Two new Viking ships dedicated to sailing the Nile have been named in a ceremony held at the dedicated Viking dock at the Luxor archaeological site.
Viking Hathor is named after an ancient Egyptian goddess associated with motherhood. Viking Sobek was the name of the crocodile god.
The vessel has the same specifications as the Viking Aton and Viking Osiris, which are already sailing the Nile.
Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen praised the vessel and said, “As our award-winning fleet of ships on the Nile continues to grow, we look forward to introducing more curious travelers to this wondrous destination.”
The 82-passenger vessels are Viking’s fifth and sixth vessels to operate on the Nile, with a planned fleet of 10 ships.
Two dignitaries served as ceremonial godfathers. Edward Herbert, who gave the name Viking Hathor, was the great-grandson of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who funded the expedition that discovered King Tut’s tomb at Luxor in 1922.
Mohammed El Banna, who goes by the name Viking Sobek, is a member of the Egyptian Senate and founder of Cosmos Egypt, a Cairo-based travel agency and the country’s oldest destination management company.
The two ships will be deployed on the Vikings’ 12-day Pharaohs and Pyramids Tour. Starting with a three-night stay at a hotel in Cairo, guests can visit the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mausoleum of Saqqara, and Muhammad Ali’s Mosque. Or the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Guests will then fly to Luxor, visit Luxor and the Temple of Karnak, and then board a Viking ship for an eight-day round-trip cruise on the Nile.
