Viking has five, A&K five, AmaWaterways and Uniworld have two each, and Avalon has one. There are nearly 300 river ships on the Nile.
Death on the Nile is greatly exaggerated as agents report a steady rise in bookings despite concerns earlier this year about the continued instability in the Middle East.
The World’s longest river is slowly coming back to life as more and more realise the fabulous historic location has packed more pyramids and monuments along its banks than almost every country in Europe.
The latest edition to the fleet is the sleek, 82-guest Viking Hathor, named after one of Egypt’s prominent goddesses. It will debut on the Nile sailing the popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary in August. The line recently took delivery of the new ship at the Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt.
Most Nile ships are relatively small, and the Viking Hathor has 41 staterooms. Designed in Viking’s renowned Scandinavian style, she will have a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace.
Hathor is a sister ship to Viking Osiris and Viking Aton. The line has two additional ships sailing the Nile River, the 52-guest Viking Ra, named after the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and the 62-guest MS Antares, named after Antares who represented the ancient Egyptian scorpion goddess Serket.
Guests who book to sail Viking Hathor’s 12-day itinerary will begin their adventure with a three-night stay at a five-star hotel in Cairo and visit iconic sites such as The Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali or the Grand Egyptian Museum.
They will then fly to Luxor where they will visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding the new ship for an eight-day roundtrip cruise on the Nile River.
Highlights of a cruise on the Nile
Highlights of any Nile cruise include visits to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.
Of course, the majestic temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan are a must. Colourful Nubian villages are also a highlight – the history of these elegant people is one of the great stories of the country.
History is all around, so prepare for your Egyptologist – it takes 12 years to train these expert guides – to tell you astonishing stories at every stop. You’ll be steeped in tales of Kings and Queens and you’ll marvel at just how advanced Egyptian culture was.
For adventurous history buffs, Viking offers pre-and-post extensions with a five-day British Collections of Ancient Egypt, starting in London, where they will meet their Viking Tour Director, an expert Egyptologist and have privileged access to two museums, including an early morning visit to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum before it opens to the general public.
They will also visit the home and personal museum of world-renowned architect the late Sir John Soane for a candlelight tour and re-enactment of how Soane entertained guests with his exquisite collection of Egyptian antiquities and a 3000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus (a stone coffin). There will also be a visit to Ashmolean Museum in Oxford – one of the oldest in the world and home to a varied collection of Egyptian mummies and art. Guests will also have exclusive access to Highclere Castle to view the Earl of Carnarvon’s magnificent private collection of Egyptian artifacts and exhibits – not normally accessible to the public.
For those who want to experience a post-cruise extension, Viking offers a four-night trip to Jordan which includes Petra, the Dead Sea and Amman. Here there will be excursions to view Roman antiquities at Jerash, Crusader-era castles at Kerak or Shobak and experience the lost city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Ramses exhibition in Sydney and Discovering Ancient Egypt in Canberra, there is renewed interest in this fascinating river destinations.
Egyptian cruise information please