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Dahabiya boats on the Nile: routes, prices and booking

Last checked: October 2026

Two-masted sailing dahabiya moving along the Nile past palms, a pale desert ridge behind
Modern dahabeah on the Nile in Luxor (Egypt)

Boats side by side

Dahabiya boats compared

These are the Nile dahabiyas whose own site or listing calls them one, in the order people search for them. It’s a comparison, not a ranking.

Places to stay of this kind compared
Place to stay Price fromWhat's included Good forWebsite
Merit Dahabiyas Nile, Luxor–Aswan
US$1,634per adult sharing a double cabin, 3–4 nights between Luxor and Aswan (Luxor & Aswan Travel; higher September–April)
  • Full board with tea, coffee, water and soft drinks
  • Entry tickets to sites between Luxor and Aswan
  • Airport transfers included
  • Children of all ages welcome (ages 7–12 pay half)
  • For a relaxing, authentic journey
Own site
Sonesta Dahabeya Amirat Nile, between Luxor and Aswan
US$3,350per person, 7 nights Luxor–Aswan, sharing a double cabin (US$5,100 in a single cabin)
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
  • Transfers to and from the boat in Luxor or Aswan (agent packages)
  • Site entrance fees and an English-speaking guide
–
Own site
Princess Farida Luxury Dahabiya Nile, Luxor–Aswan
–
  • Full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
  • Tours and sightseeing as per itinerary
  • Transfers, plus mineral water, tea and coffee
  • Small boat: eight suites
  • Private charters available
Own site
Nour El Nil Nile, Esna to Aswan
€6,600per room, 5 nights Esna–Aswan (week of 26 Oct 2026, varies by boat)
  • Luxor hotel pick-up and Aswan hotel drop-off
  • Meals, soft drinks, entrance fees and an Egyptologist guide
  • Travellers who value authenticity over grandeur
  • Book a single room or charter the whole boat
Own site
Safiya Nile, between Luxor (Esna) and Aswan
€670per person sharing a double cabin, 3 nights Aswan–Luxor or 4 nights Luxor–Aswan (operator's shared-dahabiya rates)
  • All meals and drinks, guide, transfers and entry fees
  • Sun deck with Jacuzzi; kayaks
  • Small groups
  • Culture, history and relaxation
Own site
Dahabiya Dream Nile (Luxor–Aswan–Luxor)
£2,199per person cruise only, or from £2,699 with UK flight; 7 nights, two sharing (2026/27 departures)
  • Full board with water, soft drinks, tea and coffee
  • Entrance fees and Egyptologist guide included
  • Luxor airport transfer included
  • Small group, 12 guests max
  • Private charter available
Own site

Each place is here because a checked source backs it: its own site, its booking page or its map listing gives its kind, price or who it suits. Not ranked: most searched first. A dash means our sources don't say. Each value comes from the sources listed at the end of this page.

Every price in the table covers the whole sailing, per person or per room as its source gives it. None of them is a nightly rate, so compare like with like.

The boat itself

What is a dahabiya boat?

Standard Nile boat until the 1870s5

A dahabiya is a passenger boat used on the Nile, usually shallow-bottomed and barge-like, with two or more sails5. Until the 1870s5 it was the standard way for tourists to travel the river.

Modern dahabiyas still have no motor-driven propeller and are towed by diesel-powered tugboats5. Dahabiyat.com says its boats are replicas of the originals, built by hand in Esna1.

The full columned front of Esna temple seen from above the excavation pit
The full columned front of Esna temple seen from above the excavation pit

The real difference from a big cruise ship is size:

  • Princess Farida Luxury Dahabiya has eight suites6.
  • Dahabiya Dream takes 12 guests7.
  • Dahabiya Nile Sailing, which runs the Safiya, has boats of 3–12 cabins8.
  • Nour El Nil runs 9 boats of 10 to 12 cabins9 each, according to i-escape.

Dahabiyas are sold as a separate choice from the big cruise ships10. The Nile cruise guide sets out the dahabiya and river cruise choices side by side.

Esna, Luxor and Aswan

Routes, start days and pick-ups

The dahabiyas here sail between Luxor or Esna and Aswan, and each boat keeps fixed start days.

Esna: about 33 miles south of Luxor2

Boat Route Length Starts
Nour El Nil
Esna to Aswan2
5 nights2
Monday or Tuesday11, by boat
Sonesta Dahabeya Amirat
Luxor to Aswan or Aswan to Luxor4
7 nights4
Saturdays4
Dahabiya Nile Sailing (Safiya)
Luxor to Aswan12 or Aswan to Luxor3
4 nights12 or 3 nights3
Not stated

How you reach the boat differs by operator:

  • Nour El Nil collects you from a Luxor city hotel between 09:00 and 09:30 (checked October 2026) on the first day, not from the airport11. You leave the boat near the Aswan Bridge on Saturday or Sunday morning11.
  • Merit includes airport transfers to and from the boat on its 4-night13 cruise.
  • Dahabiya Dream collects guests from Luxor airport7 by private bus.
  • On Sonesta Dahabeya Amirat’s last day, you have breakfast on board and then disembark4.
A date palm on the forecourt in front of Edfu temple's twin pylon towers
A date palm on the forecourt in front of Edfu temple's twin pylon towers

Nour El Nil’s route stops at El Kab, Edfu, Gebel Silsileh and Kom Ombo, and skips the sites in Luxor and Aswan11. So see Karnak and the West Bank before you board.

Luxor’s city hotels sit on the East Bank14 with the Temple of Karnak, so a hotel near Karnak Temple works well for the night before a hotel pick-up.

Whole-trip prices

What a dahabiya cruise costs

A short shared sailing starts at €670 per person (checked October 2026) for 3 nights3. The dearest room listed is a Nour El Nil Deluxe Suite at €16,300 per room15.

From €670 per person, 3 nights3

  • SafiyaShared double cabin, Aswan–Luxor or Luxor–Aswan €670–€890
  • Egypt Gold Way packageEsna–Aswan sailing, cabin or suite, per person, for 4-night, for 4 nights / per person sharing, single occupancy, for a 4-night cruise US$885–US$1,050
  • Merit DahabiyasDouble cabin, Luxor–Aswan, by season, per adult sharing a double cabin, for 3-night / per adult sharing a double cabin, for 4-night US$1,634–US$2,260
  • Dahabiya DreamCruise only, without flights, per person from £2,199
  • Sonesta Dahabeya AmiratDouble or single cabin, Luxor–Aswan, per adult sharing a double cabin, for 7-night / per adult, for a 7-night cruise US$3,350–US$5,100
  • Nour El NilRooms by boat, Esna–Aswan, one October week, per room €6,600–€16,300

Whole-sailing prices as each source quotes them, per person or per room, never per night. Currencies as listed.

What moves the price:

  • Sharing or not. Dahabiyat.com prices are per person sharing a double cabin1, plus a single supplement if you sail alone. On its 26–30 October 2026 sailing that supplement is €6801.
  • The boat. Nour El Nil says price gaps come mainly from the boat’s age and the size of its rooms, bathrooms and decks16.
  • The season. Nour El Nil splits its rates into a Regular Season and a High Season16. Merit’s agent rates for May to August sit below those for September to April17.
  • Agent or operator. Egypt Gold Way lists a 4-night Esna–Aswan sailing at US$885 per person18, close to Dahabiyat.com’s own €8901.

Sailing season

When dahabiyas sail

October to April is the main dahabiya season, and some boats stop for the summer heat.

Nour El Nil: no sailings June to August2

Dahabiya sailing months on the Nile
  • Peak sailing season October to April
  • Hot, quieter temples May, September
  • Summer heat, some boats rest June to August
  • Dahabiyat.com calls October to April1 its peak season: warm days, cool evenings and the busiest temples.
  • May and September1 are hot but manageable, it says, with noticeably fewer people at the temples.
  • Nour El Nil doesn’t sail from June to August2 because of the heat, but Merit lists prices for May to August17.
  • Dahabiya Dream’s listed departures run from 21 September 2026 to 24 May 20277.
  • For Luxor itself, the best time to visit is November to early March14.

Is it for you

Who a dahabiya suits, and who it doesn’t

A dahabiya suits couples and small groups who want a boat with few cabins. It’s a poorer fit if you dislike shared meals, travel with small children or want to sail all the way to Cairo.

A good fit

  • Families or friends who want the boat to themselves. Nour El Nil lets you book room by room or charter the whole dahabiya16. Princess Farida offers private charters19, and so does Dahabiya Dream (private charter7).
  • Couples. Dahabiyat.com offers honeymooners a terrace suite and a private dinner on a sandbank1.
  • Small groups. Dahabiya Nile Sailing pitches its boats at small groups seeking authentic experiences and personal service8.
  • Travellers who, in Nour El Nil’s words, value authenticity and closeness over grandeur20.

A poorer fit

  • If you’d rather eat on your own. i-escape notes that Nour El Nil’s house-party-style communal dining may not suit everyone9.
  • Families with small children on Nour El Nil. i-escape says it charges children as adults, with no extra beds or baby cots9. Rooms take 2 guests, Deluxe Suites up to 42. Merit welcomes children of all ages, and ages 7 to 12 pay 50%21 of the adult rate.
  • If you want to sail to Cairo. The boats here stay between Luxor and Aswan. Long cruises such as Jules Verne’s carry on north from Luxor to Cairo/Giza22: compare the Cairo and Luxor Nile cruise boats.
  • If a full sailing is too long. A private day tour from Luxor reaches Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo by road.
Carved floral capitals on the front columns of Esna temple, half in shadow Day tour

7 hoursPickup includedFree cancellation

Egypt Private Trips

Private Full Day Tour to Esna, Edfu and Komumpo Temples from Luxor

4.9 (36 reviews) on Viator, checked October 2026

fromUS$69

See dates on Viator

For a short taste of sail in Luxor itself, there’s a private sunset felucca on the Nile.

Before you pay

Booking rules: deposits and cancellations

Expect a deposit when you book and the rest well before you sail. The terms differ by operator, so read them before you pay.

Full payment 45 days before embarkation23

Step Terms Source
Provisional hold while you book flights
seven days1
dahabiyat.com (operator)
Minimum booking
2 cabins1
dahabiyat.com (operator)
Confirming
a deposit confirms, the balance is due before sailing1
dahabiyat.com (operator)
Deposit
25% of the cruise price on confirmation23
dahabeyat.com (operator)
Second payment
50% at 60 days before embarkation23
dahabeyat.com (operator)
Balance
full payment 45 days before embarkation23
dahabeyat.com (operator)

Questions people ask

Are alcohol and tips included on a dahabiya?

Not always. Nour El Nil excludes alcoholic drinks, and its own pages disagree on whether crew and guide tips are included, so ask before you pay.

Is it safe to take a boat trip on the Nile?

UK travel advice notes that overcrowding and poor safety standards have caused accidents on Nile cruises. Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel are exceptions to its Western Desert warning.

How do I get to Luxor to join a dahabiya?

Flights from Cairo take about 1 hour; the train takes about 10 hours.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Pexels. Authors and licences: image credits

Checked against 32 sources · last checked October 2026
  1. dahabiyat.com (operator) · checked October 2026
  2. Nour El Nil (operator) · checked October 2026
  3. Dahabiya Nile Sailing (operator) · checked October 2026
  4. Sonesta (operator) · checked October 2026
  5. Wikipedia · checked October 2026
  6. Princess Farida (operator) · checked October 2026
  7. Explore Travel and Cruises (operator) · checked October 2026
  8. Dahabiya Nile Sailing (operator) · checked October 2026
  9. i-escape.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  10. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  11. Nour El Nil (operator) · checked October 2026
  12. Dahabiya Nile Sailing (operator) · checked October 2026
  13. Merit Dahabiyas (operator) · checked October 2026
  14. Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
  15. Nour El Nil (operator) · checked October 2026
  16. Nour El Nil (operator) · checked October 2026
  17. luxorandaswan.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  18. Egypt Gold Way (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  19. Princess Farida (operator) · checked October 2026
  20. Nour El Nil (operator) · checked October 2026
  21. Merit Dahabiyas (operator) · checked October 2026
  22. vjv.com (tour company) · checked October 2026
  23. dahabeyat.com (operator) · checked October 2026
  24. Luxor and Aswan Travel (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  25. GOV.UK (official) · checked October 2026
  26. GOV.UK (official) · checked October 2026
  27. Merit Dahabiyas (operator) · checked October 2026
  28. LiveAboard.com (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  29. Sonesta (operator) · checked October 2026
  30. Egypt Tours Plus (booking agent) · checked October 2026
  31. Princess Farida (operator) · checked October 2026
  32. Corinthian Travel (tour company) · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 23 October 2026
  • First written