Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaLuxor → Aswan
Per Ba Merkaba
Twelve cabins, chartered whole, with a sound dome aboard
Per Ba Merkaba is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Per Ba Merkaba. It has 12 cabins for up to 24 guests.
Good to know
Per Ba Merkaba is a 12-cabin sailing dahabiya on the Luxor to Aswan reach. Dahabiyas trade big-ship bustle for quiet water: island moorings, sails over engines, and temple mornings before the coaches arrive. Rates move with dates and cabins, so every sailing is quoted live.
- Fleet
- Per Ba Merkaba
- Accommodation
- 12 cabins
- Guests
- Up to 24
- Route
- Between Luxor and Aswan. The operator publishes no fixed ports and no direction: the itinerary is set per charter.
- Departures
- No fixed weekly departures - the boat sails on charter, booked in advance
About Per Ba Merkaba
Per Ba Merkaba carries twelve cabins for up to twenty-four guests and is sold as a whole-boat charter rather than by the cabin, so the route between Luxor and Aswan is agreed per booking rather than fixed.
She is unusual in having a dedicated circular sound and meditation hall aboard, which the operator calls Ptah's Chamber and which seats all twenty-four guests at once. The boat sails and motors, in the operator's own words, rather than relying on the wind alone.
The fare covers airport transfers at Luxor or Aswan and Wi-Fi aboard, though the connection is limited. An Egyptologist guide is not included and is offered as an optional addition, which is unusual on the Nile and worth budgeting for separately.
Highlights
- Twelve cabins for up to twenty-four guests
- Whole-boat charter, with the itinerary set per booking
- Ptah's Chamber, a circular sound and meditation hall for all twenty-four
- Sails and motors between Luxor and Aswan
- Airport transfers at Luxor or Aswan included
At sail
Day by day
The canonical 5-day / 4-night rhythm on the Luxor to Aswan reach. Days flex with wind and mooring rights, which is half the point of a sailing boat.
Day 1
Embark at Luxor
Transfer in, settle into your cabin, and a first sail south as the crew raises the lateen sails.
Lunch · Dinner
Day 2
Edfu · Temple of Horus
The best preserved temple in Egypt in the morning quiet, then onward to an island mooring.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 3
The quiet Nile
A sailing day: village walks where the boat moors, swimming off the deck where conditions allow, tea as the sails come down.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 4
Kom Ombo
The double temple to Sobek and Horus late in the day, then a last night on the water short of Aswan.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 5
Disembark at Aswan
Ashore after breakfast. Philae Temple sits twenty minutes away, and Abu Simbel works as an extension.
Breakfast
The fine print
What's included and what isn't
Unusually for the Nile, the guide is not part of the fare - the operator sells it as an optional extra, so budget for it separately. The operator is silent on temple and monument entry, alcohol and service charges; silence is not inclusion, so ask us before you book.
Included
- Your cabin aboard, with the boat taken as a whole charter
- Airport transfers at Luxor or Aswan
- Wi-Fi aboard, limited
- Beverages, with a tea service itemised by the operator
Not included
- An Egyptologist guide, which the operator offers as an optional addition
Take the whole boat
12 cabins · up to 24 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 Per Ba Merkaba.
The boat in detail
- Facilities
- Ptah's Chamber, a circular sound and meditation hall seating all 24 guests
- Sun deck with shaded seating
- Dining room
- Wi-Fi aboard, limited
- Itineraries
- Private charter, itinerary agreed per booking
Keep planning
Plan your Nile cruise
Good to know
Per Ba Merkaba questions, answered
Where does Per Ba Merkaba sail?
Per Ba Merkaba sails Between Luxor and Aswan. The operator publishes no fixed ports and no direction: the itinerary is set per charter.
What is included in the fare on Per Ba Merkaba?
On Per Ba Merkaba the fare covers Your cabin aboard, with the boat taken as a whole charter; Airport transfers at Luxor or Aswan; Wi-Fi aboard, limited; Beverages, with a tea service itemised by the operator. Not included: An Egyptologist guide, which the operator offers as an optional addition. These are the operator's own published terms.
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