DESTINATIONS — CRUISE
excursions have not been finalised but Crystal has confirmed there will be safari days out.
Cape Town Stellenbosch
once-wealthy diamond-mining village in the Namib Desert that was abandoned in 1854 once the mines ran dry. An alternative 14-day round-trip cruise from Cape Town departing January 4 skips Namibia but adds a day in Durban, and starts from £2,995 including flights, transfers, excursions and gratuities. Jos Dewing, sales and marketing
vice-president at Voyages to Antiquity, says: “Our winter cruises are more adventurous and attract a different type of person to the summer ones, which are geared towards culture. The festive one is popular with single people who want to get away at Christmas.
“We are now being sold by the
likes of Reader Offers and Planet Cruise, and I am pleased with how sales for South Africa are going. Cape Town makes a great base for passengers who want to add more to their holiday, for instance Victoria Falls.” Crystal Cruises is also visiting South Africa for the first time over Christmas and New Year, but at the end of 2017. Its 16-day voyage is on Crystal Symphony, which will sail round-trip from Cape Town and visit Maputo in Mozambique, Richards Bay, East London, Port Elizabeth and Luderitz, with overnight calls also at Durban and Walvis Bay. Shore
74 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 26 March 2015
l REPEAT BUSINESS Silversea Cruises has a 14-night sailing from Cape Town to Mombasa on Silver Cloud departing December 6 that calls at Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Richards Bay before sailing to Kenya via Madagascar, the Comoros and Tanzania, with a return 16-night voyage to Cape Town on December 20 that starts from £3,850 cruise-only including drinks and gratuities. As well as city tours and trips to the townships, excursions are expected to visit Addo Elephant Park and Pumba Game Reserve from Port Elizabeth. From East London, passengers will likely be able to see rhino and giraffe at Inkwenkwezi Game Reserve or go canoeing on the Nahoone River. In Durban, look out for shark diving; in Richards Bay, expect tours to wildlife reserves and a Zulu crocodile farm. Clients can also add a four-night tour to Victoria Falls and
Chobe Chilwero Lodge in Botswana or two nights in Cape Town to the start of the December 6 cruise. Oceania has a 15-day voyage
round-trip from Cape Town on Nautica departing November 24 that visits Mossel Bay, Richards Bay, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth in South Africa as well as Maputo in Mozambique and Walvis Bay in Namibia, from £2,859 including flights. Excursions have not been finalised but are tipped to include visits to Tala Game Reserve from Durban, Mpongo Game Reserve from East London, bird or dolphin- watching from Walvis Bay, and an ostrich farm from Cape Town. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a 14-night cruise round-trip from Cape Town on Mariner, also departing November 24, as well as a 30-night cruise from Dubai to Cape Town on Voyager departing November 21 that visits Richards Bay and Durban and is priced from £10,369 including flights, transfers, drinks and gratuities. Regent usually includes excursions in the price, but there is a charge for trips to most game reserves. A 5.5-hour tour to Hluhluwe Game Reserve, for instance, costs £137. For something different, AmaWaterways’ Stars of South Africa cruise- tour includes
three nights in
Cape Town, four nights’ sailing on the Chobe
Tigerfish
River on the Zambezi Queen, with included boat and barge safaris,
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