Dahabiya collection
Three 5-star dahabiyas sail the Nile from Luxor toward Aswan, full board, with a private guide and an air-conditioned vehicle for every visit, over either a 4-night or a 7-night rhythm.
From $1,720 per person
This cruise is part of the collection the SEV team offers for a dahabiya Nile cruise: it sails the river from Luxor toward Aswan, departing every Monday, on three 5-star dahabiyas, full board. The idea stays the same throughout: a flat-bottomed sailboat, smaller than a large cruise ship, moving at its own pace and generally tying up along quiet banks rather than the large docks.
Three boats sail this route: the Iris dahabiya, with four cabin categories from Double Deluxe to Royal with veranda; the Akhenaton dahabiya, the most accessible in the collection; and the Per-ba dahabiya, with its Double Deluxe and Junior veranda cabins. All three share the same formula: full board, a private guide and a private air-conditioned vehicle for every visit and transfer.
To compare this style of cruise with a large classic river ship, the SEV team has laid out the differences in its dahabiya versus Nile cruise ship guide. Its full lineup of Egypt cruises also sits among its wider Nile cruise packages.
Travelers from the United States typically fly out of JFK, Newark, Washington-Dulles, Chicago or Los Angeles, connecting through a European or Gulf hub to Cairo, then taking a short domestic flight on to Luxor to join the dahabiya ahead of Monday's departure. The SEV team in Cairo helps sequence these connections around your chosen date, and points American clients toward travel.state.gov for any updated travel guidance before booking.
Given the length of the journey from the United States, many travelers combine this cruise with a few extra days in Cairo or along the coast, rather than flying in and out on the same short trip.
On the Luxor to Aswan route, all three dahabiyas offer two lengths: 4 nights or 7 nights, always departing on a Monday. Both versions include the same eight sites: Philae, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, along with entrance fees, a private guide and the air-conditioned vehicle.
The 7-night version leaves more time on the river between stops; the SEV team confirms the exact day-by-day flow with each quote. For the reverse route, from Aswan to Luxor in 3 nights departing every Friday, the SEV team has published a page dedicated to the dahabiya Aswan to Luxor cruise in 3 nights.
The choice between 4 and 7 nights mainly comes down to available time and the pace you want: 4 nights suits a tighter window between Luxor and Aswan, while 7 nights leaves more room to enjoy the boat itself without rushing the visits. Our team in Cairo helps choose the length and the cabin category based on the dates available.
The Luxor to Aswan route generally suits travelers who start their Egypt trip in Luxor before heading on to Aswan and, often, the south of the country or a connecting flight. It works equally well for a couple on a honeymoon and for travelers who have visited Egypt before and want, this time, a slower pace on the river, covering the same eight sites as the reverse route but in a different order.
Choosing between the three boats mainly comes down to the cabin category you want: four categories on the Iris, two on the Akhenaton and two on the Per-ba, all full board with a private guide.
Between 4 and 7 nights, travelers with more time in Egypt often lean toward the longer version, which leaves more room between stops and aboard the boat itself; those with a shorter trip generally choose the 4-night version, which covers the same eight sites at a tighter pace.
Our team in Cairo helps choose the length and the boat based on the dates available and the rest of your Egypt trip. First-time visitors to Egypt often ask whether four nights leaves enough time to see the sites properly; in practice, both lengths include the same guided visits at the same unhurried pace, and the extra nights on the seven-night version go toward time on the river itself rather than additional stops.
A dahabiya is not a recent invention. In the nineteenth century, European travelers were already sailing the Nile upriver on flat-bottomed boats able to handle both strong current and shallow water. The English writer Amelia Edwards recounted one such voyage in A Thousand Miles up the Nile, published in 1877, an account that introduced the Nile Valley and its temples to a wide European readership.
Sailing today in a dahabiya, with the comfort of a 5-star boat, carries that style of travel forward.
A dahabiya generally differs from a large cruise ship in its smaller size, its sail propulsion and its ability to moor away from the big landings. These are general traits of the format, rather than precise measurements for any one of the three boats individually.
The word dahabiya comes from Arabic and, before the age of motor-powered navigation, already described the sailing vessels reserved for notables making their way up the Nile. The fleet of large cruise ships that dominates the Luxor to Aswan route today developed much later, from the twentieth century onward, with vessels built for far larger passenger numbers.
The three dahabiyas in this collection have kept the smaller scale and the reliance on the wind that belong to that older tradition, paired with the comfort of a 5-star operation.
In the Nile Valley, October through April is generally the mildest and driest stretch of the year, with pleasant daytime temperatures for visiting temples. Summer, by contrast, runs very hot across the whole valley. The SEV team recommends favoring fall, winter or early spring for this cruise, without ruling out other periods depending on the three boats' availability.
Many American travelers time this sailing around a winter break or a spring break, when school calendars line up with the cooler, more comfortable months on the river, and booking a cabin category early tends to matter most for those same weeks.
A late-year departure from Luxor also lends itself to a Christmas cruise; the SEV team has gathered its guidance in its Nile Christmas cruise guide. For a honeymoon, this intimate format suits a couple's time on the river well, as covered in the Egypt honeymoon guide. Whichever season you sail in, the SEV team confirms current conditions along with your quote, rather than leaving you to guess from a general calendar alone.
The rates below are per person, full board, for the Luxor to Aswan route, depending on the boat, the cabin category and the trip length chosen.
Large figures: 2026-2027 season departures. “Festive”: Christmas, New Year and Easter departures.
From $2,100 per person
Per person, full board, visits, entry tickets and private guide included
From $1,720 per person
Per person, full board, visits, entry tickets and private guide included
From $2,280 per person
Per person, full board, visits, entry tickets and private guide included
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.
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.
On the Luxor to Aswan route, sailing begins near Luxor before heading down toward Aswan. The exact order of visits is confirmed at booking, depending on mooring times; the order below follows the route's general geography, in the reverse direction from the Aswan to Luxor route.
To place these sites between the two cities that bookend the cruise, the SEV team also offers its dedicated pages on Luxor and Aswan, along with a detailed Luxor Aswan itinerary guide and a guide on departing from Aswan.
Both versions sail from Luxor toward Aswan, departing every Monday, and visit the same eight sites. The 7-night version leaves more time on the river between stops than the 4-night version.
Three 5-star dahabiyas: the Iris, the Akhenaton and the Per-ba, all full board, with a private guide and a private air-conditioned vehicle.
Philae, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, with all entrance fees included.
Every Monday, for either trip length, 4 nights or 7 nights.
Yes: a Christmas departure on Monday, December 21, 2026, a New Year departure on Monday, December 28, 2026, and an Easter departure on Monday, March 29, 2027, at the holiday rate.
The choice mainly comes down to the cabin category you want: the Iris offers four categories, from Double Deluxe to Royal with veranda; the Akhenaton and the Per-ba each offer two. The SEV team helps compare the options based on the dates available.
The SEV team prepares a detailed quote by WhatsApp or through the contact form, based on the boat, cabin category, trip length and date you choose.
