Does MS Omar El Khayam sail the Nile?

No. She sails Lake Nasser, the reservoir of the Aswan High Dam, between Aswan and Abu Simbel. The classic Nile cruise runs between Luxor and Aswan, on different water and with different calls.

Does Viking own this ship?

No. Viking chartered her from 2015 to launch its Egyptian programme, along with MS Mayfair. The line now sails the Nile with its own ships and no longer lists her.

What are the calls on a Lake Nasser cruise?

Kalabsha, Wadi es-Sebua, Amada, Qasr Ibrim and Abu Simbel. They are temples, most of them dismantled and rebuilt higher up in the nineteen-sixties before the dam filled.

What is the capacity of MS Omar El Khayam?

One hundred and sixty guests to eighty-eight crew, in eighty-four cabins including sixty-eight with verandas and twelve suites. The ship is one hundred and thirteen metres long by seventeen wide.

Do you need a cruise to see Abu Simbel?

No. Abu Simbel can be visited as a day trip from Aswan by road or by air. A Lake Nasser cruise earns its place mainly for the intermediate temples, which are almost unreachable otherwise.

Viking Longships MS Omar Khayam

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Viking Longships MS Omar Khayam

The MS Omar Khayyam is a Viking River Cruises ship operating river cruise itineraries on the Nile in Egypt. The MS Omar Khayyam features a design inspired by contemporary comfort, with cabins configured for river navigation, relaxation spaces, and dining adapted to high-end cruise standards. The MS Omar Khayyam operates cultural itineraries along the Nile, with stops that enable the discovery of major historical sites of ancient Egypt, temples, and iconic riverside landscapes, following the natural course of the river in a heritage-focused exploration setting. The MS Omar Khayyam is particularly suited for travelers seeking a cultural cruise in Egypt that combines comfort, historical discovery, and intimate Nile navigation in a refined setting.

Itineraries of the Viking Longships MS Omar Khayam

Price and Availability Notice
Prices displayed are provided for informational purposes only. They reflect the rates in effect at the time of their most recent update and are shown in Canadian dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified.

Supplier rates, exchange rates, taxes and fees, room or cabin categories, and promotions are subject to change at any time. The applicable price is the one confirmed by a travel advisor at the time of booking, subject to availability. Only the confirmed price shall be considered valid.

It is the traveler's responsibility to confirm the price, inclusions, and applicable terms and conditions before making a reservation. While every effort is made to keep our content up to date, transmission, display, or pricing errors may occur. In such cases, the correct price will be communicated to the traveler before any booking is confirmed. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply.

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Decks plans

Deck - 6

Sun Deck

Deck - 5

Observation Deck

Deck - 4

Upper Deck

Deck - 3

Middle Deck

Deck - 2

Main Deck

Deck - 1

Lower Deck

Technical specifications

Passengers: 88
Decks: 6
Length: 17 m
Width: 113 m

MS Omar El Khayam: a Lake Nasser ship, not a Nile longship

Two corrections come before everything else. This ship does not sail the Nile; she sails Lake Nasser. And she is not a Viking longship: the line chartered her and never built or owned her. Her full name is MS Steigenberger Omar El Khayam.

Lake Nasser is not the Nile

This distinction decides the whole trip. Lake Nasser is the reservoir of the Aswan High Dam, five hundred kilometres of water south of the first cataract, across almost empty country. Ships run between Aswan and Abu Simbel, and the calls are not towns but temples: Kalabsha, Wadi es-Sebua, Amada, Qasr Ibrim, then the colossi of Abu Simbel at the end.

Nearly all those temples were taken apart stone by stone and rebuilt higher up in the nineteen-sixties, when the dam drowned Nubia. That is what gives this cruise its character: it crosses a landscape people made by moving mountains.

The classic Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan is another journey entirely. Villages, cultivated fields, feluccas, temples still where they were built. Many travellers do both, and that is the right way to think about them.

The ship

Built in 2008, refurbished in 2011. One hundred and thirteen metres long by seventeen wide, drawing two metres sixty. One hundred and sixty guests to eighty-eight crew, a very high ratio, better than many upper-tier ocean ships.

Eighty-four cabins: four outside, sixty-eight with verandas and twelve suites.

What Viking did with her

The line returned to Egypt in 2015 and chartered two ships to start its programme there, this one and MS Mayfair. Viking now sails the Nile with its own ships and no longer lists MS Omar El Khayam. The ship herself continues to be sold on Lake Nasser by several European operators.

Before booking Lake Nasser

There are few ships there and departures are seasonal, summer being very hot. Abu Simbel can also be visited as a day trip from Aswan, by road or by air, for far less. The cruise earns its place if the intermediate temples are what you want, because there is almost no other way to reach them.

An advisor can tell you what is selling this season and compare it with the Luxor to Aswan option: 1-866-628-6241.

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