Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Lazuli Albatros

Eight cabins, sixteen guests, Esna to Aswan

Lazuli Albatros is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Lazuli, built 2018. It has 8 cabins and 2 suites for up to 16 guests and sails itineraries of 2, 3, 4 or 5 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Eight cabins, sixteen guests, Esna to Aswan. A twin-masted sailing dahabiya of eight cabins for sixteen guests, sailing the Esna-Aswan reach over three to five nights, suited to families and small groups.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 8 · up to 16 guestsBoard full boardRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Lazuli
Accommodation: 8 cabins · 2 suites
Guests: Up to 16
Built: 2018
Dimensions: 35 × 6.8 m
Route: Esna, El Hegz, El Kab, Edfu (Temple of Horus), Fawaza/Bassaw island, Djebel Silsila, Kom Ombo, Daraw, Herdiab island, Aswan (Philae Temple, High Dam); Karnak and the Valley of the Kings on the Luxor land portion
Trip length: 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 nights
Departures: Every Monday from Esna; every Friday from Aswan.
Season: Year-round; operates through the 2026/2027 season.

About Lazuli Albatros

Albatros is a classic Lazuli dahabiya, a twin-masted modern reproduction of the sacred bark of the pharaohs, carrying up to sixteen guests in eight cabins. Two suites share a balcony behind large rear bay windows over the river, and Old English style decor runs throughout, making her well suited to families and groups travelling together.

Her sail follows the quiet Esna-to-Aswan reach, mooring at river islands such as Fawaza and Herdiab and calling at Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila and Kom Ombo, with the Aswan and Luxor sites at either end. A library-salon with board games and a billiard table sits below, and the upper deck adds a bar, misting-fan dining, oriental lounges, sun loungers and a jacuzzi.

Meals are full board, Egyptian traditional cuisine cooked on board, with water, tea, coffee and hibiscus included. Solar panels heat the water and power the boat, and every cabin carries fire detectors and life jackets.

Highlights

Eight cabins for sixteen guests, twin-masted
Two suites with rear bay windows
Sails Esna, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Aswan
Library-salon with billiard table, sun-deck bar
Upper-deck jacuzzi, full board on board

At sail

Day by day

Lazuli Albatros sails 4 published programmes. Its own route: Esna, El Hegz, El Kab, Edfu (Temple of Horus), Fawaza/Bassaw island, Djebel Silsila, Kom Ombo, Daraw, Herdiab island, Aswan (Philae Temple, High Dam); Karnak and the Valley of the Kings on the Luxor land portion Departures every monday from esna; every friday from aswan.. 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.

Esna or Luxor to Aswan, 5 nightsusually departs Monday

Day 1
Transfer to Esna and embark
Most boats collect guests in Luxor and drive the 50 km to Esna, since the lock is the practical starting point. Sail out and moor at an island.
Visits Esna lock
Day 2
El Kab and Edfu
The painted rock tombs at El Kab in the morning, a site no cruise ship stops at, then the Temple of Horus before dusk.
Visits El Kab · Edfu
Day 3
Gebel el-Silsila
The sandstone quarries and rock-cut chapels, then a long afternoon under sail. Moor at a sandbank.
Visits Gebel el-Silsila
Day 4
Kom Ombo
The double temple at first light, before the cruise ships arrive, and often the camel market at Daraw.
Visits Kom Ombo · Daraw
Day 5
Sail to Aswan
A slow final day on the water, mooring near Aswan.
Day 6
Disembark at Aswan
Disembark at Aswan after breakfast. The Aswan sites are not part of the river itinerary on an operator-sold sailing: Philae, the High Dam and Abu Simbel are added on either side, which is the main difference between this and an agency package.
Optional Philae · High Dam · Abu Simbel

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 Esna, 3 nights

Day 1
Aswan, Philae and the sail to Herdiab
Collected from your hotel or the airport in Aswan and taken to Philae, the island temple of Isis that UNESCO moved stone by stone between 1972 and 1980 to save it from the rising water. Aboard after the visit, with the first lunch served under way as the boat works down to Herdiab for the night.
Visits Philae Temple
Day 2
Kom Ombo and Gebel el-Silsila
Breakfast is served under way to Kom Ombo, where the temple stands on a bend in the river and is unusual in being dual - one half for Sobek the crocodile god, the other for Haroeris the hawk. Lunch is taken sailing on to Gebel el-Silsila for the Speos of Horemheb, a chapel cut into the rock for the pharaoh and seven gods, and the sandstone quarries that supplied the stone for much of pharaonic Egypt.
Visits Kom Ombo Temple · Gebel el-Silsila
Day 3
Bassaw village, Edfu, and the mooring at El Hegz
A morning at Bassaw, an old fishing village the tour buses never reach, where the encounter is unhurried and nothing is being sold. Edfu follows after lunch: the temple of Horus is the most completely preserved in Egypt and the last great building project on that scale, and it dominates a working town now known for sugar and pottery. The night is spent moored at El Hegz.
Visits Bassaw village · Edfu Temple of Horus
Optional trying the traditional fishing method still used on this stretch
Day 4
Esna, disembark for Luxor
Breakfast under way into Esna, then the short road transfer to Luxor.

Aswan to Esna, 2 nights

Day 1
Aswan, Philae and Kom Ombo
Collected from your hotel or the airport in Aswan at around ten, with Philae first - the island temple of Isis that UNESCO moved between 1972 and 1980 to save it from the rising water. Aboard afterwards, and lunch is served under way to Kom Ombo for the dual temple of Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris the hawk. The boat carries on to moor at Beshir for the night.
Visits Philae Temple · Kom Ombo Temple
Day 2
Gebel el-Silsila, Bassaw and Edfu
An early hour at the Horemheb-era temple and the ancient quarry that supplied its stone, then an hour at Bassaw around midday - a working fishermen's village rather than a stop arranged for visitors. Lunch is eaten under way to Edfu, where the afternoon is given to the temple of Horus, the most completely preserved in Egypt. The night is spent moored at El Hegz.
Visits Gebel el-Silsila · Bassaw village · Edfu Temple of Horus
Day 3
Esna, disembark for Luxor
A short run into Esna, breakfast, and ashore at about half past eight for the road transfer to Luxor.

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.

The fine print

What's included and what isn't

Children under six travel free, six to eleven pay a child rate, and twelve and over are charged as adults. Tipping is discretionary; as a guide the operator suggests roughly EUR 3-5 per person per day for the driver, EUR 5-7 for the representative and EUR 7-10 for the guide. Confirm what your own booking covers before you travel.

Included

Full board throughout, from lunch on the day you board to breakfast on the day you leave
Transfers at both ends, between the boat and your hotel or the airport
The visits and activities named in the itinerary, and their entrance fees
An Egyptologist guide on board, in English or French as you prefer
Mineral water, tea, mint tea, Turkish coffee and soft drinks throughout
Wi-Fi on board

Not included

Alcoholic drinks, fresh juice, and espresso or Nespresso coffee outside breakfast
Anything not named in the itinerary: other visits, activities, transfers or meals
Tips for the crew, the guide, the driver and the representative
Your Egypt entry visa, and flights
Personal expenses

Take the whole boat

8 cabins · up to 16 guests · whole boat from about US$6,000 a night

About US$6,000 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$36,000 for a six-night sailing.

At this size two or three families travel together without anyone being split between boats, and the crew cooks for your party alone. Tell us your dates, and how many adults and children, and we will price the whole of Lazuli Albatros.

That is the arithmetic of Lazuli Albatros'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 Lazuli Albatros costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$1,500 per person, 4-night , checked on 2026-08-30.

We are not publishing a trip total for Lazuli Albatros, 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, 4-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: Suite x2 - large rear bay windows, sharing a balcony, Old English style decor
Standard Cabin x6 - spacious and comfortable
All: air conditioning, in-cabin safe, private bathroom with shower and hairdryer, minibar, TV, fire detectors and life jackets
Dining: Full board - Egyptian traditional cuisine prepared on board
Meals served at a shared dining table on the upper deck or in the salon
Included: mineral water, tea, coffee, hibiscus and soft drinks
Not included: alcoholic drinks, fresh juices, espresso/Nespresso outside breakfast
Facilities: Library-salon lounge with Wi-Fi, board games and a billiard table
Bar on the sun deck
Upper deck with dining tables, chairs, misting fan, oriental lounges and sun loungers
Jacuzzi
DVD player and video projector
Gift shop
Laundry service
Solar energy for hot water and electricity
24-hour doctor availability
Fire detectors and life jackets in every cabin; trained crew, first aid kit
Itineraries: 3 days / 2 nights Aswan to Esna
4 days / 3 nights Aswan to Esna
5 days / 4 nights Esna to Aswan
6 days / 5 nights Esna to Aswan

Keep planning

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Good to know

Lazuli Albatros questions, answered

How much does Lazuli Albatros cost?

Advertised rates start from US$1,500 per person for 3 nights; prices vary by season and cabin.

How many cabins does Lazuli Albatros have?

8 cabins and 2 suites, for up to 16 guests.

What route does Lazuli Albatros sail?

Esna, El Hegz, El Kab, Edfu (Temple of Horus), Fawaza/Bassaw island, Djebel Silsila, Kom Ombo, Daraw, Herdiab island, Aswan (Philae Temple, High Dam); Karnak and the Valley of the Kings on the Luxor land portion, departing Every Monday from Esna; every Friday from Aswan..

What's included on Lazuli Albatros?

Accommodation, all meals, guided Egyptologist tours, site entrance fees, tea/coffee/mineral water, private transfers Luxor/Aswan, sailing permits and local taxes. Excludes flights, tips, alcohol, optional activities. Indicative only.