Cruising
Egypt cruise types: Nile boats, dahabiyas, Lake Nasser and the Red Sea
An Egypt cruise can mean four quite different trips: a standard boat on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, a small dahabiya under sail, a Lake Nasser boat running south to Abu Simbel, or a Red Sea liveaboard. They cost different amounts and suit different people. Three of them are about temples; the Red Sea one is about diving.
Which stretch of water are you actually sailing on?
Four products are sold under the same word. Standard river boats work the stretch between Luxor and Aswan on a fixed schedule. Dahabiyas sail the same water with a fraction of the passengers. Lake Nasser boats run south from Aswan to Abu Simbel. Red Sea boats are diving vessels, not sightseeing ones.
Choose by what you want to look at. The river trips are about temples on the bank. Lake Nasser is about Nubian monuments and empty water. The Red Sea is about what is below the surface. The stop-by-stop routing between Luxor and Aswan is covered separately, so this page stays on the differences.
What is a dahabiya, and does it justify the cost?
A dahabiya is a small flat-bottomed sailing boat, usually four to twelve cabins. It moors at sandbanks and villages the larger boats pass without stopping. There is no entertainment programme, no disco deck and no pool worth the name. When the wind drops, a tender tows it.
It costs noticeably more per person per night than a standard boat, and the same temples take a day or two longer. That is the trade. Worth it if you want quiet, small numbers and time on deck. Not worth it if you are travelling with teenagers, or if you want the maximum number of sites per day.
Is a Lake Nasser cruise to Abu Simbel worth the extra days?
Lake Nasser boats run between Aswan and Abu Simbel, usually three or four nights, calling at temples that were moved when the lake filled: Kalabsha, Wadi es-Sebua, Amada. There are only a handful of boats and traffic is light. You may pass two others in a day, which is the whole appeal.
The honest answer is that most first-time visitors do not need it. Abu Simbel is a short flight or a long drive from Aswan, and the day trip costs a fraction of the cruise. Take the lake boat if you want the lesser Nubian temples and the emptiness. Skip it if your time in Egypt is tight.
Is there any real cruising on the Red Sea?
Not in the sense most people mean. There is no scheduled port-to-port sightseeing circuit along the Egyptian coast. What exists is liveaboard diving boats out of Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Port Ghalib, running week-long routes to the reefs and wrecks, plus day boats from the resorts. Departures are weekly rather than daily.
Liveaboards are for certified divers. A non-diver gets very little from a week at anchor. If you want the coast without diving, a hotel with day trips is better value. Ocean cruise lines do call at Egyptian ports on wider itineraries, but that is a different product, bought from the shipping line.
When is the season, and how hot does it get on board?
October to April is the comfortable window on the river, but it is not one temperature. October and April still reach the mid-30s C by day. Midwinter is milder, roughly 22 to 25C, and genuinely cool on deck at night in January. Summer runs past 40C in Aswan. Boats still sail and prices fall, but midday is spent inside with the air conditioning on.
Lake Nasser follows the same pattern and runs hotter still. Red Sea liveaboards operate all year. The water is warmest in late summer and clearest in winter, when a wetsuit is needed and northern routes are sometimes cancelled by wind for a day or two.
What separates a good Egypt cruise from a bad one?
The refurbishment date tells you more than the star rating. A five-star boat last refitted twelve years ago is worse than a four-star refitted last season. Cabin position matters too: lower deck, near the stern, is noticeably louder, and the price difference between decks is usually small.
Full board is standard on the river and the food is repetitive by day four. On a sailing boat, ask how much of the route is actually sailed rather than towed. We will say plainly which boats we would put our own families on, and which we would not.
Common questions
Can you sail the whole Nile from Cairo to Aswan?+
Not on a normal schedule. Long-distance Cairo to Aswan sailings exist only as occasional charters at high prices, because the barrages and shallow stretches make the run impractical for standard boats. The regular fleet works the Luxor to Aswan section. Anyone advertising routine Cairo departures is worth questioning closely before you pay a deposit.
Are these boats suitable for wheelchair users or limited mobility?+
Mostly no, and we would rather say so up front. Gangplanks, steps between decks and the absence of lifts make almost every river boat difficult for a wheelchair user, and the temple approaches are sand and uneven stone. A few newer boats manage better. Tell us the specifics and we will say honestly what is possible.
What is included on board, and what gets charged extra?+
Meals are included on the river and on Lake Nasser. Drinks almost never are, including bottled water, and the on-board prices are several times what you would pay ashore. Tipping is expected and is normally collected once as a crew pot at the end. Budget for both so the final bill is not a surprise.
How many nights afloat is enough?+
Three or four nights covers the main riverside temples at a fair pace. Seven nights buys a slower rhythm and a few extra sites rather than a different trip. On a dahabiya, add a couple of days, because the sailing itself is the reason to be on one and rushing it defeats the point.
Can you combine a river trip with time on the coast?+
Yes, and it is the most common shape of two-week trip. A river cruise ends at Aswan or Luxor, and Hurghada is roughly four hours by road from Luxor with a direct flight home. Divers sometimes add a liveaboard afterwards, but back-to-back boats for two weeks is more time afloat than most people want.
Official sources
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
- Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ↗The ministry lists which tombs and temples currently open.
- UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗It updates continuously, and most UK travel insurance follows it.
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