Sarah Bretz, ContributorViking announced today that it has taken delivery of its latest Nile River ship, Viking Sobek. The delivery ceremony took place when the new vessel was presented at Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt.
The 82-guest Viking Sobek joins the company’s growing fleet of ships for the Nile River, and will operate Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.
“We are proud to welcome the Viking Sobek to our award-winning fleet. In our view, these identical sister ships are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “Egypt has always been a destination of great interest among our guests, and demand for these voyages continues to be strong. With the arrival of the Viking Sobek, we look forward to introducing even more curious travelers to the country’s rich history and fascinating cultural treasures.”
With the capacity for 82 guests in 41 staterooms, Viking Sobek is inspired by Viking’s other river ships and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design that the line is known for. It’s an identical sister ship to Viking Osiris, Viking Aton, and Viking Hathor. Other vessels in the Egypt fleet include Viking Ra and MS Antares.
Viking plans to welcome four additional Nile River ships to the fleet in the next two years: Viking Amun and Viking Thoth in 2025 and Viking Sekhmet and Viking Ptah in 2026. Those vessels will bring the Egypt fleet to 10.
During the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, guests begin with 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, where they visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River, featuring 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 colorful Nubian village, where guests can experience a traditional elementary school. Finally, the journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.
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