Viking has announced its newest ship for the Nile River—the 82-guest Viking Sobek—was recently “floated out” at Massara shipyard in Cairo, a significant milestone marking the ship’s final stage of construction. She will now be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Set to sail in the fall of 2024, the Viking Sobek will join the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.
The Viking Sobek & Viking’s Growing Egypt Fleet
With 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the state-of-the-art Viking Sobek is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships and reflects the same elegant Scandinavian design. An identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, the Viking Aton and the new Viking Hathor—scheduled to debut this summer—the Viking Sobek features several aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace.
With the addition of both the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, the company will have six ships sailing the Nile by the end of 2024. Additional ships in the Egypt fleet include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares.
Itineraries & Extensions
The 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary begins with a 3-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo, where passengers visit such iconic sites as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali before flying to Luxor, home to the Temples of Luxor and Karnak
The itinerary then moves to a Viking river ship for an 8-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River featuring visits to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.
For guests looking to extend their journey in Egypt, Viking also offers pre and post extensions that provide Privileged Access to archives and exhibits. Guests on the 5-day British Collections of Ancient Egypt extension, for example, would begin the journey in London, meeting an expert Egyptologist tour director for Privileged Access to two museums—a private, early morning visit to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum before it opens to the general public; and then a visit to the home and personal museum of world-renowned architect, Sir John Soane, where a tour by candlelight reenacts how Soane entertained guests and showcased his exquisite collection of Egyptian antiquities.
Additional offerings include a 3-night Pre-Extension in Istanbul, where guests can visit important religious sites including the “Blue Mosque” and the legendary Hagia Sophia. After concluding the river voyage, guests can also extend the journey with 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.
For more information, visit viking.com.
