Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan
Queen Charlotte
Twelve cabins on the Aswan-Esna circuit
Queen Charlotte is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Nile Holiday, built 2023. It has 12 cabins and 2 suites for up to 24 guests and sails itineraries of 3 or 4 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.
Good to know
Twelve cabins on the Aswan-Esna circuit. A sailing dahabiya of twelve cabins for up to twenty-four guests, running the Aswan-Esna reach over three or four nights; suits those wanting a traditional sailing trip.
- Fleet
- Nile Holiday
- Accommodation
- 12 cabins · 2 suites
- Guests
- Up to 24
- Built
- 2023
- Dimensions
- 56.5 × 8 m
- Route
- Luxor (Valley of the Kings), Esna, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo, Philae Temple, Aswan.
- Trip length
- 3 · 4 nights
- Departures
- Wednesdays from Aswan (4 days/3 nights); Saturdays from Luxor/Esna (5 days/4 nights).
- Season
- Rate seasons quoted as May-August and September-April.
About Queen Charlotte
Queen Charlotte carries twelve cabins for up to twenty-four guests, with ten compact doubles of around thirteen square metres and two twenty square metre suites with private terraces, dressed in Egyptian cotton with panoramic windows and air conditioning.
Sailings run three nights down from Aswan on Wednesdays and four nights up from Luxor and Esna on Saturdays, following the river past Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. Dining is full board in an air-conditioned dining room, with a sun deck of loungers and an oriental seating area above.
A motorboat travels alongside for the calm stretches. It keeps the slow rhythm of sailing, mooring at temples and riverbanks the larger cruisers pass by.
Highlights
- Twelve cabins, up to twenty-four guests
- Aswan to Esna, three or four nights
- Calls at Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae
- Full board in an air-conditioned dining room
- Accompanying motorboat for calm stretches
At sail
Day by day
Queen Charlotte sails 2 published programmes. Its own route: Luxor (Valley of the Kings), Esna, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo, Philae Temple, Aswan. Departures wednesdays from aswan (4 days/3 nights); saturdays from luxor/esna (5 days/4 nights).. 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 · up to 24 guests · whole boat from about US$4,800 a night
About US$4,800 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$28,800 for a six-night sailing.
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 Queen Charlotte.
That is the arithmetic of Queen Charlotte'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 Queen Charlotte costs in 2026/2027
The published rate is US$600 per person, 3-night , checked on 2026-09-05.
We are not publishing a trip total for Queen Charlotte, for the reasons below. Ask us and we will quote the sailing you want.
What this figure is, and is not
- The operator publishes one rate across several boats in this fleet, so it is not specific to this hull.
- 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
- Double en-suite cabin - 10 units, 13.0 sqm
- Large suite - 2 units, 20.0 sqm
- Dining
- Full board on a 5-star dahabiya basis
- Air-conditioned dining room
- Facilities
- Air-conditioned dining room
- Sun deck with loungers
- Oriental seating area
- Satellite TV and DVD
- Internet access
- Water filter
- Laundry service and housekeeping
- Accompanying motorboat (tugboat)
- Itineraries
- 4 days / 3 nights from Aswan
- 5 days / 4 nights from Luxor/Esna
Keep planning
Plan your Nile cruise
Good to know
Queen Charlotte questions, answered
How much does Queen Charlotte cost?
Advertised rates start from US$600 per person; prices vary by season and cabin.
How many cabins does Queen Charlotte have?
12 cabins and 2 suites, for up to 24 guests.
What route does Queen Charlotte sail?
Luxor (Valley of the Kings), Esna, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo, Philae Temple, Aswan., departing Wednesdays from Aswan (4 days/3 nights); Saturdays from Luxor/Esna (5 days/4 nights)..
What's included on Queen Charlotte?
Full-board accommodation on board, transfers, Egyptologist guides, entrance fees, meals
What guests say
Independent traveller reviews of Queen Charlotte, quoted with attribution — we don’t collect these ourselves.
4.6 out of 5via Tripadvisor (84)
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