Cruise into The Game Fairs with Viking
Viking, the world’s leading exploration company, offers culturally enriching, destination-focused river, ocean and expedition voyages across all seven continents for experienced travellers curious about the world, its diverse cultures and varied history.
Viking’s fleet of ships each feature elegant, understated Scandinavian design and spacious, light-filled public spaces.
Since 2020, Viking has welcomed 17 new ships to its fleet – including eight new Viking Longships on the rivers of Europe; new purpose-built vessels on the Mekong, Nile and Mississippi rivers; four new, identical ocean ships and two Polar Class expedition vessels, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.
Fancy an expedition?
Viking Expeditions launched in 2022, offering guests the opportunity to travel to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes. Thirty-six experts accompany each journey as part of the Viking Expedition Team, including an Expedition Leader and support staff, photographer, field research scientists, general naturalists, mountain guides, kayak guides, and specialists (ornithology, geology, higher predator biology and history).
On board, guests enjoy daily briefings and world-class lectures about their destination. On shore, they can assist in fieldwork or interact through experiential activities during landings—such as monitoring birds to help identify migratory patterns; accompanying scientists to collect samples; or taking their cameras ashore alongside a professional photographer to learn how best to capture scenic landscapes.
Viking offers an included excursion in every port of call across all its itineraries as well as a range of optional destination-focused experiences themed around the ‘Working World’, ‘Local Life’ and ‘Privileged Access’.
When travelling with Viking, guests have the opportunity to explore the countryside in each destination, enjoying a wide range of outdoor pursuits from hiking to fishing to kayaking.
On Viking’s Lyon & Provence river itinerary guests can visit The Camargue – a refuge for a large array of wildlife and one of Europe’s most carefully preserved natural parks followed by a trip to a nearby pasture to view a Camargue manade—a semi-feral herd of cattle or horses.
When calling in to Quebec on Viking’s Canada & New England Scenic Shores ocean itinerary guests can visit a family-run organic farm and harvest its produce to help create a delicious lunch. Set among the picturesque, wooded hills next to the Saguenay Fjord, Les Jardins de Sophie grows fruit, vegetables and herbs using traditional methods.
The owners take guests on a guided tour to share their experiences in market gardening and organic farming, and show them the tractors, root cellar, greenhouse, nursery and forge. Then, they join the farm’s chef in the kitchen of the rustic St. Sapin Pavillon and enjoy a tasting menu prepared by the chef, made in part from freshly harvested ingredients.
The cultural enrichment programme on board Viking’s ocean ships include lectures on subjects such as history, music, wildlife and art, roundtables with resident historians, live classical music and cooking demonstrations with onboard libraries curated by the London bookseller, Heywood Hill.
Working together
The Game Fair is one of Viking’s valued cultural partners in the UK, particularly as it helps to connect people from around the UK who are passionate about countryside pursuits. An appreciation of nature is deeply engrained in Scandinavian culture, which is at the heart of the Viking experience, given its Nordic heritage.
Many of Viking’s own guests share this passion for the great outdoors, both at home and when exploring the world.
Game Fair visitors and exhibitors are invited to meet the Viking team on stand P1 at Scone this weekend to find out more about what sets Viking apart from mainstream cruise lines, its itineraries, its fleet and the latest special offers.
