Viking has announced that the 82-guest Viking Sobek, its newest ship for the Nile River, was “floated out” representing the first time the ship has touched water.
The Viking Sobek will sail in the fall of 2024, joining the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River. The vessel will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.
The float out ceremony took place at Massara shipyard in Cairo and marks the ship moving into its final stage of construction. She will now be moved to an outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Torstein Hagen is the Chairman and CEO of Viking
Torstein Hagen, the Chairman and CEO of Viking said “Egypt has always captivated curious travelers with its rich culture and history, and it continues to be a destination of interest for our guests.
We believe the Viking Sobek and her sister ships are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile, and we look forward to welcoming even more guests to explore this fantastic region.”
The Viking Sobek & Viking’s Growing Egypt Fleet
The new, state-of-the-art Viking Sobek hosts 82 guests in 41 staterooms. It is identical to its sister ships, the Viking Osiris, the Viking Aton, and the new Viking Hathor, which debuts this summer.
Within the last year, the Viking Osiris was named one of the “Best New Cruises” in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot List 2023” and the “Best Luxury River Cruise of 2024” in Forbes’ “Best Luxury Cruises” list. Additionally, TIME magazine featured both Giza and Saqqara on its “World’s Greatest Places” 2023 list, mentioning sailing the Nile River with Viking.
TIME notes that Viking is among the few who stop in both Giza and the village of Sakkara, where excavation sites, like the megatombs of animal and human mummies, are active.
Viking will have six ships sailing the Nile by the end of 2024 and additional ships in the Egypt fleet include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares.
Viking’s Pharaohs & Pyramids Itinerary
The 12-day, Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary begins with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo. There guests can visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Grand Egyptian Museum. From there guests fly to Luxor and see the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River.
On the Nile, guests visit the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, with excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, the temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan, and a visit to a bright Nubian village.
The adventure ends with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.
Viking’s Egypt Extensions
Viking also offers Pre and Post Extensions that provide Privileged Access to archives and exhibits. Guests on the five-day British Collections of Ancient Egypt extension start off in London, where they will meet their Viking Tour Director, an expert Egyptologist, and experience Privileged Access to two museums: a private, morning visit to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum, then a visit to the home and personal museum of world-renowned architect, Sir John Soane, for a candlelight re-enactment of how Soane entertained guests and showcased his exquisite collection of Egyptian antiquities, including a 3,000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus.
Guests also visit London’s Petrie Museum, which houses more than 80,000 artifacts from ancient Egypt and Sudan, and in Oxford, guests visit the Ashmolean Museum, home to a varied collection of Egyptian mummies and art, and Oxford University’s Griffith Institute, for a Privileged Access visit to see Howard Carter’s archives, detailing the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Finally, guests have Privileged Access to Highclere Castle to view the Earl of Carnarvon’s legendary collection of Egyptian artifacts.
There is also a three-night Pre-Extension in Istanbul, where guests visit the timeless city and religious sites including the “Blue Mosque” and the legendary Hagia Sophia. There is also a 4-night Post-Extension to Jordan—Petra, Dead Sea & Amman to view Roman antiquities at Jerash, Crusader-era castles at Kerak or Shobak, and experience the lost city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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