Home / Ultra-Luxury Journeys / Nour El Nil Dahabiya, 6 Days
Ultra-Luxury collection · 6 days, 5 nights
A handcrafted Nour El Nil dahabiya carries a few guests from Esna to Aswan, mooring at El Kab, Edfu, Gebel el Silsileh and Kom Ombo on the way.
The journey
The Nour El Nil dahabiya is a handcrafted, traditional boat with few guests on board, so life on deck is slow and personal. It can moor where the large river ships cannot, which brings El Kab, Gebel el Silsileh and quiet islands into the route alongside Edfu and Kom Ombo.
Five nights on board, with full board, link Esna and Aswan. Each visit ashore is guided and private, and most afternoons leave room for a swim from the boat or a walk on the bank.
The route
Day by day
Your Nour El Nil dahabiya waits for you at Esna, about 55 kilometers south of Luxor. The crew shows you to your cabin, and once you have settled in, a short walk with your guide leads to the Temple of Khnum, which sits 9 meters below the street of today. On the way back you pass stalls of handmade textiles and Egyptian goods. Back on board, the boat casts off and heads south.
After breakfast the boat ties up at El Kab. A quiet path through a fishing village takes you to the temple of Nekhbet and to the hillside tombs of nobles, their walls still painted. At Edfu in the afternoon, you ride in a horse-drawn carriage across town to the Temple of Horus, still in remarkably good condition. You then sail on to an island and moor there for the night.
The day is given to the river. In the afternoon the boat drops anchor beside a calm island, and you can swim in the Nile or simply rest on deck. If you would like some history as well, a short walk into the desert brings you to prehistoric inscriptions cut into the boulders, with the river behind you.
After breakfast you go ashore at Gebel el Silsileh, where the Nile runs through a narrow passage. Your guide shows you the small temple of Horemheb, then the sandstone quarries that supplied blocks for temples such as Karnak and Luxor. Later the boat moves to a quiet stretch of bank for lunch in the open air and a swim.
Morning brings you to Kom Ombo, on a bend of the river. Its temple was built for two gods at once: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris. After your guided visit, the Crocodile Museum shows mummified crocodiles and other ancient finds. The dahabiya then sails on toward Aswan for your last night on board.
Breakfast is served on board as you come into Aswan. Every dahabiya has to dock beside the Aswan Bridge, so this last mooring is plainer than the ones before it. Take a little time on deck before you leave the boat; our representative then arranges your transfer to any address in Aswan.
Where you'll stay
Proposed properties. The room category, view and meal plan are confirmed in your written proposal, subject to availability.
What's included
Questions
The dahabiya is shared with its other guests unless your group charters the whole boat, and the guided visits are private.
Dahabiya: A Nour El Nil dahabiya (5 nights). The alternatives are named on this page, and your proposal confirms the room category.
No. These are booked and paid separately: domestic flights to and from the dahabiya.
No. Tips for guides, drivers and hotel or ship staff are not included; they are customary in Egypt.
Yes. Room and suite categories are chosen with you and named in your written proposal, subject to availability.
Yes. The length, the hotels and the pace can all be adjusted before you confirm, subject to availability.
The price depends on your dates, hotels, room type and group size. Your written proposal shows the full price, what it includes and the terms; no payment is taken with a request.
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Your private proposal
Tell us your dates, who is traveling and what matters most. We reply with a written proposal: the hotels, the full itinerary, the price and the terms.
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