Viking’s Ra is the standout for its design and access. Its 26 blond-wood cabins, most with balconies from which you can catch sights like the temple complex of Dendera, were the hardest beds to secure when the ship launched in 2018. Here, Scandinavian reference points are gracefully offset with Arabic touches, like the sundeck canopies resembling dhow sail shades. Viking also scores big by showing guests more than typical bucket-list sights; in Nubia, a local Egyptologist leads tours through Philae Temple, and in Aswan traditional felucca sailboats get you closer to the activity on the riverbanks. Back on board, toast the North African sunset from one of the two hot tubs, under those dhow-style sails.
SOURCE: CN TRAVELER