Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Mazaj SIA

Nine smart cabins, Luxor to Aswan

Mazaj SIA is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Mazaj Cruises, built 2025. It has 9 cabins and 3 suites for up to 21 guests and sails itineraries of 4, 5 or 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Nine smart cabins, Luxor to Aswan. A larger sailing dahabiya of nine cabins for up to twenty-one guests, sailing Luxor to Aswan over four to seven nights, for travellers who want the river with a pool, gym and spa.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 9 · up to 21 guestsRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Mazaj Cruises
Accommodation: 9 cabins · 3 suites
Guests: Up to 21
Built: 2025
Route: Round-trip Luxor-Aswan: Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, Esna Lock, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Philae, High Dam, optional Abu Simbel; moorings at Al Ramady and El Sheikh Fadl islands.
Trip length: 4 · 5 · 7 nights

About Mazaj SIA

Mazaj SIA is the larger of the Mazaj dahabiyas, with nine smart cabins for up to twenty-one guests, including two 40 sq m royal suites, sailing the Luxor-to-Aswan reach and back. The cabins carry digital control panels and a Nespresso machine each, and a mobile app lets guests pre-order meals, drinks, laundry and guides.

Among the dahabiyas here it is the best equipped for onboard leisure, with a swimming pool and sunbeds, a gym of treadmill, multi-gym, dumbbells and yoga mats, and spa and massage treatments. Indoor and outdoor dining areas stay open around the clock, with a juice bar and seasonal fruit through the day.

Despite the extras, the route keeps the dahabiya spirit: round trips from Luxor calling at Esna Lock, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo and Philae, with moorings at Al Ramady and El Sheikh Fadl islands. Itineraries run four to seven nights.

Highlights

Nine cabins, up to twenty-one guests
Two 40 sq m royal suites; smart cabins
Swimming pool, gym and spa aboard
Mobile app for meals and services
Moors at Al Ramady and El Sheikh Fadl

At sail

Day by day

Mazaj SIA sails 2 published programmes. Its own route: Round-trip Luxor-Aswan: Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, Esna Lock, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Philae, High Dam, optional Abu Simbel; moorings at Al Ramady and El Sheikh Fad… 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

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

9 cabins · up to 21 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 Mazaj SIA.

Price the whole boat

What Mazaj SIA costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$20,000 'From' price shown against Mazaj SIA on the category listing page; the page does not state per-person vs whole-boat. Given the magnitude this reads as a whole-b , checked on 2026-08-30.

We are not publishing a trip total for Mazaj SIA, 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 'From' price shown against Mazaj SIA on the category listing page; the page does not state per-person vs whole-boat. Given the magnitude this reads as a whole-b, 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: Sia Suite / Royal Suite - 2 suites, 40 sqm / 430 sqft, up to 3 adults, Smart TV, Nespresso machine, kettle, safe, hair dryer, private bathroom, branded toiletries, bathrobe, mini bar, digital control panel
Deluxe Mazaj Cabin / Luxury Cabin (junior suite) - 1 cabin, 32 sqm / 344 sqft, up to 3 adults
Mazaj Cabin / Deluxe Cabin - 6 cabins, 25 sqm / 270 sqft, 2 adults each
Dining: Indoor and outdoor dining areas available 24/7
All-day fresh juices and seasonal fresh fruits
Nespresso machine and kettle in every cabin
Meals pre-orderable through the on-board mobile app
Facilities: Pool with sunbeds
Gym (treadmill, multi-gym, dumbbells, yoga mats)
Spa / massage treatments
Indoor and outdoor dining areas, 24/7
High-speed Wi-Fi
Smart TV and marine satellite
Smart cabins with digital control panels
Mobile app for pre-ordering meals, beverages, laundry, guides and special requests
Laundry service
Juice bar / all-day fresh juices and seasonal fruit
Doctor on call on request
Fire alarm system and life jackets
Itineraries: 4 nights / 5 days, Luxor - Aswan
7 nights / 8 days, Nile Exploration round-trip from Luxor
5 nights / 6 days, 6-day Nile Exploration, Luxor to Aswan

Keep planning

Plan your Nile cruise

Dahabiya Nile cruises explained How much a dahabiya cruise costs Best small-boat Nile cruises Nile River Cruise: the complete guide Nile cruise vs land tour

Good to know

Mazaj SIA questions, answered

How much does Mazaj SIA cost?

Advertised rates start from US$20,000 per person; prices vary by season and cabin.

How many cabins does Mazaj SIA have?

9 cabins and 3 suites, for up to 21 guests.

What route does Mazaj SIA sail?

Round-trip Luxor-Aswan: Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, Esna Lock, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo, Philae, High Dam, optional Abu Simbel; moorings at Al Ramady and El Sheikh Fadl islands..

What's included on Mazaj SIA?

Not itemised.