Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Queen Farida

Sunday sailings from Esna for up to 16 guests

Queen Farida is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat). It has 8 cabins and 2 suites for up to 16 guests and sails itineraries of 5 or 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Queen Farida is a 8-cabin sailing dahabiya on the Esna to Aswan reach, sailing itineraries of 5 or 7 nights with full board. 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.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 8 · up to 16 guestsBoard full boardRoute Esna → Aswan

Accommodation: 8 cabins · 2 suites
Guests: Up to 16
Dimensions: 45 × 7.5 m
Route: Esna - Aswan (one way or round trip back to Esna)
Trip length: 5 · 7 nights
Departures: Sundays from Esna (both itineraries)

About Queen Farida

Queen Farida is a 45-metre dahabiya, 7.5 metres wide, taking up to 16 guests in eight rooms. Six Luxury Cabins of about 15 m2 have three panoramic sliding windows, real-wood parquet and a Siwa salt-crystal lamp, with either twin or king-size beds; the two 22 m2 suites add a private balcony and a king-size bed.

Departures leave Esna on Sundays, either sailing five nights to Aswan or making a seven-night round trip back to Esna. Egyptian cuisine is served in an open-air restaurant on the covered upper deck, with a four-course dinner menu each evening and tea at sunset. A lounge bar holds a library and flat-screen TV, and reception has free Wi-Fi. The boat travels with a tug and uses one soundproofed generator, switching to solar power at night.

Highlights

Up to 16 guests in eight rooms
Two 22 m2 suites with private balcony
Sunday departures from Esna
Open-air restaurant on the covered upper deck
Solar power at night, soundproofed generator

At sail

Day by day

The canonical 5-day / 4-night rhythm on the Esna to Aswan reach; Queen Farida sails itineraries of 5 or 7 nights on the same water. Days flex with wind and mooring rights, which is half the point of a sailing boat.

Day 1
Embark at Esna
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

Take the whole boat

8 cabins · up to 16 guests · whole-boat charter on request

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 Queen Farida.

Price the whole boat

The boat in detail

Cabin categories: Luxury Cabin x6 - approx. 15 m2, four with twin beds and two with king-size beds, three panoramic sliding windows, real-wood parquet, Siwa salt-crystal lamp, safe, A/C
Suite with private balcony x2 - approx. 22 m2, king-size bed, cambric mosquito curtains
Dining: Open-air restaurant on the covered upper deck
Egyptian cuisine with a daily four-course dinner menu including fish dishes
Afternoon tea, coffee and biscuits at sunset
Full board from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on the last day
Facilities: Reception with free Wi-Fi
Lounge bar with flat-screen TV and library
Covered upper-deck restaurant and lounge
Sun deck with loungers and parasols
Accompanied by a tug
One soundproofed generator, solar power at night
Fire and smoke detectors, sprinklers
UV water purification
220 V
Itineraries: 6 days / 5 nights Esna to Aswan
8 days / 7 nights round trip Esna - Aswan - Esna

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

Queen Farida questions, answered

Where does Queen Farida sail?

Queen Farida sails Esna - Aswan (one way or round trip back to Esna)

What is included in the fare on Queen Farida?

A dahabiya fare of this kind normally covers your cabin on full board, entrance to the temples named in the itinerary, an Egyptologist guide, the listed shore excursions and transfers at each end. Tips, drinks, optional excursions such as Abu Simbel, and personal expenses are normally extra. Whether soft drinks, Wi-Fi and service charges sit inside the fare genuinely differs between operators, so confirm those for Queen Farida before booking.