Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan

Queen Isis

Twelve cabins, Luxor round trip under sail

Queen Isis is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Oriental Nile Cruises, built 2022. It has 9 cabins and 3 suites for up to 18 guests and sails itineraries of 7 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.

Good to know

Twelve cabins, Luxor round trip under sail. A 2022-built two-mast dahabiya of nine cabins and suites for up to eighteen guests, sailing seven-night Luxor-to-Luxor round trips via Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan.

Best for couples · unhurried travellersCabins 9 · up to 18 guestsBoard full boardRoute Esna → Aswan

Fleet: Oriental Nile Cruises
Accommodation: 9 cabins · 3 suites
Guests: Up to 18
Built: 2022
Dimensions: 56 × 11.5 m
Route: Luxor - Esna - Edfu - Kom Ombo - Aswan - and return to Luxor
Trip length: 7 nights
Departures: Saturday

About Queen Isis

Built in 2022, Queen Isis runs 42 metres over three decks and carries up to eighteen guests. Six cabins open through two large windows, two balcony suites add a private terrace, and a Royal Suite holds its own sitting area, library and terrace.

The seven-night round trip leaves Luxor on Saturdays, taking in the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings and Karnak before sailing through Esna Lock. Beyond it lie El Hegz Island, Edfu, an Egyptian evening at Bassaw village, Kom Ombo and Aswan, with the return drifting past Gebel el-Silsila.

The lounge and bar wrap in French windows with a dining area and book corner, and the sun deck carries oriental seating, a drinks bar and a Jacuzzi. She sails under two masts with a motorboat alongside; dining is full board Egyptian, with afternoon tea and a crew show.

Highlights

Nine cabins including a Royal Suite, up to eighteen guests
Built 2022, three decks under two sails
Seven-night Luxor-to-Luxor round trips, Saturdays
Jacuzzi and oriental seating on the sun deck
Full board Egyptian cuisine and crew show

At sail

Day by day

The canonical 5-day / 4-night rhythm on the Esna to Aswan reach; Queen Isis sails itineraries of 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

9 cabins · up to 18 guests · whole boat from about US$3,600 a night

About US$3,600 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$21,600 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 Queen Isis.

That is the arithmetic of Queen Isis'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 Queen Isis costs in 2026/2027

The published rate is US$200 avg/night , checked on 2026-08-30.

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

What this figure is, and is not

This is the operator's own advertised rate, not a quote from us.
The published figure is quoted avg/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: 6 standard cabins, 5.5 m x 3 m (16.5 sqm) - private bathroom with shower cabin and washbasin, hairdryer, air conditioning, two large openable windows, Egyptian cotton beds, 220-volt socket, luggage rack, local telephone, safe deposit box. Twin beds combinable.
2 suites with private balcony, 6.5 m x 3 m (19.5 sqm) - large bed, private terrace, all cabin amenities.
1 Royal Suite with private balcony, 8.5 m x 7.5 m (approx. 63.5 sqm) - large bed and sitting area, private bath, wardrobe and library, private terrace.
Dining: Full board including tea/coffee and mineral water
Traditional Egyptian cuisine
Dining area in the lounge
Afternoon / sunset tea with cakes and pastries
Bar with oriental teas and spirits
Facilities: Lounge and bar with comfortable seating, free internet, board games, DVD player, flat TV screen, French windows all round, dining area and book corner
Sun deck with tables and chairs, sunbeds, oriental seating area, sun lounge, drinks bar, shaded and sunny areas, and a Jacuzzi
Fully equipped kitchen
Crew show; Arabic and English music
Two sails and a motorboat
Water filter
220V, 24-hour electric power supply
Itineraries: 8 days / 7 nights Luxor to Luxor, departing Saturday: Luxor West Bank embarkation, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak and Luxor temples, Esna Lock, El Hegz Island, Edfu, Bassaw Village Egyptian evening, Kom Ombo, Aswan with Philae and the souq, return via Gebel el Silsila (Horemheb speos and granite quarries) and Esna Lock