Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Abundance

Ten guests, no engine, only sail

Abundance is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Sail the Nile. It has 5 cabins and 1 suites for up to 10 guests and sails itineraries of 3, 4 or 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Ten guests, no engine, only sail. A 35-metre engineless sailing dahabiya carrying ten guests in five cabins, drifting the Esna-to-Aswan reach past Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila and Kom Ombo.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 5 · up to 10 guestsBoard full boardRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Sail the Nile
Accommodation: 5 cabins · 1 suites
Guests: Up to 10
Dimensions: 35 × 6.5 m
Route: Esna (Temple of Khnum) - Edfu (Temple of Horus) - Gebel el-Silsila - Kom Ombo (temple and Crocodile Museum) - Daraw camel market - Aswan (High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae)
Trip length: 3 · 4 · 7 nights
Departures: Fridays from Aswan (3-night) and Mondays from Esna/Luxor (4-night). A 7-night round trip departs Esna every Monday.
Season: Year-round; two rate seasons, May-September and October-April.

About Abundance

Abundance is a 35-metre traditional sailing ship with no engine and no generator, carrying just ten guests in four twin cabins and a balcony suite over two decks. The cabins run 12 square metres with two windows and en-suite bathrooms; the 22-square-metre suite adds a private balcony, glass doors and windows on both sides. Carried only by the wind, she sails the Esna-to-Aswan reach, four nights south from Monday and three nights back from Friday, with a seven-night round trip also run. The route moors at Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo with its Crocodile Museum, the Daraw camel market and Aswan for Philae and the High Dam. A 200-square-metre shaded sun deck sits above an air-conditioned salon, with Wi-Fi throughout and filtered drinking water. Dining is full board from fresh, locally sourced meals, with vegetarian, vegan and other diets catered for and an Egyptian evening of local cuisine and music.

Highlights

Ten guests in five cabins, two decks
No engine, no generator, sail only
35 metres with a 200-square-metre sun deck
Moors at Gebel el-Silsila and the Daraw camel market
Full board with vegetarian and vegan options

At sail

Day by day

Abundance sails 2 published programmes. Its own route: Esna (Temple of Khnum) - Edfu (Temple of Horus) - Gebel el-Silsila - Kom Ombo (temple and Crocodile Museum) - Daraw camel market - Aswan (High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae) Departures fridays from aswan (3-night) and mondays from esna/luxor (4-night). a 7-night round trip departs esna every monday.. The order of the temples is fixed by the river, so what changes between programmes is the direction and how much is fitted into each day.

Luxor to Aswan, 4 nights (package)usually departs Saturday

Day 1
Luxor, embark and Karnak
Board at Luxor. Karnak in the afternoon, before the boat moves.
Visits Karnak
Day 2
The west bank, then the Esna lock
The tombs early, while it is still cool, then cast off and pass through the Esna lock.
Visits Valley of the Kings · Hatshepsut · Colossi of Memnon · Esna lock
Optional hot-air balloon at dawn
Day 3
Edfu
Edfu, the most complete temple on the river, from the mooring.
Visits Esna lock · Edfu
Day 4
Sailing
No temple on this day. The boat sails the quiet reach south of Edfu and moors where the large ships cannot, which is the reason to take a dahabiya at all. Every one of the three published itineraries leaves this day empty.
Day 5
Aswan, and disembark
The High Dam and Philae on arrival, then disembarkation.
Visits High Dam · Philae
Optional Abu Simbel by road or air

Aswan to Luxor, 3 nightsusually departs Wednesday

Day 1
Aswan, embark
Board at Aswan, then the High Dam and Philae the same afternoon.
Visits High Dam · Philae
Optional felucca among the islands
Day 2
Kom Ombo
Sail north to Kom Ombo, whose double temple stands directly above the water. Half the published itineraries add Gebel el-Silsila, the old sandstone quarry, which no large ship stops at.
Visits Kom Ombo
Optional Abu Simbel, pre-dawn by road or air · Gebel el-Silsila
Day 3
Through the Esna lock
Edfu in the morning on most departures, then the Esna lock, which the boat often waits for. Moor at Luxor.
Visits Esna lock · Edfu
Day 4
The Luxor west bank, and disembark
The west bank on the last morning. Half of the departures add Karnak before the transfer.
Visits Valley of the Kings · Hatshepsut · Colossi of Memnon
Optional Karnak

Day structure aggregated from the published itineraries for this class of boat and direction. Operators shift a call by half a day and the Esna lock queue moves everything; confirm the running order for your departure.

Cabin pricing

Rates by season

Indicative per-person USD rates from two independent published sources within 2%. Your exact fare depends on dates and cabin — we quote every sailing live, with no booking fee to ask.

4 days / 3 nights · Luxor–Aswan corridor

Cabin	High season · Sep–Apr	Low season · May–Aug
Double cabin (per person)	$1,720	$1,550
Single cabin (sole use)	$2,560	$2,300

5 days / 4 nights · Luxor–Aswan corridor

Cabin	High season · Sep–Apr	Low season · May–Aug
Double cabin (per person)	$1,970	$1,770
Single cabin (sole use)	$3,210	$2,900

Dahabiya cabins are allocated by the vessel; book early and we will ask for your preferred deck position.
The 7-night round trip is priced as the two sailings combined, confirmed on your quote.

Take the whole boat

5 cabins · up to 10 guests · whole boat from about US$4,445 a night

About US$4,445 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$26,670 for a six-night sailing.

A boat this size is a single family. Everyone eats at one table, the deck is yours alone, and the boat moves when your party is ready rather than when a schedule says so. Tell us your dates, and how many adults and children, and we will price the whole of Abundance.

That is the arithmetic of Abundance's own published cabin fares, not a quoted charter rate. Operators price exclusive use separately, and usually below the sum of the cabins, so tell us your dates and we will come back with the real figure.

Price the whole boat

What Abundance costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$2,667 per person, 6-night , checked on 2026-09-12.

We are not publishing a trip total for Abundance, for the reasons below. Ask us and we will quote the sailing you want.

What this figure is, and is not

The published figure is quoted per person, 6-night, which does not multiply into a trip total.
Rates move with season, cabin and departure. We quote every sailing live, and there is no booking fee to ask.

Source: the operator's published rates

The boat in detail

Cabin categories: Standard cabin (4 cabins), 12 sqm: twin beds 90 cm x 2 m, occupancy 2, two windows, wardrobe, ensuite bathroom with shower and tub
Suite (1 cabin), 22 sqm: double bed 1.55 m x 1.95 m, occupancy 2, private balcony, windows both sides, full-width glass doors, refrigerator, kettle, 4.5 sqm bathroom with shower, tub and hairdryer
Dining: Full board - fresh, locally sourced meals prepared on board
Lunch is vegetarian; dinner is beef, chicken or fish
Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements catered for
Egyptian evening with local cuisine and Arabic music.
Facilities: 200 sqm shaded sun deck
Air-conditioned indoor salon
Air conditioning in all cabins, the suite and the salon
Wi-Fi throughout
Advanced water filtration system (filtered drinking water)
Life jackets and fire extinguishers; emergency muster points on deck and bow
Gift shop and 24-hour doctor on call
Itineraries: 4 days / 3 nights Aswan to Luxor, departing Fridays
5 days / 4 nights Esna (Luxor) to Aswan via Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila and Kom Ombo, departing Mondays
8 days / 7 nights round trip from Esna - Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan and back, with optional Abu Simbel and Aswan add-ons

Keep planning

Plan your Nile cruise

Dahabiya Nile cruises explained How much a dahabiya cruise costs Best small-boat Nile cruises Nile River Cruise: the complete guide Nile cruise vs land tour

Good to know

Abundance questions, answered

How much does Abundance cost?

Advertised rates start from US$2,667 per person for 3 nights; prices vary by season and cabin.

How many cabins does Abundance have?

5 cabins and 1 suites, for up to 10 guests.

What route does Abundance sail?

Esna (Temple of Khnum) - Edfu (Temple of Horus) - Gebel el-Silsila - Kom Ombo (temple and Crocodile Museum) - Daraw camel market - Aswan (High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae), departing Fridays from Aswan (3-night) and Mondays from Esna/Luxor (4-night). A 7-night round trip departs Esna every Monday..

What's included on Abundance?

Full board on board, sightseeing and entrance fees per the itinerary, transfers

What guests say

Independent traveller reviews of Abundance, quoted with attribution — we don’t collect these ourselves.

★★★★★
“Gorgeous 4 night trip on the Abundance. Glide down the Nile in style. Excellent food (no one got sick and we're in foreigners in Egypt!). Friendly, fun crew.…”
— Carron M · via Tripadvisor