Viking Adds a Ship for the Nile Eclipse
Viking has taken delivery of the Viking Sekhmet, which will sail its new Total Eclipse on the Nile itinerary in 2027. Eclipse-week inventory on the Nile is finite.
Viking has a new ship on the Nile, and it arrives with a date attached. The company took delivery of the Viking Sekhmet at the Massara shipyard in Cairo, it announced on 29 September 2026. In 2027 the ship will sail Viking’s new 12-day Total Eclipse on the Nile itinerary, built around the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027, as well as the line’s established Pharaohs & Pyramids program. For advisors, the eclipse is the sell, and the inventory that can deliver it is limited.
The ship
The Viking Sekhmet carries 82 guests in 41 outside staterooms and was built specifically for the Nile. Like its sister ships, it has the square bow and indoor-outdoor Aquavit Terrace that Viking uses across its river fleet.
“The Nile has connected people with the history and culture of Egypt for thousands of years, and it continues to be a destination that inspires curious travelers,” said Leah Talactac, Viking’s president and chief executive.
The itineraries
Both 12-day programs follow the same structure, according to Viking:
- Cairo, three nights at a first-class hotel, with visits available to the Pyramids of Giza, Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
- Flight to Luxor for the temples of Luxor and Karnak, then an eight-day round-trip Nile cruise with the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Khnum at Esna, the Dendera Temple complex, the High Dam at Aswan and a Nubian village with a visit to a local school.
- Flight back to Cairo for a final night.
On the eclipse itinerary, Viking’s UK site says guests will see totality from the river. The UK price starts at £6,995 per person, including flights from London; North American pricing and dates should be checked on Viking’s local site and with your BDM.
Why the eclipse matters
The 2 August 2027 eclipse peaks in Egypt, with a maximum duration of about 6 minutes 23 seconds, which Astronomy magazine calls “about as long as a total eclipse can last.” Luxor lies in the path of totality. Every Nile operator and Luxor hotel is chasing the same few days of demand, and a 41-cabin ship has little room to absorb it.
The bigger fleet
Viking says it expects to take delivery of 19 more river ships by 2028, for a river fleet of 114, plus 11 ocean ships by 2032 and two expedition ships by 2031.
For advisors
- Pitch now, to the right client. Eclipse chasers, multi-generational families and repeat Viking guests who have done Europe’s rivers are the obvious buyers. Lead with the date, not the ship.
- Hold space before you have names. Ask your Viking BDM about group space on eclipse departures.
- Sell the Pharaohs & Pyramids fallback. If eclipse dates are full, the same 12-day structure runs year-round, and Egypt’s cooler months are easier for older travellers.
- Plan for August heat. Upper Egypt in early August is very hot; set expectations on touring times and pack accordingly.