Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Lazuli The East

A twin-masted sailboat on the quiet Nile

Lazuli The East is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Lazuli (Lazulinil), built 2021. It has 6 cabins and 2 suites for up to 12 guests and sails itineraries of 2, 3, 4 or 5 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

A twin-masted sailboat on the quiet Nile. A small twin-masted sailing dahabiya cruising the Luxor and Aswan reach over four to six days, for travellers drawn to candlelit island dinners and unhurried water.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 6 · up to 12 guestsRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Lazuli (Lazulinil)
Accommodation: 6 cabins · 2 suites
Guests: Up to 12
Built: 2021
Trip length: 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 nights
Departures: Every Friday from Aswan (4-day); every Monday from Luxor (5-day and 6-day)

About Lazuli The East

Lazuli The East is a twin-masted sailing dahabiya, built as a contemporary echo of the old Nile barks, that moves slowly upstream on the reach around Luxor and Aswan. It is a small, personal way to travel the river, drifting with the wind and mooring where the larger boats cannot.

The cabins are en-suite and air-conditioned, the upper deck is given over to leisure and relaxation, and solar energy runs the hot water and electricity. Dinners are the highlight of the day: the onboard chef sets candlelit tables on the open deck or ashore on the river islands.

Itineraries run three to five nights, departing from Aswan or Luxor, keeping to the calm, characterful pace that sets a dahabiya apart from the cruise ships.

Highlights

Twin-masted sailing dahabiya
Candlelit dinners on deck and islands
En-suite, air-conditioned cabins
Solar power for water and electricity
Three to five nights, Luxor or Aswan

At sail

Day by day

Lazuli The East sails 4 published programmes. Departures every friday from aswan (4-day); every monday from luxor (5-day and 6-day). 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

6 cabins · up to 12 guests · whole boat from about US$4,440 a night

About US$4,440 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$26,640 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 Lazuli The East.

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

The published rate is US$370 per person per night , checked on 2026-09-21.

Sailing	Per person, from
2 nights	US$740
3 nights	US$1,110
4 nights	US$1,480
5 nights	US$1,850

The boat in detail

Dining: Onboard chef
Candlelit dinners on deck and on islands
Facilities: Upper deck for leisure and relaxation
Solar energy for hot water and electricity
Wi-Fi
DVD players and video projectors
Air conditioning
Softened water
Private bathrooms in all cabins
Itineraries: 3 days / 2 nights Aswan to Esna
3 nights / 4 days from Aswan
4 nights / 5 days from Luxor
5 nights / 6 days from Luxor

Keep planning

Plan your Nile cruise

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Good to know

Lazuli The East questions, answered

How much does Lazuli The East cost?

Advertised rates start from US$370 per person; prices vary by season and cabin.

How many cabins does Lazuli The East have?

6 cabins and 2 suites, for up to 12 guests.

What's included on Lazuli The East?

Not itemised on the listing page.

How many nights is a cruise on Lazuli The East, and where does it sail?

Lazuli The East sails 5 nights Luxor to Aswan, and 4 nights Luxor to Aswan, and 3 nights Luxor to Aswan, and 2 nights Luxor to Aswan. The route follows the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, calling at Esna lock, El Kab, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Daraw. 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.