Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan
Princess Farida
Sixteen guests in royal suites under sail
Princess Farida is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Princess Farida Luxury Dahabiya, built 2024. It has 8 cabins and 8 suites for up to 16 guests and sails itineraries of 3 or 4 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.
Good to know
Sixteen guests in royal suites under sail. A two-deck sailing dahabiya of eight named royal suites for up to sixteen guests, sailing the Luxor-Aswan reach with a licensed Egyptologist.
- Fleet
- Princess Farida Luxury Dahabiya
- Accommodation
- 8 cabins · 8 suites
- Guests
- Up to 16
- Built
- 2024
- Route
- Aswan - Kom Ombo - Gebel El Silsila - Edfu - Esna Lock - Luxor
- Trip length
- 3 · 4 nights
- Departures
- Friday from Aswan (3-night northbound); Monday from Luxor (4-night southbound)
- Season
- Published rate seasons run May 2026 through December 2027 (Summer 2026, Winter 2026-27, Easter 2027, Summer 2027, Winter 2027)
About Princess Farida
Named for Egypt's mid-century queen, Princess Farida carries at most sixteen guests in eight named royal suites across two decks. Three twin and three king suites run 22 square metres; two royal suites of 35 square metres add private terraces, and every suite holds air conditioning, a TV and a mini bar.
She sails the Luxor-Aswan reach with a licensed Egyptologist, four nights southbound from Luxor and three nights north from Aswan, drifting past Gebel el-Silsila, Edfu and Kom Ombo with the option of a whole-boat charter.
On deck are a lounge, bar and dining room, twelve sun beds shaded by eight private pergolas, an open-air gym and a doctor on call. Dining is full board, Egyptian and international, with an afternoon tea and cake service.
Highlights
- Eight royal suites, up to sixteen guests
- Sails Luxor-Aswan with a licensed Egyptologist
- Twelve sun beds under eight private pergolas
- Open-air deck gym and doctor on call
- Full board with afternoon tea service
At sail
Day by day
Princess Farida sails 2 published programmes. Its own route: Aswan - Kom Ombo - Gebel El Silsila - Edfu - Esna Lock - Luxor Departures friday from aswan (3-night northbound); monday from luxor (4-night southbound). 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
8 cabins · up to 16 guests · whole boat from about US$9,547 a night
About US$9,547 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$57,282 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 Princess Farida.
That is the arithmetic of Princess Farida'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.
What Princess Farida costs in 2026/2027
The published rate is US$1,790 per person, 3-night , checked on 2026-09-05.
We are not publishing a trip total for Princess Farida, for the reasons below. Ask us and we will quote the sailing you want.
What this figure is, and is not
- The published figure is quoted per person, 3-night, 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
- Twin luxury suite (3, 22 m2, twin beds, 1-2 persons)
- King/double luxury suite (3, 22 m2, 1-2 persons)
- Royal suite (2, 35 m2, king bed and private terrace, 1-3 persons)
- Dining
- Dining room, full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Afternoon tea and cake service
- Egyptian and international cuisine
- Facilities
- Lounge
- Dining room
- Bar
- 12 sun beds on deck
- 8 private sun-deck pergolas
- Open-air gym
- Gift shop
- 24-hour doctor availability
- Air conditioning, TV and mini bar in every suite
- En-suite bathroom with shower
- Itineraries
- 4 days / 3 nights Aswan to Luxor
- 5 days / 4 nights Luxor to Aswan
- Whole-boat charter trips
Keep planning
Plan your Nile cruise
Good to know
Princess Farida questions, answered
How much does Princess Farida cost?
Advertised rates start from US$1,790 per person for 3 nights; prices vary by season and cabin.
How many cabins does Princess Farida have?
8 cabins and 8 suites, for up to 16 guests.
What route does Princess Farida sail?
Aswan - Kom Ombo - Gebel El Silsila - Edfu - Esna Lock - Luxor, departing Friday from Aswan (3-night northbound); Monday from Luxor (4-night southbound).
What's included on Princess Farida?
3 nights in an en-suite dahabiya suite, full board, complimentary beverages, daily housekeeping, licensed Egyptologist guide, transfers, entrance fees, service charges and taxes. Excludes international flights, pre/post hotels, insurance, gratuities.
What guests say
Independent traveller reviews of Princess Farida, quoted with attribution — we don’t collect these ourselves.
5 out of 5via Tripadvisor (280)
- ★★★★★
“The crew took exceptionally good care of us. The cabins were cozy and well cared for…you should definitely try out Princess Farida Dahabiya.”
— Phoebus · via Tripadvisor
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