Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan
Embrace 1
Thirteen-cabin dahabiya with seven suites
Embrace 1 is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat). It has 13 cabins and 7 suites for up to 26 guests and sails itineraries of 3 or 4 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.
Good to know
Embrace 1 is a 13-cabin sailing dahabiya on the Esna to Aswan reach, sailing itineraries of 3 or 4 nights with full board. Dahabiyas trade big-ship bustle for quiet water: island moorings, sails over engines, and temple mornings before the coaches arrive. Rates move with dates and cabins, so every sailing is quoted live.
- Accommodation
- 13 cabins · 7 suites
- Guests
- Up to 26
- Route
- Esna (Luxor) - Edfu - Kom Ombo - Daraw - Aswan
- Trip length
- 3 · 4 nights
- Departures
- Mondays from Esna (4 nights); Fridays from Aswan (3 nights)
About Embrace 1
Embrace 1 is a three-deck sailing dahabiya with thirteen guest cabins for up to 26 people, finished in a modern Egyptian and Bedouin style. Five large suites measure 41 square metres, two twin-bedded suites open onto their own terrace, and six standard cabins complete the layout. Every cabin has a private bathroom, its own air-conditioning control, a safe, a mini fridge, Egyptian linen and Wi-Fi.
Four-night sailings leave Esna on Mondays for Aswan, calling at Edfu, Kom Ombo and Daraw, while three-night trips run the other way from Aswan on Fridays. The 30-seat restaurant serves full-board Egyptian dishes from the boat's chef, with dinners on deck and a barbecue and campfire ashore on Maniha Island.
Highlights
- Five 41 m2 suites
- Two twin suites with private terrace
- Up to 26 guests in 13 cabins
- Barbecue and campfire on Maniha Island
- Mondays from Esna, Fridays from Aswan
At sail
Day by day
The canonical 5-day / 4-night rhythm on the Esna to Aswan reach; Embrace 1 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
13 cabins · up to 26 guests · whole-boat charter on request
A boat this size carries a reunion or a celebration: grandparents, parents and children aboard together, the run of the deck, and one bill at the end. Tell us your dates and party size and we will price the whole of Embrace 1.
The boat in detail
- Cabin categories
- Suite x5 - 41 m2
- Twin-bed suite with terrace x2
- Standard cabin x6
- All with private bathroom, own A/C control, Wi-Fi, safe, mini fridge, Egyptian linen and hairdryer
- Dining
- Onboard restaurant seating 30
- Full-board Egyptian dishes by the onboard chef
- Dinners on deck
- Barbecue ashore with campfire on Maniha Island
- Unlimited water, tea and coffee
- Facilities
- Three decks
- Modern Egyptian and Bedouin design
- 30-seat restaurant
- Wi-Fi on board
- Daily housekeeping
- Self-controlled A/C, safe and mini fridge in every cabin
- Itineraries
- 4 nights Esna (Luxor) to Aswan
- 3 nights Aswan to Esna (Luxor)
Keep planning
Plan your Nile cruise
Good to know
Embrace 1 questions, answered
Where does Embrace 1 sail?
Embrace 1 sails Esna (Luxor) - Edfu - Kom Ombo - Daraw - Aswan
What is included in the fare on Embrace 1?
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 Embrace 1 before booking.
