Viking® (www.viking.com) (NYSE: VIK) immediately introduced it has taken supply of the corporate’s latest ship for the Nile River, the Viking Sobek. The supply ceremony befell when the brand new ship was offered at Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt.The82-guestViking Sobek joins the corporate’s rising fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and can sail Viking’s in style 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.
“We’re proud to welcome the Viking Sobek to our award-winning fleet. In our view, these an identical sister ships are by far probably the most elegant vessels on the Nile,” mentioned Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “Egypt has all the time been a vacation spot of nice curiosity amongst our friends, and demand for these voyages continues to be robust. With the arrival of the Viking Sobek, we look ahead to introducing much more curious vacationers to the nation’s wealthy historical past and engaging cultural treasures.”
The Viking Sobek & Viking’s Rising Egypt Fleet
Internet hosting 82 friends in 41 staterooms, the brand new Viking Sobek is impressed by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is thought. An an identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, the Viking Aton and the Viking Hathor, the Viking Sobek options a number of facets acquainted to Viking friends, equivalent to a particular sq. bow and an indoor/out of doors Aquavit Terrace. Different ships within the Egypt fleet embody theViking Ra and the MS Antares. Viking plans to welcome 4 extra ships within the subsequent two years—the Viking Amun and the Viking Thoth in 2025 and the Viking Sekhmet and the Viking Ptah in 2026—which might deliver Viking’s fleet to 10 vessels on the Nile River.
Viking’s Pharaohs & Pyramids Itinerary
In the course of the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, friends start with a three-night keep at a first-class lodge in Cairo, the place they will go to iconic websites such because the Nice Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Grand Egyptian Museum. Visitors then fly to Luxor, the place they go to the Temples of Luxor and Karnak earlier than boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River, that includes visits to the tomb of Nefertari within the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen within the Valley of the Kings, and excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complicated in Qena, the temples at Abu Simbel and the Excessive Dam in Aswan, and a go to to a colourful Nubian village, the place friends can expertise a conventional elementary faculty. Lastly, the journey concludes with a flight again to Cairo for a last night time within the historical metropolis.
Highclere Fortress, Egypt & Viking
For years Viking has provided a wide range of methods for its friends to expertise life at Highclere Fortress, which is the house of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and the historic property finest often called the filming location of Downton Abbey. George Herbert, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, can also be the godfather of the Viking Osiris. His great-grandfather, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was the benefactor and co-explorer of Howard Carter, the world’s most well-known Egyptologist; collectively they found the tomb of Tutankhamen on November 4, 1922. Amongst many skills, the 5th Earl was an avid novice photographer with a creative eye for composition. His pictures are at Highclere Fortress at the moment, saved in photograph albums in The Library, and present the method of discovering and excavating the tomb of Tutankhamen, in addition to scenes of day by day life in Egypt of the interval. With variety permission, the Carnarvons have allowed Viking to share this personal assortment for friends crusing on board the Viking Osiris and her sister ships.
For friends trying to prolong their journey in Egypt, Viking additionally presents Pre and Publish Extensions that present Privileged Entry to archives and reveals. Visitors on the five-day British Collections of Historical Egypt extension will start the journey in London, the place they are going to meet their Viking Tour Director, an professional Egyptologist, and expertise Privileged Entry to 2 museums: first a non-public, early morning go to to the Egyptian Assortment on the British Museum earlier than it opens to most people – after which a go to to the house and private museum of world-renowned architect, Sir John Soane, the place the tour can be illuminated by candlelight, a re-enactment of how Soane entertained friends and showcased his beautiful assortment of Egyptian antiquities, together with a 3,000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus.
Visitors may also go to London’s Petrie Museum, which homes greater than 80,000 artifacts from historical Egypt and Sudan. In Oxford, friends will go to the Ashmolean Museum, one of many oldest on the earth, and residential to a different assortment of Egyptian mummies and artwork—and go behind the scenes at Oxford College’s Griffith Institute, the place they are going to get pleasure from a Privileged Entry go to to see Howard Carter’s archives, which element the invention of Tutankhamen’s tomb. Lastly, friends may have additional Privileged Entry with an unique go to to Highclere Fortress to view the Earl of Carnarvon’s magnificent personal assortment of Egyptian artifacts, in addition to archives and reveals not usually accessible to the general public.
Viking was rated #1 for Rivers, in addition to #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions, by Condé Nast Traveler within the 2024 Readers’ Alternative Awards for the second consecutive yr. This achievement marked the primary time a journey firm received these three classes in back-to-back years. Viking’s Egypt ships have additionally been included in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Sizzling Checklist” the final two years. Viking was additionally named a “Greatest Luxurious River Cruise of 2024” in Forbes’ “Greatest Luxurious Cruises” listing. Moreover, TIME journal featured each Giza and Saqqara on its “World’s Biggest Locations” 2023 listing, mentioning crusing the Nile River with Viking. TIME notes that Viking is among the many only a few who cease in each Giza and the village of Sakkara, the place excavation websites, just like the megatombs of animal and human mummies, are lively.
About Viking
Viking (NYSE: VIK) was based in 1997 and supplies destination-focused journeys on rivers, oceans, and lakes world wide. Designed for curious vacationers with pursuits in science, historical past, tradition and delicacies, Chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen usually says Viking presents experiences For The Considering Particular person™. Viking has greater than 450 awards to its title, together with being rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler within the 2023 and 2024 Readers’ Alternative Awards. Viking can also be rated a “World’s Greatest” for rivers, oceans and expeditions by Journey + Leisure. No different journey firm has concurrently obtained the identical honors by each publications. For extra data, contact Viking at 1-800-2-VIKING (1-800-284-5464) or go to www.viking.com. For Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, go to www.viking.television.