Every week guests ask me the same question: should we take a cruise ship or a dahabiya? I guide on both, between Luxor and Aswan, and the honest answer is that they are two different holidays on the same river. This is the comparison I give my own guests.
- A dahabiya is a small sailing boat with eight to twelve cabins. A cruise ship is a floating hotel carrying around 120 guests.
- The headline sites are the same on both: Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu and the full Luxor day on both banks.
- Only the dahabiya stops at the small places in between, like El Kab and Gebel El Silsila.
- The cruise ship is the more economical choice, with more facilities on board.
- Not sure? Tell us your dates and what matters to you, and we will suggest boats that fit.
What a dahabiya is
A dahabiya is a flat-bottomed sailing boat with two masts, the kind Egypt’s nineteenth century travellers used before steamers arrived. A modern dahabiya carries eight to twelve cabins, so you sail with a small group rather than a hotel’s worth of people. When the wind drops, a tug boat tows the dahabiya along, so the schedule holds either way.
On our dahabiya fleet the boats are the Princess Farida, built in 2024 with eight suites named after King Farouk’s family, the Swan, with ten cabins and two suites for twenty guests at most, and the Three Pyramids and Nour El Din.
What a cruise ship is
A Nile cruise ship is a floating hotel, usually with sixty to seventy cabins over four or five decks, a restaurant, a lounge bar, a sun deck with a pool, and on many ships a spa and evening entertainment. Most ships carry around 120 passengers, and the biggest take up to 200. Ships sail in three classes, standard, deluxe and luxury, so there is a ship for most budgets.
The pace and the stops
Both follow the same river, but not the same rhythm. The cruise ships moor at the big towns: Luxor, Esna or Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan. A dahabiya is small enough to tie up at the places in between. On our dahabiya route that means El Kab with its rock tombs, the sandstone quarries of Gebel El Silsila, and quiet islands where the only sound at night is the river. Those stops are simply not possible for a ship carrying over a hundred passengers.
A dahabiya day is slower. You read on deck, watch the farmland pass at sailing speed, and visit sites with your own small group. A cruise ship day is fuller: more guests, a set programme, afternoon tea, evening shows. Neither is better. They suit different travellers.
The sightseeing
With us, the headline sites are the same on both: Philae and the felucca sail in Aswan, Kom Ombo, Edfu, and a full day in Luxor covering the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, Karnak and Luxor Temple. On every dahabiya programme we include the complete Luxor East and West Bank day. The dahabiya adds the small sites between Esna and Aswan; the ship adds comfort and facilities between the big ones.
The price difference
A cruise ship is the more economical choice, because the cost is shared across many more cabins. A dahabiya costs more per person. Our Swan starts at 1,129 US dollars per person for the whole cruise, full board, with a licensed Egyptologist guide and all entrance fees between Luxor and Aswan included. Every ship and dahabiya page on our site shows its own price, per person for the whole cruise, never per night.
How to decide
Choose a dahabiya if you want quiet, a small group, sailing instead of engines, and the stops nobody else makes. Choose a cruise ship if you want facilities, a pool, a livelier atmosphere, or the best price. Families with children often prefer the ships. Couples and small groups of friends usually fall in love with the dahabiyas.
If you are not sure, tell us your dates and what matters to you, and we will suggest two or three boats that fit, with prices.
Common questions
Is a dahabiya safe and comfortable?
Yes. The boats we sell have air conditioned cabins with private bathrooms, a dining room and a shaded sun deck. The river is calm; there are no waves to speak of.
How many nights does a dahabiya cruise take?
Our dahabiyas sail three nights from Aswan to Luxor, departing Fridays, and four nights from Luxor to Aswan, departing Mondays.
Do dahabiyas visit Abu Simbel?
Abu Simbel is an optional excursion from Aswan on both dahabiyas and cruise ships, arranged on request and paid separately.
Is the guide the same on both?
Yes. Every cruise we sell, ship or dahabiya, includes sightseeing with a licensed Egyptologist guide, not a recording.
