DESTINATIONS — CRUISE
African arks
Clients are coming in two by two for safari cruises, writes Jane Archer
you’re suggesting a few drinks too many and a whirl around the dancefloor. But there’s another way. If they prefer wildlife to wild nights, sign them up for the latest cruise fad – a South Africa wildlife safari by ship.
T OK, the concept is not new, but
more ships are not only cruising around South Africa from Cape Town but they are also including
ell clients they can go wild on a cruise and they may think
plenty of trips to national parks in the mix of excursions. Most sailings are between
November and January but a few cruise lines visit outside these months as part of their annual long or round-the-world voyages. With quality safari lodges and
tented camps on offer in South Africa, a cruise might not be the first thing that springs to mind if clients want to go on safari. However, it allows them to visit a variety of parks there and across the border in Namibia. Favourite excursions include jeep safaris around Addo Elephant Park, reached from Port Elizabeth, and big game drives in Hluhluwe Reserve, which can be visited on a day trip from Richards Bay. The reserve is home to the rare white rhino and is also a good place to spot the big five – buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino. Also from Richards
Bay, clients can visit St Lucia Wetland
Reserve to see hippos and crocodiles, while some cruise
lines have tours from East London to Inkwenkwezi Game Reserve in search of rhino, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and ostrich. Walvis Bay
lagoon in Namibia is a favourite for bird-spotters. In between the wildlife tours, passengers can sample the region’s history, culture, and world-renowned wine on excursions to Zulu villages and townships, scenic drives along the picturesque Garden Route and tours of Cape Town.
Most ships dock at the city’s
Table Bay Harbour, within walking distance of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which houses a shopping centre, restaurants and aquarium. Highlights in Cape Town include Table Mountain, whose summit can be reached by cable car, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.
l FIRST-TIMERS Voyages to Antiquity, visiting South Africa for the first time this winter, is a great choice for clients who want to see as much wildlife as possible, because it includes
excursions to the highlight wildlife reserves in the cost of the cruise. The cruise line has three cruises from Cape Town – two that sail from the city and back and a third from Cape Town to Colombo in Sri Lanka that also calls at the Comoros, Seychelles and Maldives. A 19-day Christmas and
New Year itinerary round-trip from Cape Town departing December 18 includes three nights on ship in the city so there is time to see the sights and take a tour to one of the Stellenbosch wine estates. It visits Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay, and stays overnight in Richards Bay and over the Namibian border in Luderitz, from where there are excursions to Kolmanskop, a
26 March 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 73
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PICTURES: MANTIS COLLECTION; SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM
FAST FACT Silversea offers a
Culinary Expedition voyage up Africa’s west coast from
Dakar to Lisbon via Cape Verde and Morocco
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