Starts From $1337
Per Person
Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise was launched in February, 2009 – present a cruise experience like no other on the Nile. It is intended to take you back in time to a gentler, more gracious time on the Nile during your 7 night cruise between Luxor and Aswan. Facilities contain 5 cabins and 2 suites, open air oriental-style Jacuzzi, spacious sundeck and stylish popular lounge. All cabin accommodations are full board, and feature special direct-dial telephones, hairdryers, mini-bar, safe deposit boxes, individual climate control, plasma televisions and movie channels. The suites each supply a private terrace.
Daily guided excursions are offered to famed Egyptian temples, tombs and ruins along the Nile River. As a member of the Sonesta fleet of deluxe-service Nile cruisers, this small cruise boat will collect comfort and beauty in an inspiring way, offering a spectacular chance for an extended family or small group to uncover the Nile on a private cruise.
Highlights of a Nile Cruise contain the Karnak Temple, one of the largest temples in the world, the extraordinary Luxor Temple, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut , Thebes and the Valley of the Kings, and the Valley of the Queens, the well preserved Edfu Temple, Esna Temple and Kom Ombo Temple, and Abu Simbel Temple.
Day 1: Saturday: Check in Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise
Pick up from Cairo international Airport and make short flight to Luxor, arrive at Luxor airport then transfer to the Nile cruise
Egypta Tours representative will meet and assist you at Cairo International Airport, and he will assist you in your Entry procedures such as passport formalities and Luggage identification and Carry.
Embarkation in Aswan for a relaxing week sailing the Nile on a Luxury appointed Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise. Overnight on board, the ship moors on the Nile Bank of Aswan.
Day 2: Sunday: Aswan sightseeing
Enjoy your breakfast at Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise then join to your Egyptologist tour guide to start your tour by Visiting:
The High Dam is a water dam on the Nile River in southern Egypt. It was built during the era of Gamal Abdel Nasser, and the Soviets contributed to its construction. Owned and operated by the General Authority for the High Dam and Aswan Reservoir, the dam has helped greatly in controlling the flow of water and mitigating the effects of the Nile flood. Used to generate electricity in Egypt. The length of the dam is 3600 metres, the width of the base is 980 metres, the width of the summit is 40 metres, and the height is 111 metres.
The volume of the dam body is 43 million cubic meters of cement, iron and other materials, and a water flow of up to 11,000 cubic meters of water per second can pass through the dam.
Construction of the dam began in 1960 and the total cost was estimated at one billion dollars, a third of which was written off by the Soviet Union. 400 Soviet experts worked on building the dam and its construction was completed in 1968. The last 12 electric generators were installed in 1970 and the dam was officially opened in 1971.
The High Dam reduced the fertility of the Nile River and did not fill the outfalls in Damietta and Ras El Bar with silt, which threatens to drown the delta after more than A hundred years ago, due to some other factors, such as global warming and the melting of ice at the North and South Poles, with a negative impact on the ozone layer.
It should be noted here that the first person to refer to the construction of this dam was the Arab Muslim scholar Al-Hasan bin Al-Hasan bin Al-Haytham (born in 965 AD and died in 1029 AD). He did not have the opportunity to implement his idea due to the lack of the necessary machines to build it in his time.
The ruins of Philae include many buildings dating back to the Ptolemaic era (332-30 BC), the most prominent of which is the temple started by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC), which was dedicated to Isis, the mother of Horus, the lord of the kingdom. A scene in the mammis or birth chamber, where the birth of Horus was celebrated, showing Isis breastfeeding her son Horus in the bush.
The Temple of Isis is one of the most enduring ancient Egyptian temples; The temple continued to perform its role until the reign of the Byzantine King Justinian I (527 – 565 AD), who ordered the closure of all pagan temples, where a priest named Asmat-Akhum inscribed the last hieroglyphic text.
Next to the Temple of Isis is a temple dedicated to Hathor, built by Ptolemy VI Philomator (180 – 145 BC) and Augustus, the first emperor of Rome (30 BC – 14 AD). Trajan’s Pavilion (98 – 117 AD), which was erected in front of the Philae Temple, is still standing, although its roof is no longer there, and the regular arrangement of its magnificent columns attracted the attention of travelers, who described and photographed it. Isis was the main deity of the region, and the emperor was depicted making sacrifices to her, her husband Osiris, and their son Horus.
All of these antiquities were moved from the original island of Philae to the nearby island of Agilkia during the UNESCO Nubia campaign in the 1960s to save sites flooded by the waters of the Nile in the process of building the Aswan High Dam.
We will transfer you to check in your Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise to enjoy your Lunch and Dinner on the board.
Day 3: Monday: Kom Ombo temple
Enjoy your breakfast at Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise then join to your Egyptologist tour guide to start your tour by Visiting:
The name of the place goes back to the word “Kum” in Arabic, a mean found in the names of many archaeological places, and the word “Ombo”, which is taken from the ancient Egyptian language “Nopet”, meaning gold. In general, the name of the region means “the golden city.”
The city’s temple Is dedicated to two deities: the crocodile deity Sobek, and the falcon-shaped deity Horus (Horus the Great). Although a previous temple already existed here during the New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1069 BC), the current structure of the temple was built during the Greco-Roman era (332 BC – 395 AD), and the first documented royal name was Ptolemy. VI (180 – 145 BC). Ptolemy XII (80-51 BC) completed most of the decoration in the temple.
The temple has a singular design. Because it is dedicated to two deities, it has two parallel axial corridors that pass through its columned halls, and end with two shrines. The southern axis (on the right) is for Sobek, and the northern axis (on the left) is for Hur and R.
Sobek was the deity of fertility associated with water, floods, and plants, and he was worshiped here alongside his wife, the goddess of love and motherhood, Hathor, and their son, the goddess of the moon, Khonsu. As for the god of royalty, Horus is the son of Osiris and Isis, who reached adulthood and defeated Set (in the famous myth), the killer of his father. He was worshiped here alongside his wife, Ta-sentneferet, “the perfect companion,” and their son, Ba-nebtawi, “the Lord of the Two Lands.”
In addition to its beautiful column capitals, Kom Ombo Temple also features magnificent scenes adorning its walls. The calendar lists feasts and other religious activities, along with their dates and accompanying rituals. During the Roman era, in the 2nd century AD, a scene was engraved showing what were believed to be surgical instruments, demonstrating the extent of the development of ancient Egyptian medicine.
In the center of the back of the temple, Sobek and Hor and R can be seen on either side of the temple in a deeply symbolic scene, inspiring ancient pious visitors to this holy place.
We will transfer you to check in your Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise to enjoy your Lunch and Dinner on the board.
Day 4: Tuesday: Edfu temple
Enjoy your breakfast at Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise then join to your Egyptologist tour guide to start your tour by Visiting:
The Temple of Edfu, or the Temple of Horus, is the second largest temple in ancient Egypt, after the Temple of Karnak. It is located in the city of Edfu in Upper Egypt on the west bank of the Nile River, which was known during the Hellenistic period. The temple represents one of the last attempts of the Ptolemies to build temples in the style and splendor of their predecessors. It took about 180 years to construct the Temple of Horus.
The temple was dedicated to the main god Horus, who was identified as Apollo under the Greek interpretation. It is one of the best protected shrines in Egypt. The temple was built during the judge of the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. M. The inscriptions on its walls supply important information about mythology, language, and religion during the Hellenistic time in Egypt.
In particular, the temple’s inscribed construction texts “provide details [both] of its construction as well as preserving information about the mythological interpretation of it and of all other temples such as the Island of Creation.” There are also “important scenes and inscriptions from the sacred drama narrating the ancient struggle between Horus and Seth.” Interpreted during the German Edfu project. The engraved symbols and letters remember the rituals that were followed in ancient times. The temple building was built where a great battle took place between “Horus” and “Set.”
We will transfer you to check in your Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise to enjoy your Lunch and Dinner on the board.
Day 5: Wednesday: Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise sailing to Esna
Today will be a free day. After Breakfast Commence sailing to Esna and onwards to Luxor. Overnight on board in Luxor.
Day 6: Thursday: Luxor east bank sightseeing
Enjoy your breakfast at Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise then join to your Egyptologist tour guide to start your tour by Visiting:
Karnak or the Karnak Temple Complex, which is known as the Karnak Temple, is a group of temples, buildings and columns, where expansion and construction operations continued from the Pharaonic era, specifically the kings of the Middle Kingdom, until the Roman era in Luxor in Egypt on the Eastern Shore. The temple was built for the divine trinity of Amun (Amun Ra in modern times), his wife, the goddess Mut, and their son, the god Khonsu. Each of them has a temple related to the Karnak Temple Complex. Sometimes tourists and non-specialists in the Karnak Temple only mean the temple belonging to Amun I Amun Ra.
Luxor Temple is a large, complex ancient Egyptian temple located on the eastern bank of the Nile River in the city of Luxor today, popular as (Ancient Thebes).
It was discovered in 1400 BC. The Luxor Temple was built for the worship of Amun Ra, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu; They are the gods who are also called the Theban Trinity (Theban Trinity).
Luxor Temple was built during the rule of the kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty and the Nineteenth Dynasty. The most important existing buildings in the temple are those built by Kings Amenhotep III (1397-1360 BC) and Ramses II (1290-1223 BC) (who added to the temple the open courtyard, the edifice, and the two obelisks).
King Thutmose III (1490-1436 BC) also established shrines for visitors to the Holy Triad of Thebes, and Tutankhamun (1348-1337 BC) completed the inscriptions on its walls. The tripartite chamber, which had previously been built during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III (of the Eighteenth Dynasty), was destroyed. Then it was rebuilt during the reign of King Ramesses II.
The temple was also called “Epetreset” (meaning the southern sanctuary or the private place of Amun-Ra). It is one of the best preserved and most beautiful Egyptian temples, and the layout of the Egyptian temple is clearly evident.
We will transfer you to check in your Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise to enjoy your Lunch and Dinner on the board.
Day 7: Friday: Luxor west bank sightseeing
Enjoy your breakfast at Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise then join to your Egyptologist tour guide to start your tour by Visiting:
The Valley of the Kings, also known as the “Valley of Biban of the Kings,” is a valley in Egypt that was used over a period of 500 years during the period between the sixteenth and eleventh centuries BC to construct tombs for the pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom extending during the Eighteenth Dynasty until the Twentieth Dynasty in ancient Egypt. The valley is on the west bank of the Nile River, facing Thebes (now Luxor), in the heart of the ancient funerary city of Thebes. The Valley of the Kings is divided into two valleys: The Eastern Valley (where most of the royal tombs are located) and the Western Valley.
With the discovery of the last burial chamber in 2006, known as (Cemetery 63), in addition to the discovery of two other entrances to the same chamber during 2008, the number of graves discovered so far has reached 63 graves of varying sizes, ranging from a small hole in the ground to a complex grave containing more than 120. A burial chamber inside.
All of these tombs were used to bury the kings and princes of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt, in addition to some nobles and those who were related to the ruling family at that time. The royal tombs are distinguished by containing drawings and inscriptions from ancient Egyptian mythology that illustrate the religious beliefs and memorial ceremonies of that time. All the discovered graves were opened and looted in ancient times, and despite that, they remain conclusive evidence of the power and prosperity of the kings of that time.
The Valley of the Queens is the burial place of queens in ancient Egypt. It was known in ancient times as “Ta-Set-Nefru”, meaning: “the place of the Pharaoh’s sons” or “the place of beauty.” Because in this place the queens of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties (from 1550 to 1070 BC) were buried, in addition to many princes and princesses and a number of the nobility. The graves of these individuals were maintained by priests who performed daily funerary rites and prayed for the dead nobles.
The valley Is located near the famous Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor Governorate.
The reason for choosing this site as a burial site is not known precisely, and the proximity of the site to the workers’ village in Deir el-Medina, as well as to the Valley of the Kings, may have been a factor in this choice. Another consideration is the presence of a sacred cave dedicated to Hathor at the entrance to the valley, and This cave may be associated with the rejuvenation of the dead or their rebirth in the other world.
Although the valley was a major burial place during the 18th and 19th Dynasties for queens, princes, and some nobles, it was no longer a royal burial site after the conclusion of the Twentieth Dynasty. Many of the tombs have been extensively reused, and many have been modified to accommodate multiple burials.
The Colossi of Memnon are two huge stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which stand at the front of the desolated Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, the biggest temple in the Theban Necropolis. They have stood since 1350 BC, and familiar to ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as early new travelers and Egyptologists.
The statues include 107 Roman-era inscriptions in Greek and Latin, back to AD 20 and 250; many of these lettering on the northernmost statue make reference to the Greek mythological king Memnon, whom the statue was then – erroneously – believed to represent. Scholars have discussed how the identification of the northern colossus as “Memnon” is connected to the Greek name for the entire Theban Necropolis as the Memnonium.
The Temple of Hatshepsut or the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is a temple from the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, and the best remaining temples were built about 3,500 years ago in Deir el-Bahari in Egypt. It was built by Queen Hatshepsut on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes (the capital of ancient Egypt and the seat of the cult of Amun) (Luxor today).
The Temple of Hatshepsut is distinguished by its unique architectural design compared to the Egyptian temples that were built on the eastern bank of the Nile in Thebes. The temple consists of three successive floors on open terraces. The temple was built of limestone, and in front of the columns of the second floor, limestone statues of the god Osiris and Queen Hatshepsut were erected in a beautiful arrangement. Originally, these statues were colored, and now only some traces of the colors remain, and some of the statues are in completely good condition, indicating the elegance and beauty of the temple’s design.
We will transfer you to check in your Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise to enjoy your Lunch and Dinner on the board.
Day 8: International departure
Enjoy your breakfast at hotel and check out from Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise and transfer to Cairo airport for short flight to Cairo for International departure.
Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise: Your Questions Answered
The Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise offers an intimate cruising experience with just a few cabins, ensuring personalized service and a relaxed atmosphere. Its traditional design and smaller size allow it to access less-visited sites along the Nile.
Most itineraries last between 4 to 7 nights. They cover popular sites like Luxor and Aswan and quaint villages that larger ships can’t reach.
Packages usually include accommodations, all meals, selected beverages, tours, and entrance fees to attractions. Optional activities and premium beverages may incur extra charges.
The Dahabyia features elegantly furnished cabins with private bathrooms, air conditioning, and panoramic windows for scenic views. Some cruises might offer suites with added luxury.
Yes, the cruise provides a mix of local Egyptian dishes and international cuisine. Special dietary needs can be accommodated if requested in advance.
Guests enjoy guided tours to historic sites, onboard cultural activities, and time to relax on deck or in the lounge. The tranquil environment invites reading, sunbathing, or simply enjoying the scenery.
Families are welcome, though it’s ideal for those seeking a peaceful cruising experience. Some cruises may have age restrictions due to safety and comfort.
Pack lightweight clothing, a sunhat, sunscreen, and comfortable walking shoes for excursions. Evening wear can be smart casual. Don’t forget a swimsuit for relaxation.
You can book through travel agents specializing in Amirat Dahabyia Nile Cruise or directly on the cruise line’s website. Early booking is advisable due to limited cabin availability.
The best months are from October to April when the weather is cooler and more comfortable for sightseeing.
Visitors to Egypt need a tourist visa, which you can obtain on arrival or online before your trip. Check the latest entry requirements based on your nationality.
