Luxury Travel Advisor is currently in Egypt for Viking's christening of its two new Nile River vessels, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek. Edward Herbert served as ceremonial godfather of the Viking Hathor; his great-great-grandfather, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was Howard Carter’s benefactor and co-explorer, whose excavation uncovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen near Luxor 102 years ago on November 4, 1922. Mohamed El Banna, founder of Cosmos Egypt and a member of the Egyptian Senate, served as the ceremonial godfather of the Viking Sobek.
Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek are identical sister ships to the Viking Aton and the Viking Osiris and are designed specifically to navigate the Nile River on Viking’s 12-day “Pharaohs & Pyramids” itinerary.
The naming ceremony of the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek took place at Viking’s exclusive docking location in Luxor and was followed by a celebratory dinner inside the nearby Karnak Temple. Viking’s guests also enjoyed a performance by Sissel Kyrkjebø, a leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, who sang the Egyptian, Norwegian and United Kingdom’s national anthems in their native languages.
Other ships in the Egypt fleet include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares. Over the next two years, Viking plans to welcome four additional ships—the Viking Amun and the Viking Thoth in 2025, and the Viking Sekhmet and the Viking Ptah in 2026—bringing Viking’s fleet to 10 vessels on the Nile River.
During the 12-day “Pharaohs & Pyramids” itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay at a hotel in Cairo, where they can visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Guests then fly to Luxor, where they visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day round-trip cruise on the Nile River, complet with visits to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, and 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 Nubian village, where guests can experience a traditional elementary school. The journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the city.
Viking offers pre- and post-cruise extensions that provide "Privileged Access" to archives and exhibits in Egypt. Guests on the five-day "British Collections of Ancient Egypt" extension will begin the journey in London, where they will meet their Viking Tour Director, an expert Egyptologist, and experience "Privileged Access" to two museums: first a private, early morning visit to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum before it opens to the general public; and a visit to the late architect Sir John Soane’s home and personal museum, showcasing his collection of Egyptian antiquities, including a 3,000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus. Guests will also visit London’s Petrie Museum, which houses more than 80,000 artifacts from ancient Egypt and Sudan. In Oxford, guests will visit the Ashmolean Museum, home to a varied collection of Egyptian mummies and art. They will go behind the scenes at Oxford University’s Griffith Institute, enjoying a "Privileged Access" visit to see Howard Carter’s archives, which detail the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. Lastly, guests will have further "Privileged Access" with a visit to Highclere Castle to view the Earl of Carnarvon’s private collection of Egyptian artifacts, as well as archives and exhibits not normally accessible to the public.
Tip: Stay tuned for an upcoming story about our experience aboard Viking Sobek.
Related Articles
AmaWaterways’ Grand River Cruises Combine Top Itineraries
Uniworld Announces New Themed Cruise Offerings for 2025