Viking names new Nile River ship in Egypt

Viking announced the name of its newest river ship, the Viking Aton, with a special celebration in Aswan, Egypt.

“Today, we are pleased to welcome Viking Aton to our growing fleet.” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking.

“Together with her sister ship, the Viking Osiris, they are the newest and most elegant vessels on the Nile, by far. With extraordinarily strong interest in Egypt among our guests, we are proud to bring another state-of-the-art vessel to this region, and we look forward to introducing even more curious travelers to the country’s rich cultural treasures. I am also thankful to my friend, Richard Riveire, for his tremendous contributions to Viking, including the design of this new vessel and our other award-winning river, ocean and expedition ships.”

The ship’s ceremonial godfather, designer of Viking’s award-winning river, ocean and expedition vessels, and founder of interior design firm Rottet Studio, Riveire offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—an evolution of the naval tradition dating back to thousands of years.

“It is an incredible honour to be the godfather of the Viking Aton and to celebrate the growing Viking fleet,” said Riveire.

“For well over a decade, I have been proud to work alongside Tor, Karine and the Viking team to help design how the Viking brand comes to life on board. Together, we share the belief that the design of each Viking ship should showcase the destination, wherever you may be in the world.”

The Viking Aton, an identical sister ship of the Viking Osiris, is a state-of-the-art vessel specifically built to navigate the Nile.

Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the Viking Aton is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships.

It will sail Viking’s 12-day Pharaohs and Pyramids itinerary, where guests have a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo and visit iconic sites, such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Necropolis of Saqqara and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.

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, where they have privileged access to the Tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the Tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.

They also go on 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, before heading to a Nubian village, where they can visit a traditional elementary school.

Finally, the journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo for a final night in the ancient city.

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