Two New Viking River Ships Launch on Egypt’s Nile River!

Ready to sail along a storied waterway brimming with ancient historical sites? Then head for Egypt’s Nile River. What’s enticing is that two new, 82-passenger Viking ships have just launched.

Earlier this week, the Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek were officially named in a special celebration in Luxor, Egypt. Godmothers? No, this christening instead featured two distinguished godfathers!

Serving as ceremonial godfather of Viking Hathor was the Honorable Edward Herbert. What’s special is that Herbert’s great-great-grandfather, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, was Howard Carter’s benefactor and co-explorer. That duo’s excavations uncovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun near Luxor 102 years ago on November 4, 1922.

In addition, Mohamed El Banna, founder of Cosmos Egypt and a member of the Egyptian Senate, served as Viking Sobek’s godfather. Viking’s guests will discover that Cosmos Egypt’s motorcoaches provide transportation for them while they’re touring or taking transfers along the itinerary route.

(In the photo above, Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek were docked earlier this week at Luxor for their official christening ceremony.)

Viking River Ships’ Naming Ceremony

The naming ceremony of the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek took place at Viking’s exclusive docking location in Luxor. That was followed by a celebratory dinner inside the nearby Temple of Karnak, an incredible night-time event in the shadows of magnificently lighted ancient ruins and columns.

During that post-christening event, Viking’s guests also enjoyed a performance by Sissel Kyrkjebo. She’s one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter. She sang the Egyptian, Norwegian and United Kingdom’s national anthems.

Welcoming Two New Viking River Ships

“Today, we are proud to welcome the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek,” says Torstein Hagen, chairman and CEO, Viking. “Along with their sister ships, we believe they are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile.”

Hagen expresses his gratitude too for “our continued close friendship with the Carnarvon family and that Eddie has honored us by serving as godfather of the Viking Hathor.”

He also cites Mohamed El Banna’s role as part of Viking’s extended family for more than 15 years — “helping to take good care of our guests in Egypt.” Cosmos Egypt is Viking’s exclusive Egypt tour operator.

Cosmos handles all ground operations and transportation for shore excursions. Plus, it helps source English-speaking tour guides and Egyptologists. But it goes far beyond that.

In fact, El Banna helped Viking create its operational division in Egypt. That now includes more than 500 company employees that work in the country.

Identical Sisters: Viking River Ships

The two new, state-of-the-art river ships are identical “sisters” to the Viking Aton and the Viking Osiris. Built at the Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt, all four ships were designed specifically for navigating the Nile River.

Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the new Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek are inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships. So, guests can expect to find Viking’s elegant Scandinavian design with clean lines. The ships all have a distinctive square bow.

Fielding a spacious interior and top deck look and feel, the four sister ships also feature aspects beloved by Viking guests. Among those is the popular indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace.

What else is similar? Those vessels all operate Viking’s popular 12-day “Pharaohs & Pyramids“ itinerary.

Pharoahs & Pyramids

On those “Pharoahs & Pyramids” itineraries, guests will begin their Egypt adventure with a three-night stay at a first-class Cairo hotel. From there, they’ll visit iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Next up? They’ll take an included flight to Luxor, where they’ll visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding their Viking river ship. Then they’ll enjoy an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River.

Travelers will head out to visit the tombs of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. They’ll enjoy excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna and the Dendera Temple complex in Qena.

In Aswan, highlights will include visits to the temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam. Plus, they’ll journey to a Nubian village and visit a traditional elementary school.

Finally, the itinerary will end with a flight back to Cairo, where guests will spend one last night in the ancient city. Simply put, an Egypt river cruise is a ancient history lover’s dream vacation. So, click on “Pharaohs & Pyramids” to check out the itinerary.

Then give your personal travel planner a call to learn more or reserve your spot aboard one of Viking’s Nile River ships. At press time, this Nile River itinerary started at $5,999 per person, double occupancy. 

More Viking River Ships

It’s not just the four sister ships that sail the Nile for Viking. The line also operates Viking Ra and Antares.

“And Viking isn’t done yet,” stresses Shelby Steudle, president, Pavlus Travel. “We expect the luxury river line to launch four more Nile River ships in the next two years!”

Those will include Viking Amun and Viking Thoth in 2025 and Viking Sekhmet and Viking Ptah in 2026. At that point, Viking will have a robust fleet of 10 vessels on the Nile River. And it’s also building more European Long Ships too.

Readers can learn more by visiting this Viking website page. Then, use the helpful Pavlus Travel resources below. Soon, you’ll be on the path to making your vacation dreams come true!

Important Information from Pavlus Travel