Viking Names Two New Nile River Ships in Luxor, Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek

Viking’s two newest river ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, have debuted in Luxor, Egypt. Mohamed El Banna, founder of Cosmos Egypt and a member of the Egyptian Senate, was the ceremonial godfather of the Viking Sobek and the Hon. Edward Herbert, was the ceremonial godfather of the Viking Hathor.

Herbert’s great-great-grandfather, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was Howard Carter’s benefactor and co-explorer.

They discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen near Luxor 102 years ago on November 4, 1922.

Both the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek are identical sister ships to the Viking Aton and the Viking Osiris, all of which are engineered to navigate the Nile River on Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

The ships were built at Massara shipyard in Cairo.

Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking

Torstein Hagen is the Chairman and CEO of Viking and at the ceremony he announced: “Today, we are proud to welcome the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek to our growing fleet in Egypt. Along with their sister ships, we believe they are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile.”

“We are very grateful for our continued close friendship with the Carnarvon family and that Eddie has honored us by serving as godfather of the Viking Hathor. For more than 15 years, Mohamed El Banna has been a part of the extended Viking family, helping to take good care of our guests in Egypt, and it is a great honor that he is serving as godfather of the Viking Sobek.”

Hagen added “As our award-winning fleet on the Nile continues to grow, we look forward to introducing even more curious travelers to this phenomenal destination.”

The Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek Debut

Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek’s naming ceremony took place at Viking’s exclusive docking location in Luxor. A celebratory dinner immediately followed, inside the nearby Karnak Temple.

There Viking’s guests enjoyed a performance by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter®.

In his new godfather role, Edward joins his father and mother, who are also Viking’s first “godparents.” In 2022, Lord Carnarvon became Viking’s first godfather, fulfilling the role for the Viking Osiris and Lady Carnarvon is the godmother of the Viking Longship the Viking Skadi, and the Viking ocean ship the Viking Mars®.
Highclere Castle, Egypt & Viking

For years Viking has offered its guests the chance to experience life at Highclere Castle, which is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and the filming location of Downton Abbey.

The 5th Earl was an avid amateur photographer and his photographs are at Highclere Castle in The Library, and show the process of discovering and excavating the tomb of Tutankhamen, as well as scenes of daily life in Egypt at the time.

The Carnarvons have allowed Viking to share this private collection for guests sailing on board the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, as well as their sister ships, the Viking Osiris and the Viking Aton.

For guests who are interested in extending their exploration of Egypt, Viking offers Pre and Post Extensions that provide Privileged Access® to archives and exhibits. Guests on the five-day British Collections of Ancient Egypt extension begin the journey in London, where they meet their Viking Tour Director, an expert Egyptologist, and experience Privileged Access to two museums: the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum and then a visit to the home and personal museum of world-renowned architect, Sir John Soane, where a candlelight tour re-enacts how Soane entertained guests with 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. In Oxford, guests visit the Ashmolean Museum, one of the oldest in the world, and home to a varied collection of Egyptian mummies and art. They have access to Oxford University’s Griffith Institute, including Privileged Access to Howard Carter’s archives detailing the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

Lastly, guests have Privileged Access to Highclere Castle where they view the Earl of Carnarvon’s magnificent private collection of Egyptian artifacts, plus archives and exhibits not normally accessible to the public.
Mohamed El Banna is the Godfather of the Viking Sobek

Mohamed El Banna was destined for a career in the travel industry owing to his exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and profound interest in world cultures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in commerce he began working in tourism in 1970.

Seven years later, he founded Cosmos Tourism Company—now Cosmos Egypt—a Cairo-based tour operator and the country’s oldest destination management company. He continues to run the business with his son, Sherif El Banna, who is CEO.

Viking has proudly partnered with Cosmos Egypt and Mr. El Banna for more than 15 years to promote exploration along the Nile River. Mr. El Banna helped Viking create its operational division in Egypt, which includes more than 500 company employees. Through these extensive partnerships, Viking consistently provides its guests with an award-winning and seamless travel experience in Egypt.

Mr. El Banna has held several influential government positions throughout his distinguished career including two terms as the Deputy of the Tourism and Antiquities Committee in the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2015. Currently, he is a senator in the Egyptian Senate.

The Viking Hathor, the Viking Sobek & Viking’s Growing Egypt Fleet

The Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek each host 82 guests in 41 staterooms, inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek feature aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. Other ships in the Egypt fleet include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares. Viking will welcome four additional ships in the next two years: the Viking Amun and the Viking Thoth in 2025 and the Viking Sekhmet and the Viking Ptah in 2026.

Viking’s Two New River Ships

Viking was rated #1 for Rivers, as well as #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions, by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. and Viking’s Egypt ships have been included in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot List” the last two years.

Viking was named a “Best Luxury River Cruise of 2024” in Forbes’ “Best Luxury Cruises” list and in 2023 was featured in TIME magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places” 2023 list, noting that Viking is among the very 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’s Pharaohs & Pyramids Itinerary

During the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, guests enjoy a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo, where they can visit iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Guests then fly to Luxor to visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River. The voyage features visits to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, as well as 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. The journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Viking Travel. Come back here often for Viking Travel news and updates.

Photo credit: Viking