Luxury Cabin
A king bed or twins beside a picture window on the river, and a naturally lit bathroom whose glass-walled rain shower looks out on the Nile as well.
Luxury Nile cruise · on request
The Oberoi Zahra
Twenty-eight cabins and suites on the river between Luxor and Aswan, every one of them facing the water. We book it for you on request, and plan the rest of Egypt around the days you sail.
What is the Oberoi Zahra, and how is it booked?
The Oberoi Zahra is a luxury Nile cruiser operated by Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, sailing between Luxor and Aswan on three-, four- and seven-night itineraries. It has 28 cabins and suites, all facing the river, an 11-metre temperature-controlled pool, a spa and an à la carte restaurant. Kemet books it on request: you send dates, we confirm availability and the rate with the ship in writing, and build the rest of your journey around the sailing.
- Route
- Luxor ⇄ Aswan
- Sailings
- 3, 4 or 7 nights
- Departures
- Tuesdays and Saturdays
- On board
- 28 cabins and suites, all with Nile views
- Launched
- 2007
- Price
- On request
Where you sleep
Every window is on the river
Luxury Suite with Two Bedrooms
One king bedroom and one twin, a separate living room and dining space behind floor-to-ceiling windows, and a terrace with loungers.
Luxury Suite
A bedroom, a living room and a private dining area; outside, a terrace with sun loungers and a heated whirlpool of your own. The bathroom has a standalone tub and a rain shower.
On board
Between the temples
The hours on the water are the reason to take a ship of this kind. This is what fills them.
The pool
Eleven metres long, temperature-controlled, on the upper deck.
The Oberoi Spa
Massages, facials, scrubs and wraps, and yoga. Treatments are charged on board.
The Restaurant
À la carte at breakfast, lunch and dinner, from a menu that changes daily. Dietary requirements are met with notice.
By the pool
Light meals, and a cocktail bar beside the water.
The Club Lounge
Afternoon tea, and on each cruise an evening of live music and a Nubian performance.
The Library Lounge
Books, quiet, and drinks until midnight.
The sailings
Three, four or seven nights
The ship sails on fixed days, as its calendar publishes them. Boarding is at noon and disembarkation at 8 am.
Aswan to Luxor · 3 nights
Saturdays
- Day 1
- Board at noon in Aswan. The High Dam and the island Temple of Philae.
- Day 2
- Kom Ombo, then Edfu.
- Day 3
- Luxor's West Bank — the Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon — then Luxor and Karnak Temples.
- Day 4
- Disembark in Luxor at 8 am.
Luxor to Aswan · 4 nights
Tuesdays
- Day 1
- Board at noon in Luxor. Luxor and Karnak Temples.
- Day 2
- The West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, Deir el-Medina, the Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Hatshepsut.
- Day 3
- Edfu, then Kom Ombo.
- Day 4
- Aswan: the High Dam, Philae and the Botanical Garden; a Nubian evening on board.
- Day 5
- Disembark in Aswan at 8 am.
Seven nights · either direction
A handful of dates a year
- Added
- Dendera, the Valley of the Nobles, Deir el-Medina, the Temple of Hatshepsut, Luxor Museum and Aswan's Botanical Garden.
- Also
- Sunset cocktails on a private island. Abu Simbel is an optional visit.
When the river is low, Dendera is reached by road — about ninety minutes each way.
On the ship's terms, included
- All meals on board
- The visits in the itinerary, with the ship's Egyptologists — in English, other languages with notice
- Entrance fees to the monuments visited
- Transfers between the ship and Luxor or Aswan airport
- Internet on board
Charged on board
- Spa treatments, laundry and the minibar
- Drinks — we state in your quote what your rate covers
How it is booked
On request, and in writing
With twenty-eight cabins and suites and fixed departure days, whether there is room is a question about one sailing — and so is the rate. That is why this page carries no price.
01
Your dates
Tell us when, and how many of you. The Zahra leaves on fixed days, so a day either side can decide which sailing is yours.
02
The ship's answer
We ask the ship about that sailing: which cabins and suites are free, and at what rate. You see both in writing. Nothing is held and nothing is charged before that.
03
The journey around it
Cairo before, Abu Simbel or the Red Sea after, the flights and the private transfers between them — one itinerary and one person to call.
04
Your own Egyptologist, if you wish
The ship's visits run in small groups of its own guests. If you would rather have the temples with your party alone, we arrange your own Egyptologist and car for the same stops.
Recognition
Readers of Travel + Leisure ranked The Oberoi's Nile cruisers the No. 1 river cruise line in the World's Best Awards of 2025 and 2026. The Zahra itself was named Africa's Best River Cruise Ship at the World Cruise Awards in 2021.
Asked before booking
How much does the Oberoi Zahra cost?
There is no single price to print. The rate depends on the sailing, the season and the cabin or suite, and it is the ship's to quote. We ask for your dates and send the figure in writing, with what it includes, before anything is paid.
Is the ship private?
No. You share the ship with the guests of the other cabins — 28 cabins and suites in all. Your cabin is your own, and in the suites so is the terrace. For a vessel with nobody else aboard, we charter a dahabiya, a sailing boat of a few cabins, on the same stretch of river.
Are the temple visits part of the cruise?
On the ship's published terms, yes: the visits in the itinerary, the guiding and the entrance fees are included, led by the ship's Egyptologists in English, or in other languages with notice. We confirm it in your quote. A private Egyptologist for your party alone can be arranged alongside.
Zahra or Philae — which Oberoi ship?
They are sister ships. The Philae is the smaller: 22 cabins and suites, larger standard cabins at 36 m², and sailings of four or six nights. The Zahra has 28, sails three, four or seven nights, and has the largest suite of the two — 115 m² with its terrace and a private whirlpool. In practice your dates usually decide.
Can children sail?
The ship does not accommodate children under seven, and its policy gives older children a cabin of their own. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we ask the ship what suits your family.
When does it sail?
Through the year. On the ship's published calendars for 2026 and 2027 there are no departures in June. October to April is the comfortable season on the river; from June to August Upper Egypt reaches 40 °C and visits start early in the day.
Can the whole ship be taken for one party?
The ship does not publish a charter. For an occasion we will ask about a specific date on your behalf. Where a party wants the boat entirely to itself, a chartered dahabiya is the certain way.
The Oberoi Zahra is operated by Oberoi Hotels & Resorts. Kemet is an independent travel company: we book the ship for our guests and plan the journey around it. The ship's details are as the ship publishes them, checked in November 2026, and are confirmed again in every quote. The photographs on this page are of the river and the temples on the route.
Free consultation
Send us your dates
Dates and the number of travellers are enough. We ask the ship, and reply with the cabins or suites that are free and the rate, in writing.