The Nile River will soon have a new ship for Egyptian cruising passengers. The 82-guest Viking Sobek has been “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water.

“Egypt has always captivated curious travelers with its rich culture and history, and it continues to be a destination of interest for our guests,” Torstein Hagen, chairman and CEO of Viking, said in a news release.

Set to sail in the fall of 2024, 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.

“We believe the Viking Sobek and her sister ships are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile, and we are looking forward to welcoming even more guests to explore this fantastic region,” Hagen said.

The traditional float out ceremony of the Viking Sobek took place at Massara shipyard in Cairo and is significant because it marks the ship moving into the final stage of construction. Sobek will now be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.

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

An identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, the Viking Aton and the new Viking Hathor, which is 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.

During the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo, where they can visit iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, and 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, featuring visits to the tomb of Nefertiti in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.

Other excursions will visit the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, the temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan, plus a visit to a colorful Nubian village where guests can experience a traditional elementary school.

Finally, the journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city. For guests looking to extend their journey in Egypt, Viking also offers pre-and post-extensions that provide privileged access to archives and exhibits.

Photos courtesy of Viking

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