viking.com | 23
S U M M E R I S S U E 2 9
Trevor Cochrane and his crew embarked
on a Viking voyage to Egypt, filming the
expedition for Explore TV. We went behind
the scenes to chat with him about his
experiences and highlights.
Filming Egypt
THE STORY
BEHIND AN
EPIC VIKING
VOYAGE
Q. WHEN YOU THINK BACK ON FILMING THE EXPLORE TV
EPISODES IN EGYPT, WHAT'S THE FIRST MOMENT THAT COMES
TO MIND?
Egypt isn't always the top-of-mind experience for travellers at first,
but as someone who has travelled the world extensively, I knew what
was coming. My team hadn't visited before, so seeing the experience
through the team's eyes—and working with our Viking Egyptologist
—I knew this was going to expand everyone's thinking. It all starts
with Cairo. The incredible history here blew everyone's mind. People
have lived in Cairo for more than 5,000 years. Positioned along the
edge of the Nile River—the world's longest river and essentially the
lifeblood of Egyptian culture—it was everything we could imagine
and so much more. Egypt is incredible but the first time you move
to Giza and see the Pyramids, the "wow" factor is an incredible first
impression. The new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), is amazing. It's
the world's greatest, but for me, I especially loved the other museums
that haven't changed for hundreds of years. Dusty and ancient, they
offer an insight into modern history as we struggle to tell the story of
an ancient civilisation that has so much to offer modern people.
Q. WHAT WERE YOU MOST SURPRISED ABOUT WHEN
VISITING EGYPT?
It's an incredible experience for any traveller. I have tried to explain
this to friends since my first exploration with Viking in 2024, but this
is the only country I have travelled to with so many questions in my
mind and left with even more unanswered. How did they build these
structures we couldn't build to the same level of accuracy today?
Even with the technology we now have at our fingertips? The depth
of thinking they applied to everything they did is mind-blowing.
The experience is life-changing for everyone I know who has visited.
