A 53-cabin, five-deck Luxury cruiser by Sonesta
Sonesta Nile Goddess is a five-deck Luxury Nile cruise ship of 53 river-facing cabins and suites (47 Deluxe ~20 m² + 2 Senator Suites ~30 m² + 4 Presidential Suites with private terrace) — the first Sonesta Nile vessel, launched 1989 and refurbished 2002 — operated under the Sonesta brand, sailing the Luxor–Aswan route. Every cabin category has a bathtub; onboard are a splash pool, a spa with sauna and whirlpool, a gym and an entertainment lounge. It sails 3-night departures from Aswan and 4-night departures from Luxor.
The Sonesta Nile Goddess is a five-deck Luxury Nile cruise ship of 53 river-facing cabins and suites — the first Sonesta Nile vessel, launched in 1989 and refurbished in 2002 — operated under the Sonesta brand, sailing the Luxor–Aswan temple route. Bathtub cabins (unusual on a riverboat), private-terrace presidential suites and a sun deck with a splash pool and barbecue area make it a refined, classic base for the circuit of temples and tombs.
Accommodation comprises 47 Deluxe cabins of around 20 m², 2 Senator Suites of around 30 m² (with a sofa bed, sleeps up to 3) and 4 Presidential Suites with a private terrace — 53 in total, set across three of the five decks. Unusually for a riverboat, every cabin category has a bathtub.
Five decks carry a large airy atrium, a main dining room serving buffet breakfasts and lunches and à-la-carte dinners, a lounge with belly-dancing and folkloric entertainment, a sun deck with a bar, barbecue area and splash pool, and a spa with a sauna, massage room, whirlpool and gym.
Meals are served in the main dining room on a full-board basis; most beverages are usually charged separately — confirm the exact board basis with the operator.
Choose between a relaxed downstream voyage or an immersive upstream exploration. Both reveal the soul of Upper Egypt at a perfect pace.
Departs every Monday & Friday from Aswan
Your journey begins in Aswan, Egypt's gentlest river city, where the Nile runs wide and blue between granite islands. Board in the early afternoon, settle into your cabin, and enjoy lunch on deck. The afternoon eases you into ancient Egypt through three very different landmarks: the Aswan High Dam, the 1960s feat that created Lake Nasser; the Unfinished Obelisk, a 1,000-tonne giant still lying in the quarry where it cracked; and Philae Temple, the island sanctuary of the goddess Isis, reached by motorboat and rescued stone by stone from the rising water. An optional pre-dawn excursion to Abu Simbel can be arranged before you board. Welcome dinner and overnight moored in Aswan.
After breakfast the ship slips its mooring and turns north — and from here, the temples come to you. You sail with the current past riverside villages, palm groves, and feluccas leaning into the breeze, the slow rhythm that makes a Nile cruise unlike any other journey. In the afternoon you dock almost at the foot of the Temple of Kom Ombo, the only temple in Egypt built for two gods at once: Sobek the crocodile god, and Haroeris, Horus the Elder. Beside it, the small Crocodile Museum holds mummified crocodiles once sacred to Sobek. As the sky turns gold, a cocktail party with the captain on the sun deck.
A horse-drawn carriage clatters you through the market town of Edfu to the Temple of Horus — the most complete ancient temple in all of Egypt, its walls still carrying carved spells and the falcon god standing guard at the gate. Back on board for lunch, the ship threads the historic Esna Lock, easing between two sets of gates as the water level drops — a quiet, very local slice of river life. The afternoon is yours: the pool, the sun deck, the green banks slipping past. In the evening, a galabeya party brings Egyptian music, dancing, and a taste of local culture to the deck.
Luxor was once Thebes, the capital of Egypt at its height — and it keeps the greatest names for last. After breakfast you cross to the East Bank for the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious building ever raised by human hands, a forest of columns soaring some 80 feet overhead. Nearby, Luxor Temple is linked to Karnak by the restored Avenue of Sphinxes. Disembark after lunch, full of stories. For those with time, an optional extension reaches the West Bank — the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, and the Colossi of Memnon.
Departs every Saturday & Tuesday from Luxor
Your cruise begins in Luxor — once Thebes, the dazzling capital of New Kingdom Egypt. Board around midday, settle in over lunch, then head out in the softer afternoon light for the East Bank's two giants. The Karnak Temple Complex is the largest religious building ever raised by human hands, a city of obelisks, pylons, and a hall of columns so vast you lose the sky between them. Nearby, Luxor Temple glows at dusk, linked to Karnak by the restored Avenue of Sphinxes. Dinner and overnight moored in Luxor.
This morning you cross to the West Bank, the land of the dead, where pharaohs were buried beneath the desert hills. In the Valley of the Kings you step down into painted tombs cut deep into the rock, their colours still vivid after three thousand years. You'll also see the dramatic terraces of the Temple of Hatshepsut, built for Egypt's most powerful female pharaoh, and the towering Colossi of Memnon standing guard over the plain. Back on board, the ship begins its unhurried sail upstream, passing through the historic Esna Lock. Overnight near Edfu.
A horse-drawn carriage takes you through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, the most complete ancient temple in Egypt, where the falcon god still guards the gate. Re-boarding, you sail on to Kom Ombo, the only temple in Egypt dedicated to two gods at once — Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris, Horus the Elder — standing right at the water's edge. The ship then continues upstream toward Aswan, the green banks narrowing as the desert closes in. Arrive in the evening; overnight moored in Aswan.
Aswan is Egypt's gentlest city, where the Nile is at its most beautiful — wide, blue, and scattered with granite islands. Today you visit the Aswan High Dam that created Lake Nasser, the giant Unfinished Obelisk still lying in its ancient quarry, and Philae Temple, the island sanctuary of Isis reached by motorboat. An optional excursion to Abu Simbel — the colossal rock temples of Ramses II — can be arranged for the early morning. At sunset, drift around Elephantine Island by felucca. Overnight in Aswan.
After a final breakfast on board, your cruise comes to an end in Aswan. For those who haven't yet been, an optional early excursion to Abu Simbel makes a grand finale before onward travel. Disembark with the slow blue of the Nile still in your memory.
53 — 47 Deluxe cabins (~20 m²), 2 Senator Suites (~30 m²) and 4 Presidential Suites with a private terrace — across three of the five decks.
It sails the Luxor–Aswan route; we feature its 3-night Aswan–Luxor and 4-night Luxor–Aswan departures.
It was the first Sonesta Nile vessel — launched in 1989 and refurbished in 2002 — carrying 106 passengers.
Yes — unusually for a riverboat, every cabin category has a bathtub.
Yes, all meals are included; most drinks are usually charged separately (confirm with the operator).
A 22-cabin ultra-luxury cruiser by Oberoi (reconfigured 2015)