Viking has expanded its Egypt operation with the Viking Sekhmet, a new river ship built specifically for the Nile. It carries just 82 guests across 41 outside staterooms, mirrors the layout of the line's existing Egyptian vessels, and sticks to the brand's familiar Scandinavian styling — including the Aquavit Terrace, an indoor-outdoor space at the bow that works well for watching river life drift past.
Two itineraries put the ship to work. The established Pharaohs & Pyramids cruise runs 12 days, while a new option called Total Eclipse on the Nile debuts in 2027 and is timed around the total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027 — guests will watch it from the deck as the ship sails the river.
Both trips start with three nights in a luxury Cairo hotel before anyone sets foot on the boat. That city stay covers the heavy hitters: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the sprawling burial grounds at Sakkara just south of the capital, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the Citadel (built between 1832 and 1857), and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. From there guests fly to Luxor, tour the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, then board the Sekhmet for an eight-day round-trip sailing.
The cruise itself stacks up a serious list of ancient sites: Tutankhamen's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Khnum at Esna, the Dendera Temple complex at Qena, and the High Dam at Aswan. One of the more unexpected stops is a school in a traditional Nubian village — a rare non-pharaonic break in the itinerary. The trip wraps with a flight back to Cairo for a final night.
For travellers, the appeal is straightforward: small ship, all-outside cabins, and a route that handles Cairo's chaos and Upper Egypt's temples in one seamless package. The eclipse departure gives 2027 planners a concrete reason to book early, since small-ship Nile cabins tend to sell out well ahead. Anyone weighing a first trip to Egypt should find the 12-day format appealing — it covers far more than a short Cairo-and-back trip could, without the packing and transferring that a land tour of the same ground would demand.
More capacity on the Nile also means more departure dates and better odds of finding availability in high season, which for this stretch of Egypt generally means the cooler months. Worth noting, though: the August 2027 eclipse sailing will run hot, so it suits travellers who care more about the celestial event than comfortable temperatures.
