Nile dahabiyaSailing dahabiyaEsna → Aswan
Zekrayaat
Weekly sail on the Esna to Aswan reach
Zekrayaat is a Nile dahabiya (a traditional wind-powered sailing boat) operated by Nile Dahabiya Boats. It has 6 cabins and 2 suites for up to 12 guests and sails itineraries of 3 or 4 nights on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan.
Good to know
Weekly sail on the Esna to Aswan reach. A traditional sailing dahabiya with suite cabins, running the Esna to Aswan reach over three or four nights; suits travellers wanting a slow, small-boat river trip.
- Fleet
- Nile Dahabiya Boats
- Accommodation
- 6 cabins · 2 suites
- Guests
- Up to 12
- Dimensions
- 38.5 × 6.75 m
- Route
- Esna - El Kab - Edfu - Gebel el Silsila - Kom Ombo - Daraw - Aswan
- Trip length
- 3 · 4 nights
- Departures
- Monday (Esna to Aswan, 4 nights) and Friday (Aswan to Esna, 3 nights), guaranteed weekly through 2026 and 2027
About Zekrayaat
Zekrayaat is a traditional sailing dahabiya offering suite cabins with private terraces, drifting the quiet Esna to Aswan stretch of the Nile. It is the small, unhurried counterpart to the large motor-cruisers, mooring at villages and riverbanks along the way.
Departures are guaranteed weekly: four nights upriver from Esna every Monday, and three nights downriver from Aswan every Friday. The route runs past El Kab, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo and Daraw, calling at temples and river towns the bigger ships pass by.
Dining is full board, with dinner served on board or set out on the banks of the Nile. It is a calm, wind-and-water way to reach the temples of the southern river.
Highlights
- Traditional sailing dahabiya, suite cabins with terraces
- Esna to Aswan reach, three or four nights
- Guaranteed weekly Monday and Friday departures
- Calls at El Kab, Edfu, Gebel el-Silsila, Kom Ombo
- Full board, dinner on board or on the banks
At sail
Day by day
Zekrayaat sails 2 published programmes. Its own route: Esna - El Kab - Edfu - Gebel el Silsila - Kom Ombo - Daraw - Aswan Departures monday (esna to aswan, 4 nights) and friday (aswan to esna, 3 nights), guaranteed weekly through 2026 and 2027. 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
6 cabins · up to 12 guests · whole boat from about US$5,016 a night
About US$5,016 a night for the whole boat, or roughly US$30,096 for a six-night sailing.
A boat this size is a single family. Everyone eats at one table, the deck is yours alone, and the boat moves when your party is ready rather than when a schedule says so. Tell us your dates, and how many adults and children, and we will price the whole of Zekrayaat.
That is the arithmetic of Zekrayaat'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 Zekrayaat costs in 2026/2027
The published rate is US$418 per person per night , checked on 2026-10-07.
We are not publishing a trip total for Zekrayaat, for the reasons below. Ask us and we will quote the sailing you want.
What this figure is, and is not
- Published as a range rather than a single figure.
- The operator publishes one rate across several boats in this fleet, so it is not specific to this hull.
- Converted from the currency the operator quotes in, so it moves with the exchange rate.
- Rates move with season, cabin and departure. We quote every sailing live, and there is no booking fee to ask.
The boat in detail
- Cabin categories
- Cabin
- Dining
- Full-board basis; dinner served onboard or on the Nile banks; breakfast included
- Itineraries
- Upriver: Esna to Aswan, 4 nights - 'Guaranteed weekly departure - Every Monday'
- Downriver: Aswan to Esna, 3 nights - 'Guaranteed weekly departure - Every Friday'
Keep planning
Plan your Nile cruise
Good to know
Zekrayaat questions, answered
How much does Zekrayaat cost?
From US$418 per person per night in a cabin at double occupancy, up to US$475 depending on the sailing. A suite runs US$494 to US$561, and sole occupancy from US$621. Full board, all sightseeing, entrance fees, an Egyptologist, Wi-Fi and transfers at both ends are included; alcohol and tipping are not.
How many cabins does Zekrayaat have?
6 cabins and 2 suites, for up to 12 guests.
What route does Zekrayaat sail?
Esna - El Kab - Edfu - Gebel el Silsila - Kom Ombo - Daraw - Aswan, departing Monday (Esna to Aswan, 4 nights) and Friday (Aswan to Esna, 3 nights), guaranteed weekly through 2026 and 2027.
What is included in the fare on Zekrayaat?
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 Zekrayaat before booking.
What guests say
Independent traveller reviews of Zekrayaat, quoted with attribution — we don’t collect these ourselves.
“What a great experience aboard the Dahabiya Zekrayaat! A beautiful ship, with the finest crew! The boat was very clean and comfortable.”
— Ray & Sally, Canada · via the operator
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