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Before you book

Dahabiya orcruise ship?

Twelve guests or two hundred. They sail the same river and almost nothing else about them is the same. Here is the honest comparison, including when a cruise ship is the better answer.

The short answer.

A dahabiya is a small sailing boat — ours takes twenty-four guests in twelve cabins. A Nile cruise ship is a floating hotel carrying one hundred and fifty to three hundred. Both run between Luxor and Aswan and both visit the same famous temples.

Choose a dahabiya if you want the river itself to be the holiday: quiet, slow, moored against an empty bank at night, ashore at temples before the coaches arrive, and at two or three places a large boat cannot stop at all. Choose a cruise ship if you want a pool, a gym, a choice of restaurants, evening entertainment and a lower price per night — and if you are content to see the temples on the same schedule as everyone else.

Neither is better. They are different holidays that happen to use the same river, and the mistake is booking one while wanting the other.

Side by side

What actually differs.

What actually differs.
What differs A dahabiya A cruise ship
Guests aboard Twenty-four, in twelve cabins. Typically 150–300.
How it moves Under sail whenever the wind allows, with a tug for the still stretches. Engines, to a fixed timetable.
Where it moors at night Against an empty bank, away from towns and other boats. At a town quay, often rafted two or three deep alongside other ships.
Arriving at temples Early or late, when the site is quiet. A small group clears a temple quickly. On the shared schedule — the busiest hours, with other ships arriving together.
Stops the other cannot make El-Kab, Gebel el-Silsila and small riverbank villages, which have no quay for a large boat. None that a dahabiya misses.
Pace Slow. Some days are mostly sailing, by design. Brisk. More sites in the same number of nights.
Pool and gym A small pool on the sundeck. No gym. Usually a larger pool, a gym and a spa.
Dining One kitchen, a set menu that changes daily, tables for two and four. Buffets and often several restaurants to choose between.
Evenings Quiet — the deck, the stars, sometimes musicians from a village. Organised: shows, a bar, a disco on larger ships.
Price per night Higher. You are paying for the boat to carry few people. Lower, and lower still outside the peak months.
Stability Shallow draught, quiet water — but a small boat, and you feel the river. Large and very steady. Noticeably so if you are anxious about water.
Accessibility Steps between decks and no lift. Tell us your needs before booking. Lifts and step-free routes on most modern ships.
Best suited to Couples, families and small groups who want quiet and would charter the whole boat. First visits, larger parties, and anyone wanting facilities and a lower price.
Be honest with yourself

Which one is your holiday?

Take a dahabiya if…

The river is the point, and you would rather see four temples properly than eight in a queue.

  • You want the boat quiet, and the night moorings empty
  • You would rather reach a temple at opening hour than at eleven
  • A stop at a village that has no quay appeals to you
  • You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group
  • You might take the whole boat and set your own pace
  • Sailing, rather than arriving, is part of what you came for

Take a cruise ship if…

There is nothing wrong with wanting a pool, a timetable and a lower nightly rate. Plenty of our own guests have done both.

  • The price per night matters more than the quiet
  • You want a gym, a spa and a choice of restaurants
  • Evening entertainment is part of the holiday
  • You are a large party and would fill a small boat anyway
  • Step-free access and lifts are necessary
  • It is a first visit and you want to cover as much as possible
Still deciding

The questions we are asked.

What is a dahabiya, exactly?+
A dahabiya is a traditional flat-bottomed Nile sailing boat with two lateen sails. They carried travellers up the Nile through the nineteenth century, before steamers took over. Modern ones like ours keep the hull form and the sails and add private cabins with bathrooms, air conditioning and a kitchen. Ours is 52 metres long with a beam of 8 metres, twelve cabins and 350 square metres of sail.
Is a dahabiya more expensive than a cruise ship?+
Per night, yes — usually significantly. A dahabiya carries a tenth as many guests with a similar-sized crew, so the cost per guest is simply higher. What you are buying is the small number of people aboard. If the nightly rate is the deciding factor, a cruise ship is the honest answer.
Do we see fewer temples on a dahabiya?+
On the same number of nights, usually slightly fewer — a dahabiya moves more slowly and spends more time sailing. But it stops at two or three places a cruise ship cannot reach at all, including Gebel el-Silsila and the riverbank villages, and it arrives at the shared sites outside the busy hours. Our four-night journey visits four temples; a cruise ship over the same stretch might fit five or six.
Does a dahabiya really sail, or is it towed?+
Both. The sails are used whenever the wind allows, which on the southbound run between Esna and Aswan is often. When the wind drops or the river demands it, a small tug takes her. Any dahabiya that claims it never uses an engine is not describing the Nile as it actually is.
Is it suitable for children?+
Yes, and small groups of family often take the whole boat. There is no children's club, no other children unless you bring them, and the pace is slow — which suits some children very well and others not at all. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will be straight with you about it.
What about seasickness?+
The Nile is a river, not a sea. There is no swell. A dahabiya is smaller than a cruise ship and you feel the water more, but in practice seasickness is very rare on either.
Can we charter the whole boat?+
Yes — twelve cabins and twenty-four guests, which is a family or a group of friends rather than a corporate party. A full charter also means the itinerary can move: an extra night at Aswan, a later start after the balloon, a village visit added. Ask us and we will price it.
Which direction is better, Luxor to Aswan or Aswan to Luxor?+
Southbound from Luxor runs with the current and against the prevailing wind, which is why the sails go up; it is the longer, slower leg and the one most guests prefer. Northbound from Aswan is a night shorter and finishes on the west bank at Luxor. Both call at the same temples.
Is a dahabiya accessible for a guest with limited mobility?+
Honestly, not very. There are steps between decks, no lift, and going ashore sometimes means a gangplank onto a bank rather than a quay. Modern cruise ships are far better equipped for this. Tell us what is needed and we will say plainly whether we can manage it.
When is the best time to sail?+
We sail October to April. November to February is the most comfortable — warm days, cool nights, and cold enough at dawn for a jacket on deck. October and April are hotter but quieter and often better value. We do not sail in high summer.
If the small boat is the one

Twelve cabins. Twenty-four guests. One river.

Five sailings between Luxor and Aswan, from three nights to seven, October to April.

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