The Nile Collection · an independent record
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Meroe

Dahabiya. Operated by Nour El Nil.

Sailing, one source  checked 12 Sep 2026

One source says this vessel is sailing and we have not found a second. We never infer that a boat is in service from the absence of news about it.

Our view

comfortable

Meroe is the value pick in this fleet, the first hull with the updated bathrooms and 300 euros above the boat that does not have them. It is the operator's own mid fleet boat and it is priced and equipped exactly like one. The thin bookable calendar in September 2026 and the absence of any recent review naming her are worth a second look before you commit.

Who it suits

  • Travellers who want updated bathrooms without paying newer hull prices
  • Couples who want quiet at 20 guests
  • Anyone who wants a fixed weekly departure day
  • Groups of up to 20 taking the whole boat

Who it does not suit

  • Four people who want to share, Meroe has no Deluxe Suite and rooms take two
  • Wheelchair users and anyone who cannot manage stairs
  • Anyone who wants a pool, the operator records none
  • Travellers who want independent evidence, no dated 2026 guest review naming Meroe was found
  • Anyone booking a specific week, Meroe showed one bookable departure in September 2026 while six sister boats showed two or three
Service style
Family run crewed sailing boat leaving Esna on Tuesdays for a fixed five night route, with one guide for the whole boat.
The cabin we would book
A Panoramic Suite. There are two and Meroe is the cheapest boat in the fleet that has the updated bathrooms, so the suite is where that shows.
Nearest alternative: Malouka
The two mid priced boats in this fleet, nine years apart. Meroe is the 2017 hull with updated bathrooms at 4,800 euros. Malouka is the 2008 hull with the original ones at 4,500. See its record →
Everything in this box is opinion, not a sourced fact, and we say what it rests on: desk research only, by Christoph Paterok, 12 September 2026. Nobody here has sailed this vessel. Read it as a careful reading of the published record, which is what it is.
Published rate
€4,800 per cabin, whole cruise

Shown in the currency the operator published it in, on the basis the operator sells it on. We do not convert currencies and we do not divide a package total into a nightly rate, because both would produce a number nobody quoted. See how this compares on the rates page.

Identity · 3 of 4 on file

Official URL
https://www.nourelnil.com/boats-meroe/
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Name variants
Meroë, Meroe dahabiya
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Flag / registration
not checked
Operating status
sailing
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source, or sources that disagree. Treat as provisional.

The vessel · 10 of 13 on file

Launch year
2017
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Last refit year
not checked
Cabins
10
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source, or sources that disagree. Treat as provisional.
Suites
2
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Max guests
20
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Crew
not checked
Length (m)
52
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source, or sources that disagree. Treat as provisional.
Propulsion
sail
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source One source we consider reliable.
Decks
not checked
Pool
none
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source, or sources that disagree. Treat as provisional.
Air conditioning
Yes
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Wi-Fi
Yes
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Accessibility notes
The operator states its dahabiyas are multi level boats connected by stairs with no elevators on board, and that crew will help guests move between decks. It also states many Egyptian sites have uneven ground and stairs, that very few offer wheelchair access, and that guests who prefer not to visit a site may stay on the boat.
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source One source we consider reliable.

How it operates · 8 of 9 on file

Routes
Esna to Aswan
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Nights offered
5
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Embarkation ports
Esna
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Departure days
Tuesday
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Season months
January, February, March, April, May, September, October, November, December
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Whole-boat charter
Yes
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy Operator states this, and a second source agrees.
Charter minimum cabins
not checked
Booking channels
direct, aggregator
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Minimum age
No minimum age is published. The operator states children are welcome on board and asks that they are well behaved. Rooms and Panoramic Suites are sold on a double occupancy basis with a maximum of two guests, and a third guest may be allowed only for an infant or toddler, at an extra charge. Meroe has no Deluxe Suite, so the four guest room option does not exist on this boat.
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.

Price · 3 of 5 on file

Rate from
4800
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source, or sources that disagree. Treat as provisional.
Rate to
not checked
Whole-boat charter rate
not checked
Inclusions
Accommodation, Transfer from your Luxor hotel to your cruise, Entrance fees to historic sites visited, Official Egyptian guide in your language, Meals, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, Tips to the crew and guide, Transfer from cruise to your Aswan hotel, VAT / Taxes
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.
Exclusions
Alcoholic beverages, Airport transfers in Luxor or Aswan
Checked 12 Sep 2026. source, archived copy One source we consider reliable.

Reputation · 0 of 3 on file

Notable history
not checked
Awards
not checked
Guest review sources
not checked

What we could not establish

Every empty cell above has a reason. These are the reasons for this vessel, written down at the time the record was made, including the places where published sources contradict each other.

No refit year is published for Meroe anywhere on the operator's site or in the 44-article FAQ, so the refit year is blank. Two things would count as candidates if a year ever surfaces. The Meroe booking card lists updated bathrooms, and the air conditioning FAQ describes a full fleet upgrade to solar and battery-powered 24/7 air conditioning across all eight older boats. Neither carries a date.

No crew count is published per vessel. The operator states only that it employs over 100 Egyptians across the whole company.

No deck count is published. The mobility FAQ says the boats are multi-level and connected by stairs but gives no number.

No flag or registration detail is published. The operator states that its governing law is Egypt, which is not the same thing.

The operator contradicts itself on Meroe's hull dimensions. The boat page says 55m x 8.5m, while the fleet index and the live search card both say 52m x 8m. The same pattern appears on Adelaide, Malouka, Agatha and El Nil, so this looks like a site-wide data problem rather than an error specific to Meroe.

Operating status rests on the operator's own live calendar only. On 12 September 2026 the only bookable Meroe departure shown was 22 to 27 September 2026, with 7 of 10 rooms still open, while six other boats in the fleet showed two or three bookable weeks. That may reflect the search window rather than reduced operation.

Searches for a dated 2026 guest review naming Meroe found none. The nearest result was a TripAdvisor photo caption.

The operator positions Meroe as its mid-fleet boat, ninth of nine by age and fourth cheapest of nine on the published starting rate, with the largest Luxury Room relative to price among the older hulls.

Recorded 12 September 2026. If you can settle any of these, tell us and we will correct the record in public.

Something here wrong? Say so and we will correct it in public, with the old value left visible. See the corrections log.