Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Magic Nile

Twelve cabins on the Karnak-to-Aswan run

Magic Nile is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Nile Holiday. It has 12 cabins and 2 suites and sails itineraries of 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Twelve cabins on the Karnak-to-Aswan run. A sailing dahabiya of twelve cabins, running between Luxor and Aswan over three, four or seven nights; suits travellers wanting a traditional small-boat river journey.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 12Board full boardRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Nile Holiday
Accommodation: 12 cabins · 2 suites
Route: Karnak, Luxor, Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, Aswan High Dam.
Trip length: 7 nights
Departures: Wednesdays from Aswan; Saturdays from Luxor.
Season: Rate seasons quoted as May-August and September-April.

About Magic Nile

Magic Nile is a twelve-cabin dahabiya with ten doubles of around twenty-one square metres and two thirty-three square metre suites, dressed in Egyptian cotton with panoramic windows, satellite TV and individual air conditioning. It works the Karnak-to-Aswan run on three-, four- and seven-night sailings.

Departures are Saturdays from Luxor and Wednesdays from Aswan, tracing the reach past Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae to the High Dam. Dining is full board in an air-conditioned dining room, with a sun deck of loungers and an oriental seating corner for the slow hours between temples.

A tender travels in company for the windless stretches. It is an unhurried, traditional way to sail the southern Nile, reaching the temples away from the larger ships.

Highlights

Twelve cabins, doubles and suites
Luxor to Aswan, three, four or seven nights
Calls at Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae
Full board in an air-conditioned dining room
Accompanying tender for windless stretches

At sail

Day by day

Magic Nile sails 2 published programmes. Its own route: Karnak, Luxor, Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, Aswan High Dam. Departures wednesdays from aswan; saturdays from luxor.. 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.

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 Luxor, 3 nightsusually departs Wednesday

Day 1
Aswan, embark
Board at Aswan, then the High Dam and Philae the same afternoon.
Visits High Dam · Philae
Optional felucca among the islands
Day 2
Kom Ombo
Sail north to Kom Ombo, whose double temple stands directly above the water. Half the published itineraries add Gebel el-Silsila, the old sandstone quarry, which no large ship stops at.
Visits Kom Ombo
Optional Abu Simbel, pre-dawn by road or air · Gebel el-Silsila
Day 3
Through the Esna lock
Edfu in the morning on most departures, then the Esna lock, which the boat often waits for. Moor at Luxor.
Visits Esna lock · Edfu
Day 4
The Luxor west bank, and disembark
The west bank on the last morning. Half of the departures add Karnak before the transfer.
Visits Valley of the Kings · Hatshepsut · Colossi of Memnon
Optional Karnak

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.

Take the whole boat

12 cabins · 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 Magic Nile.

Price the whole boat

What Magic Nile costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$895 per person, from, double cabin, May-August; September-April rates higher; single-cabin premiums apply , checked on 2026-08-30.

We are not publishing a trip total for Magic Nile, for the reasons below. Ask us and we will quote the sailing you want.

What this figure is, and is not

This is the operator's own advertised rate, not a quote from us.
The published figure is quoted per person, from, double cabin, May-August; September-April rates higher; single-cabin premiums apply, 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: Double cabin - 10 units, 21.0 sqm
Suite - 2 units, 33.0 sqm
Dining: Full board on a 5-star dahabiya basis
Air-conditioned dining room
Facilities: Air-conditioned dining room
Sun deck with loungers and an oriental seating area
Satellite TV and DVD in cabins
Water filter system
Internet access
Accompanying motorboat (tugboat) for calm conditions
Laundry and housekeeping
Itineraries: 3, 4 or 7 nights Luxor-Aswan / Aswan-Luxor