Viking takes delivery of fourth Nile vessel, Viking Sobek, during ceremony in Egypt

Viking has taken delivery of its newest Nile River cruise ship, Viking Sobek, with the official handover taking place during a ceremony at Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt.

The 82-guest Viking Sobek joins 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 vessel is a sister ship to Viking Osiris, the Viking Aton and the Viking Hathor which already operate on the Nile River.

“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,” he added. “With the arrival of Viking Sobek, we look forward to introducing even more curious travellers to the country’s rich history and fascinating cultural treasures.”

Carrying just 82 guests in 41 staterooms, Viking Sobek is a boutique vessel inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known.

Viking Sobek features several 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 plans to welcome four additional ships on the Nile in the next two years—Viking Amun and Viking Thoth in 2025 and Viking Sekhmet and Viking Ptah in 2026—which would bring Viking’s fleet to 10 vessels on the Nile River.

The vessel will sail Viking’s 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, which begins with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo, where guests 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.

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, 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.

Guests then fly back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.