Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Merit I

Ten cabins under sail, Luxor to Aswan

Merit I is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Merit Dahabiyas. It has 10 cabins and 0 suites for up to 20 guests and sails itineraries of 3, 4, 5 or 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Ten cabins under sail, Luxor to Aswan. A sailing dahabiya of ten cabins for up to twenty guests, drifting between Luxor and Aswan over three to seven nights; suits travellers who prefer small and unhurried.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 10 · up to 20 guestsBoard full boardRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Merit Dahabiyas
Accommodation: 10 cabins · 0 suites
Guests: Up to 20
Dimensions: 50 × 7.5 m
Route: Luxor - Esna - Edfu - Al Ramady Island - Gebel El Silsila - Kom Ombo - El Sheikh Fadl Island - Aswan. Sites: Karnak and Luxor Temples, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, High Dam.
Trip length: 3 · 4 · 5 · 7 nights
Departures: Saturdays from Luxor (southbound 4, 5 and 7 nights); Wednesdays from Aswan (3 nights northbound)
Season: Year-round; resellers price a May-August summer season and a September-April winter season

About Merit I

Merit I carries just twenty guests across ten deluxe cabins of around eighteen square metres, each with a panoramic Nile-view window, private bathroom and individual air conditioning. It is the kind of small boat that moors where the big cruisers cannot, tying up at river islands like Al Ramady and El Sheikh Fadl and drawing alongside Gebel el-Silsila.

Sailings run four, five or seven nights up from Luxor and three nights down from Aswan, tracing the classic reach past Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo. Meals are full board, taken in an indoor restaurant or up on the sundeck, with a bar and a reading lounge for the slow hours between temples.

The sundeck holds ten sun beds and an open-air heated Jacuzzi for the long afternoons on the water. It is a calm, personal way to see the river, with the temples reached before the crowds.

Highlights

Just ten cabins, up to twenty guests
Luxor to Aswan, three to seven nights
Moors at river islands and Gebel el-Silsila
Full board, indoor and sundeck restaurants
Sundeck with sun beds and heated Jacuzzi

At sail

Day by day

Merit I sails 3 published programmes. Its own route: Luxor - Esna - Edfu - Al Ramady Island - Gebel El Silsila - Kom Ombo - El Sheikh Fadl Island - Aswan Departures saturdays from luxor (southbound 4, 5 and 7 nights); wednesdays from aswan (3 nights northbound). 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 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

10 cabins · up to 20 guests · whole boat from about US$9,615 a night

About US$9,615 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$57,690 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 Merit I.

That is the arithmetic of Merit I'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 Merit I costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$1,923 per person, 4-night , checked on 2026-10-07.

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

What this figure is, and is not

Published as a range rather than a single figure.
Converted from the currency the operator quotes in, so it moves with the exchange rate.
Rates move with season, cabin and departure. We quote every sailing live, and there is no booking fee to ask.

The boat in detail

Cabin categories: Deluxe cabin (10 units, 18 sqm, 5 with king/double bed and 5 twin-bedded. LCD satellite TV, individually controllable air conditioning, mini bar, internal phone, safe deposit box, fire alarm, panoramic Nile-view window; private bathroom with shower, hot and cold water, hair dryer, mirror, slippers.)
Dining: Full board (FB) basis - all meals included
Indoor restaurant and sundeck restaurant
Bar on board
Mineral water and soft drinks included in packages
Facilities: 24-hour front office service
Indoor restaurant and sundeck restaurant
Bar
Reading lounge
Open-air heated Jacuzzi
Sundeck with 10 sun beds
Free Wi-Fi
24-hour doctor on call
Fire safety systems (sprinklers, anti-fire treatment), first aid, staff trained in emergency handling
Laundry service
In-cabin: LCD satellite TV, individual air conditioning, mini bar, safe, internal phone, panoramic window
Itineraries: 3 nights / 4 days - Aswan to Luxor, departs Wednesdays
4 nights / 5 days - Luxor to Aswan, departs Saturdays
5 nights / 6 days - Luxor to Aswan, departs Saturdays
7 nights / 8 days - Luxor - Aswan - Luxor round trip, departs Saturdays

Keep planning

Plan your Nile cruise

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Good to know

Merit I questions, answered

How much does Merit I cost?

From US$1,923 per person for four nights, and up to US$2,601, based on a whole-boat charter of all eight cabins for fourteen guests. A smaller party pays more per head - ask us for a cabin-by-cabin rate.

How many cabins does Merit I have?

10 cabins and 0 suites, for up to 20 guests.

What route does Merit I sail?

Luxor - Esna - Edfu - Al Ramady Island - Gebel El Silsila - Kom Ombo - El Sheikh Fadl Island - Aswan. Sites: Karnak and Luxor Temples, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, High Dam., departing Saturdays from Luxor (southbound 4, 5 and 7 nights); Wednesdays from Aswan (3 nights northbound).

What's included on Merit I?

Full board accommodation, transfers, excursions, entrance fees, meet-and-assist