Viking Names New River Ships in Egypt

Viking Cruises celebrated the naming of its new Egypt river ships, Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek, with a ceremony this week in Luxor. 

The Hon. Edward Herbert served as the ceremonial godfather of 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 Tutankhamun near Luxor in 1922. 

Mohamed El Banna, founder of Cosmos Egypt and a member of the Egyptian Senate, served as ceremonial godfather for Viking Sobek. 

Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek are identical sister ships to the Viking Aton and Viking Osiris. These vessels are designed to navigate the Nile River on Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary. Both Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek were built at the Massara shipyard in Cairo.

"Today, we are proud to welcome the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek to our growing fleet in Egypt. Along with their sister ships, we believe they are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “We are very grateful for our continued close friendship with the Carnarvon family and that Eddie has honored us by serving as godfather of the Viking Hathor. For more than 15 years, Mohamed El Banna has been a part of the extended Viking family, helping to take good care of our guests in Egypt, and it is a great honor that he is serving as godfather of the Viking Sobek. As our award-winning fleet on the Nile continues to grow, we look forward to introducing even more curious travelers to this phenomenal destination.”

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 Hathor and Viking Sobek have the capacity to host 82 guests in 41 staterooms. Both vessels are inspired by elegant Scandinavian design, for which Viking is known, and feature a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. 

Each ship will sail Viking's popular ‘Pharaohs & Pyramids’ itinerary. This voyage begins with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo. Guests then fly to Luxor to visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River. During the journey, guests will visit the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens, 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 to visit a traditional elementary school. The journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.

Other ships in the Viking Egypt fleet include the Viking Ra and MS Antares. Viking plans to welcome four more Egypt ships in the next two years— Viking Amun and Viking Thoth in 2025 and Viking Sekhmet and Viking Ptah in 2026. This will bring Viking’s fleet to 10 vessels on the Nile River.

Explore All Cruises on Viking Sobek and Viking Hathor

All Egypt Viking River Cruises