Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan
Lazuli Karnak
Ten cabins under lateen sails, Esna to Aswan
Lazuli Karnak is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Lazuli (Lazulinil), built 2022. It has 10 cabins and 2 suites for up to 20 guests and sails itineraries of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.
Good to know
Ten cabins under lateen sails, Esna to Aswan. A 2022 twin-masted sailing dahabiya of ten cabins for twenty guests, sailing the Esna-Aswan reach over three to five nights with an Egyptologist, suited to small-group temple travellers.
- Fleet
- Lazuli (Lazulinil)
- Accommodation
- 10 cabins · 2 suites
- Guests
- Up to 20
- Built
- 2022
- Dimensions
- 45 × 8 m
- Route
- Luxor/Esna - El Hegz - El Kaab - Edfu - Bassaw - Gebel (Djebel) Silsila - Kom Ombo - Herdiab - Aswan (Philae). Sites include Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Khnum at Esna.
- Trip length
- 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 7 nights
- Departures
- Every Sunday and Monday from Esna; every Friday from Aswan
About Lazuli Karnak
Built in 2022, Karnak is a twin-masted sailing dahabiya presented as a contemporary reproduction of the sacred bark of the pharaohs, carrying twenty guests in ten cabins. Two panoramic suites take large picture windows over the river and eight standard cabins come in double and twin layouts, each with individual air conditioning, a safe and a private bathroom.
She sails the Esna/Luxor-to-Aswan reach under lateen sails, mooring at river islands such as Bassaw and Herdiab and calling at Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila and Kom Ombo, with a private Egyptologist along for the temples at either end. A salon-library with games sits below, and the upper deck carries a hot tub, loungers and open-air dining under canvas or under the stars; a tow boat helps along when the wind falls light.
Meals are full board, Egyptian and locally inspired cuisine from the onboard chef, with water, tea, coffee and hibiscus included. Wi-Fi is available on board, and each cabin has a shower, hairdryer and softened water.
Highlights
- Ten cabins for twenty guests, built 2022
- Two panoramic suites, twin lateen sails
- Sails Esna, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Aswan
- Private Egyptologist guide included
- Upper-deck hot tub, open-air dining, Wi-Fi
At sail
Day by day
Lazuli Karnak sails 4 published programmes. Its own route: Luxor/Esna - El Hegz - El Kaab - Edfu - Bassaw - Gebel (Djebel) Silsila - Kom Ombo - Herdiab - Aswan (Philae) Departures every sunday and 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
10 cabins · up to 20 guests · whole boat from about US$7,400 a night
About US$7,400 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$44,400 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 Karnak.
That is the arithmetic of Lazuli Karnak'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.
What Lazuli Karnak costs in 2026/2027
The published rate is US$370 per person per night , checked on 2026-08-30.
| Sailing | Per person, from |
|---|---|
| 2 nights | US$740 |
| 3 nights | US$1,110 |
| 4 nights | US$1,480 |
| 5 nights | US$1,850 |
| 7 nights | US$2,590 |
The boat in detail
- Cabin categories
- Panoramic suite (2 units, approx. 12.6 sqm, large panoramic picture windows, no balcony)
- Standard cabin (8 units, approx. 9.5 sqm, 4 with double bed, 4 with twin beds)
- Dining
- Full board included
- Open-air dining on deck under canvas or under the stars
- Onboard chef, Egyptian traditional and locally-inspired cuisine
- Mineral water, tea, coffee, soft drinks and hibiscus included; alcohol, espresso/Nespresso and fresh juices excluded
- Facilities
- Upper/sun deck with Jacuzzi (hot tub)
- Lounge seating and chaises longues on upper deck
- Salon-library with games
- Air conditioning (individually controlled in cabins)
- Safe in each cabin
- Private bathroom with shower and hair dryer in every cabin
- TV and 220V outlets in cabins (CroisiEurope)
- DVD players and video projectors
- Softened water
- Laundry service
- Private Egyptologist guide included
- Motor/tow boat used when wind is insufficient
- Itineraries
- 3 days / 2 nights Aswan to Esna
- 3 nights / 4 days - Aswan to Esna
- 4 nights / 5 days - Esna to Aswan
- 5 nights / 6 days - Esna to Aswan
- 7 nights / 8 days - private charter extension between Luxor and Aswan
Keep planning
Plan your Nile cruise
Good to know
Lazuli Karnak questions, answered
How much does Lazuli Karnak cost?
Advertised rates start from US$370 per person for 3 nights; prices vary by season and cabin.
How many cabins does Lazuli Karnak have?
10 cabins and 2 suites, for up to 20 guests.
What route does Lazuli Karnak sail?
Luxor/Esna - El Hegz - El Kaab - Edfu - Bassaw - Gebel (Djebel) Silsila - Kom Ombo - Herdiab - Aswan (Philae). Sites include Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Khnum at Esna., departing Every Sunday and Monday from Esna; every Friday from Aswan.
What's included on Lazuli Karnak?
Meet and assist, all transfers in air-conditioned vehicles, full-board accommodation on board, all excursions and entrance fees per itinerary, English-speaking Egyptologist guide, service charges and taxes. Excludes international air, all beverages, personal extras and tips.
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