Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Bens

A modern dahabiya with a plunge pool on deck

Bens is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat). It sails itineraries of 3 or 4 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

A modern dahabiya with a plunge pool on deck. A comfortable sailing dahabiya on the Esna to Aswan route, with a shaded lounge deck and a plunge pool, mooring at the small riverbank sites only a shallow boat can reach.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersRoute Esna → Aswan

Route: Esna, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Aswan
Trip length: 3 · 4 nights

About Bens

A comfortable sailing dahabiya on the Esna to Aswan route, with a shaded lounge deck and a plunge pool, mooring at the small riverbank sites only a shallow boat can reach.

Highlights

Sails from Esna
Plunge pool and shaded deck
Moors at El Kab and Gebel el-Silsila
Small and quiet

At sail

Day by day

The canonical 5-day / 4-night rhythm on the Esna to Aswan reach; Bens sails itineraries of 3 or 4 nights on the same water. Days flex with wind and mooring rights, which is half the point of a sailing boat.

Day 1
Embark at Esna
Transfer in, settle into your cabin, and a first sail south as the crew raises the lateen sails.
Lunch · Dinner
Day 2
Edfu · Temple of Horus
The best preserved temple in Egypt in the morning quiet, then onward to an island mooring.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 3
The quiet Nile
A sailing day: village walks where the boat moors, swimming off the deck where conditions allow, tea as the sails come down.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 4
Kom Ombo
The double temple to Sobek and Horus late in the day, then a last night on the water short of Aswan.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 5
Disembark at Aswan
Ashore after breakfast. Philae Temple sits twenty minutes away, and Abu Simbel works as an extension.
Breakfast

Take the whole boat

A small hull · whole-boat charter on request

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 Bens.

Price the whole boat

What Bens costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$1,224 per person, 3-night , checked on 2026-09-12.

We are not publishing a trip total for Bens, 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, 3-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

Itineraries: 3 nights / 4 nights, Esna to Aswan

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

Bens questions, answered

How much does Bens cost?

Advertised rates start from US$1,224 per person; prices vary by season and cabin.

What route does Bens sail?

Esna, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Aswan.

What is included in the fare on Bens?

A dahabiya fare of this kind normally covers your cabin on full board, entrance to the temples named in the itinerary, an Egyptologist guide, the listed shore excursions and transfers at each end. Tips, drinks, optional excursions such as Abu Simbel, and personal expenses are normally extra. Whether soft drinks, Wi-Fi and service charges sit inside the fare genuinely differs between operators, so confirm those for Bens before booking.