Skip to content
WhatsApp

Luxury Travel, Timeless Egypt

Contact Info

  • Egypt Rest Tours (ERT) Prince Tower, 1st Floor, Office 4A El Mahafza Street, Nile Corniche Next to Steigenberger Hotel East Luxor, Luxor, Egypt
  • info@egyptresttours.com
  • 24/7 Support
  • +20 100 001 3425
Request A Quote

Egypt journeys, designed by local experts

info@egyptresttours.com +20 100 001 3425
Request a Quote
Temple architecture of the Nile Valley
Dahabiya Cruises

Dahabiya 4 Nights: Esna to Aswan

Nights
4
Destinations
5
THE JOURNEY AT A GLANCE

Four nights upriver from Esna to Aswan on a small luxury dahabiya, calling at El Kab, Edfu, Kom Ombo and the quarries at Gebel el-Silsila.

A dahabiya is a small traditional Egyptian sailing boat, usually six to eight cabins, crewed by people who have worked these waters for decades. Because she is shallow-drafted she can moor at places a large cruise ship cannot approach, and that is the entire point. The difference between the two is not luxury, it is access.

This four-night upriver cruise starts in Esna, 50 kilometres south of Luxor, and ends in Aswan. The corridor is the classic one, but the stops are chosen for the small boat's advantage: El Kab, a Greco-Roman town on the east bank that large ships cannot reach; the working quarries at Gebel el-Silsila, open only to dahabiyas; and quiet moorings on small islands where dinner is served on the bank.

Four nights is the shortest comfortable version of this journey. It suits you if time is limited, and it is the one to pick if the rest of your holiday is already booked.

  • El Kab, the ancient Nekheb — Greco-Roman tombs cut into the east bank, unreachable from a large ship.
  • Edfu's Temple of Horus — One of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, almost entirely intact.
  • Gebel el-Silsila's rock-cut chapels — Quarries that supplied temple stone across Egypt, open only to dahabiyas.
  • Kom Ombo's double temple — The only temple in Egypt with two complete sets of entrances and sanctuaries.
  • Bank dinners — Dinner on the sand beside a small island, cooked ashore by the crew.
Ancient Egyptian temple columns
EGYPT REST TOURSA closer connection to Egypt.
THE RIVER, DAY BY DAY

A journey worth taking slowly.

4 Nights / 5 Days - Esna to Aswan
Esna → Aswan 4 nights Price on request

4 Nights / 5 Days - Esna to Aswan

Day01
Esna and El Kab

Boarding at Esna, then El Kab

We collect you from any address in Luxor at 09:00 and drive the 50 kilometres south to Esna, where the crew takes you aboard. Once you are settled and lunched, a walk through Esna takes in the small Temple of Khnum, which sits nine metres below street level, and the market, known for its textiles. The boat then sails south to El Kab, the ancient city of Nekheb, capital of Upper Egypt before the unification. You go ashore to the rock-cut tombs and the remains of the temples, and the crew then takes her out to a small island for the night.

Overnight
Moored on a small island
Meals included
Lunch on board, dinner on the island bank
Day02
Edfu and Wadi el-Shat

The Temple of Horus, then the desert edge

The morning is for sailing, watching the banks change from desert sand to date palms. You reach Edfu in the early afternoon and walk through the busy city to the Temple of Horus, the best-preserved temple in Egypt, where ceremonies were once held with live falcons. The afternoon continues to Wadi el-Shat, where you walk through small farming villages at the edge of the desert, and the boat then finds a quiet mooring.

Overnight
Moored at Wadi el-Shat
Meals included
Breakfast and dinner on board
Day03
Kom Ombo and Gebel el-Silsila

The double temple, then the quarries

A slow start watching the river from the sun deck, then the crew sails to Kom Ombo, Egypt's only double temple, dedicated to Sobek the crocodile-headed god and to Haroeris his father. There are two entrances, two processional ways and two sanctuaries. After lunch on the deck the boat continues a few kilometres to Gebel el-Silsila, where the crew rows you in to the old sandstone quarries and the rock-cut chapels of Seti I, Ramesses II, Merenptah and Horemheb. Large cruise ships are not permitted to stop here at all. Dinner is served around a campfire on the bank.

Overnight
Moored near Gebel el-Silsila
Meals included
Breakfast and lunch on board, campfire dinner ashore
Day04
Daraw and Koubania

Camel traders, then a Nubian garden village

The boat sails to Daraw, the last stop on the old forty-day camel route from Sudan across the Libyan desert, where the market is still held. After walking the village you continue to Koubania, a Nubian village near Aswan with gardens of citrus and mango. That is the fourth and final night, moored quietly on the water.

Overnight
Moored near Koubania
Meals included
Breakfast and dinner on board
Day05
Aswan

Disembarkation

Breakfast on board, then transfer to any address in Aswan you choose. If you have time, the Philae Temple and the Nubian Museum are both within reach of the town.

Meals included
Breakfast on board
Make this journey yours.Choose this itinerary ↗
FOUR WAYS TO SAIL

FIND YOUR IDEAL NILE CRUISE

Choose your category and departure date here. Your details and payment come next.

Ship photo coming soon
01
THE NILE COLLECTION

Standard

Comfortable cruising with essential services.

Price on request
Ship photo coming soon
02
THE NILE COLLECTION

Deluxe

Enhanced comfort and a refined onboard experience.

Price on request
Ship photo coming soon
03
THE NILE COLLECTION

Ultra Deluxe

Elevated comfort, service and amenities.

Price on request
Ship photo coming soon
04
THE NILE COLLECTION

Luxury

Exceptional ships, service and amenities.

Price on request
Dahabiya 4 Nights: Esna to Aswan
ABOUT THE SHIP

Dahabiya 4 Nights: Esna to Aswan

Four nights upriver from Esna to Aswan on a small luxury dahabiya, calling at El Kab, Edfu, Kom Ombo and the quarries at Gebel el-Silsila.

See dates & prices ↗
PART OF YOUR JOURNEY

The details, considered.

Included

  • Private pickup and drop-off in Luxor and Aswan
  • Breakfast and lunch on board throughout
  • Dinner on board or on the riverbank as described each day
  • Entrance fees to all temples and sites in the itinerary
  • English-speaking Egyptologist guide throughout
  • Bottled water and tea or coffee on board
What is not included +
  • Gratuities for guides and crew
  • Personal expenses
  • Optional visits not in the itinerary
FIND YOUR DEPARTURE

Dates & prices

Choose a departure date and your preferred cruise category.

Esna → Aswan · 4 nights
Available departure dates

Choose a category above, then choose one of these dates.

YOUR SELECTIONRequired: select a cruise category and a departure date.Both selections are required before you can continue to booking.
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

A few things worth knowing.

Pickup and drop-off

We collect you from any address in Luxor at 09:00 and return you to any address in Aswan. Transfers are private.

Boarding time

Lunch is served on board on day one, so please be at the pickup point by 09:00. The boat departs after lunch.

Onboard

Air-conditioned cabins, private or twin share, with en-suite facilities, a dining room and a shaded sun deck.

Guides

An English-speaking Egyptologist guide travels with the boat and accompanies you at every site.

Boat size

Small enough to moor in shallow water away from the main cruise berths, which is why the smaller sites are open to you.

How many guests are on board? +

A dahabiya of this size typically carries six to twelve guests with a crew of five or six. It is closer to a private yacht than a cruise ship.

Why visit Gebel el-Silsila, which is not on other cruise routes? +

Gebel el-Silsila is only accessible to shallow-drafted boats. Large cruise ships may not stop there, so a dahabiya is the only way to see the quarries and the rock-cut chapels.

What are the overnight moorings like? +

The boat is almost always tied up at a small island or a quiet stretch of bank rather than a town quay, and dinner is often served on the sand beside the boat.

Is the Aswan overnight included? +

Yes. All dahabiyas are required to moor beside the Aswan bridge by regulation, so the final night is spent in Aswan rather than at an island.

KEEP EXPLORING

More journeys along the Nile.

View the collection ↗
4 nights Explore your sailing
Enquire now ↗