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Superior Dahabiya Nile Cruise · Private Luxor & Aswan Tours · Shared Dahabiya
Luxor to Aswan — 6 Days, 5 Nights
Sail the timeless Nile aboard a traditional Dahabiya — temples, Nubian villages and hidden river bends that large cruise ships can’t reach — bookended by a day-and-a-half private tour in Luxor before you sail and a full day touring Aswan once the cruise ends. A Dahabiya is a traditional wooden sailing boat with private ensuite cabins, originally designed to carry 19th-century travellers along the Nile in comfort. For those who want culture, history and relaxation in equal measure, there’s no better way to experience the Nile Valley.
6
10+
4
1–15
Luxor West Bank: Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut Temple
We meet you at your hotel and drive to the West Bank, stopping at the Colossi of Memnon. Visit the Valley of the Kings, where your guide leads you to three of the more than ten currently open tombs, followed by the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Lunch or dinner at a local traditional house — an opportunity to meet local people, with the option of a brief cooking lesson, or a regular restaurant instead — then visit the Ancient Workmen Village (Deir el-Medina). Overnight at a hotel in Luxor. Tour duration: 7–8 hours.
Karnak, Luxor Temple & Boarding the Dahabiya
After breakfast and hotel check-out, visit Karnak Temple — covering more than 100 hectares — and Luxor Temple, linked by the Avenue of Sphinxes, for 3–4 hours. We then drive about an hour from Luxor to Esna, visiting the Temple of Esna (dedicated to the ram-headed god Khnum), the restored Wekalet Al-Geddawi caravanserai, and the Ottoman-era Al-Qissariya market. Check in to the Dahabiya and sail 4–5 hours to El Hegz Village for a true cross-cultural exchange with a local family, your guide translating so you can ask questions about village life. Lunch and dinner on board — your first night on the Nile.
Note: pickup is from any address in Luxor to Esna, home port of the Dahabiya — chosen specifically to avoid the two locks at Esna’s dams.
El Kab & Edfu: Temple of Horus
Breakfast on board as we sail to El Kab, exploring the massive walls of the ancient town of Nekheb and entering decorated New Kingdom tombs dating back to around 3,000 BC. We board for lunch and sail to Edfu, riding to the imposing Temple of Horus with its grand spaces and hieroglyphic inscriptions; stroll the local market if time allows. We sail on with free time, overnight aboard, and a special barbeque dinner by moonlight.
Bisaw Island & El Selsela Quarry
Breakfast on board. Visit Bisaw Island and village, walk through farms, meet villagers, and join local fishermen on the Nile — the catch may feature at dinner. Sail to El Selsela to see the ancient sandstone quarry and shrines that supplied stone for the temples of Thebes, including the speos of Horemheb with its rock shrines and inscriptions. Dinner on board.
Kom Ombo, Daraw & Nubian Town: Farewell Dinner
Breakfast on board. Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and to Horus, and the Crocodile Museum’s mummified crocodiles. In nearby Daraw, shop like a local at the market, visit a camel barn to learn about the camel trade, and stop at a Nubian Town tracing roots back to 7,000 BC. As we sail closer to Aswan, there’s an opportunity to swim or kayak (let us know two days ahead for kayaks). Farewell dinner as we sail to our final destination, Aswan.
Aswan: Philae, the High Dam & a Felucca Ride
Breakfast on board, then check out of the Dahabiya. Visit Philae Temple, reached by boat for a picturesque approach, with its Ptolemaic-era structures including a temple to Isis; the Unfinished Obelisk, which would have been the largest ever built by the ancient Egyptians; and, after lunch, the High Dam, with views over Lake Nasser. Continue to the Elephantine Island archaeological site, spanning 4,000 years of Egyptian history, then a leisurely Felucca ride past the Nobles’ Tombs, the Agha Khan Mausoleum, Plantation Island, and the Old Cataract Hotel. Tour duration: 7–8 hours.
Optional Add-On Excursions
(notify us in advance — these are not included in the base price)
Luxor: Dendera and Abydos can be arranged on the days before the Dahabiya, possibly adding another extra day in Luxor.
Aswan: Abu Simbel temples (may need an extra day) · the Temples of Kalabsha · the Nubian Museum · a Nubian village and the Animalia House Museum · the Aswan souq.
Ready to book this journey?
Secure your cabin now — departures fill up months in advance.
Quick facts
Duration: 6 days · 5 nights (1 night in a Luxor hotel + 4 nights aboard the Dahabiya)
Route: Luxor → Aswan, with private land tours bookending the cruise
Group size: Pricing available for groups of 1 to 15+ people
Guide: English-speaking, licensed Egyptologist guide (French, Spanish & German available for a supplement, subject to availability)
Meals: As mentioned in the itinerary, full board aboard the Dahabiya
Start day: Sunday preferred (other dates available for 2+ cabins); a Dahabiya-only booking, without the Luxor and Aswan land tours, can also be arranged
Pricing
Grand total-Per person group of 15
Christmas & Easter peak season: add €105 per person in a double room.
Single supplement
Per person
Other Language Guide Supplements
(French, Spanish & German — subject to availability)
- Land tours before/after the Dahabiya, per group: €39
- Dahabiya tour, group of 1–5 people: €236
- Dahabiya tour, group of 6–10 people: €253
- Dahabiya tour, group of 11–15 people: €275