Viking floats out newest Nile river ship

Viking has held a float-out ceremony for its newest Nile river cruise ship – the 82-guest Viking Thoth.

The event marks a major construction milestone and was the first time the ship has touched water.

Set for delivery in October, the Viking Thoth will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

Torstein Hagen, chairman and chief executive of Viking, said: “Egypt is a country of profound historical and cultural significance, which makes it a destination of great interest to our guests.

“With two new ships, the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun, debuting in 2025, we are very proud to continue expanding our elegant fleet and introducing more curious travellers to this phenomenal region.”

Following the traditional float-out ceremony at Massara shipyard in Cairo, the ship moved into its final stage of construction at a nearby outfitting dock.

Viking Thoth has 41 cabins and is a sister ship to the Viking Osiris, Viking Aton, Viking Sobek, Viking Hathor and Viking Amun. Other ships in Viking’s Egypt fleet include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares.

Viking will launch four other new ships in Egypt in the next two years, which will bring its fleet to 12 vessels on the Nile by 2027.

During the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay in Cairo, where they can visit sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Grand Egyptian Museum.

They 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, visiting to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings.

Excursions take guests 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 Nubian village, where guests can experience a traditional primary school.