ship carries several hundred passengers and often sails overnight, on a fixed schedule shared with other ships. Our dahabiya versus cruise ship guide compares the two formats in more detail.
Which dahabiyas does the SEV team offer between Aswan and Luxor?
Three 5-star dahabiyas: the Iris, the Akhenaton and the Per-ba, all all-inclusive, with a private guide and a private air-conditioned vehicle for every visit.
Which sites are included in the cruise?
Philae, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, with all site entrance fees included.
When do the dahabiyas depart between Aswan and Luxor?
The Aswan to Luxor cruise, 3 nights, departs every Friday. The Luxor to Aswan cruise, 4 or 7 nights, departs every Monday.
What is the best time of year to sail the Nile?
The period from October through April is generally the most pleasant, with milder temperatures. Summer is very hot across the Nile Valley. The end-of-year holiday and Easter departures are especially in demand.
How do I choose between the three dahabiyas?
The choice mostly comes down to the cabin category you want and your budget. The Iris offers four categories up to the Royal with veranda, while the Akhenaton and the Per-ba each offer two categories. The SEV team in Cairo will advise you based on your dates and your budget.
How do I book a dahabiya cruise?
Contact the SEV team in Cairo on WhatsApp or through our contact page, with the dahabiya, the date and the cabin category you want. We confirm availability and the detailed program with your quote.
Plan Your Dahabiya Cruise
The SEV team in Cairo answers your questions on the three dahabiyas, the available cabins and the departure dates, and prepares a quote built around your trip.
