Dahabiya Nile Sailing: 10 Days with 5 Nights from Esna to Aswan

A dahabiya is the way Victorian travellers saw the Nile: a wooden sailing boat with two large lateen sails, usually 6 to 10 cabins and an open upper deck furnished like a living room. It sails when the wind allows and is towed when it doesn't. It moors at sandbanks and small villages that 200-passenger cruise ships can't stop at.

Over five nights between Esna and Aswan you visit the headline temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, plus places that rarely appear on standard itineraries: the rock-cut tombs at El Kab, the ancient sandstone quarries of Gebel el-Silsila and an island stop for a swim or a walk through the fields. Meals are fresh and cooked on board, and dinner is sometimes served on the riverbank under lanterns.

We add two nights in Cairo for the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and a night in Luxor for Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, so you get the full classic picture before the river slows everything down.

Journey highlights

• Five nights on a traditional dahabiya with only a handful of cabins
• Moorings at islands and riverbanks too small for cruise ships
• Esna's Temple of Khnum, with its newly restored painted ceiling
• The rarely visited rock tombs of El Kab and the quarries of Gebel el-Silsila
• Edfu and Kom Ombo temples at quieter times of day
• Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum with a private Egyptologist
• Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings
• Philae Temple and the Aswan High Dam

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Arrive in Cairo

   You are met inside the terminal, helped through visa and immigration, and driven to your Giza hotel. Rest after the long flight from Australia.

2. Day2

   Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum

   See the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx and the panoramic viewpoint at opening time with your Egyptologist. In the afternoon, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum for the complete Tutankhamun collection and the Solar Boat of Khufu.

3. Day3

   Fly to Luxor, Karnak and Luxor Temple

   Take a morning flight to Luxor (about 1 hour). Spend the afternoon at Karnak and visit Luxor Temple at dusk. Overnight at a Luxor hotel.

4. Day4

   Valley of the Kings, then board in Esna

   Visit three tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple early in the morning. Then drive about an hour south to Esna and board your dahabiya. Before sailing, visit the Temple of Khnum, whose ceiling has recently been cleaned to reveal its original blues and ochres.

5. Day5

   Sailing to El Kab

   Sail south under canvas when the wind allows. Moor at El Kab to explore the rock-cut tombs of New Kingdom officials, including Ahmose son of Ebana, whose biography describes the expulsion of the Hyksos. You will probably have the site almost to yourselves.

6. Day6

   Edfu

   Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, timed to avoid the large ships' groups where possible. Afternoon sailing, followed by a mooring at a quiet island for a walk through sugarcane fields and a village.

7. Day7

   Gebel el-Silsila

   Explore the sandstone quarries of Gebel el-Silsila, where the stone for Karnak and Luxor temples was cut. You can still see chisel marks, rock-cut shrines and the speos of Horemheb. Dinner may be served on the riverbank under lanterns.

8. Day8

   Kom Ombo and Daraw

   Visit the double temple of Kom Ombo and its Crocodile Museum. Continue towards Daraw, home to one of Egypt's largest camel markets (open on set market days). Final night on board.

9. Day9

   Aswan: Philae and the High Dam

   Disembark in Aswan after breakfast. Visit Philae Temple by motorboat, the Unfinished Obelisk and the High Dam, then check in to your hotel and finish with sunset drinks overlooking the First Cataract.

10. Day10

    Fly to Cairo and depart

    Fly from Aswan to Cairo to connect with your flight home. If you leave later in the day, an early-morning trip to Abu Simbel can be added.

Where you’ll stay

Destinations on this journey

Cairo & Giza · Luxor · Aswan