Optional tours are available from most ports for an additional charge.
Itinerary
Day Cape Town, South AfricaDeparts 06:00 PM Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain and flanked by Devil's Peak and Lion's Head, Cape Town is known by South Africans simply as 'the Cape,' an acknowledgment of its uniqueness and its status as the Mother City. The first area to be settled by Europeans in the 17th century, it is today a major seaport and the legislative capital of South Africa. The feeling here is not African but cosmopolitan, and a sense of history remains.
Day At Sea
Day Luderitz, NamibiaArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM In 1883, a German businessman, Adolf Luderitz, purchased a parcel of land enclosing a small bay for purposes of speculation. The so-called Skeleton Coast had limited potential in many ways, being largely made up of the shifting sands of the Namib Desert. Then, in 1906, a local railway worker noticed an oddly sparkly stone beside the tracks. It proved to be a diamond, and it became clear that there were many like it lying literally on the surface of the sands. By 1909 a diamond rush was in full sway, and a thriving, German-styled town called Kolmanskop sprouted out of the desert to house the gem-seekers. When the easy pickings ended, the townspeople simply walked away, and the desert climate preserved the town as it was slowly engulfed by the shifting sands. Today it makes an evocative and haunting place to visit. The bay still hosts a bounty of wildlife as well, including seals, whales and flamingos. Other endeavors have started, too, such as the culture of delicious oysters in the clean, cold ocean waters.
Day Walvis Bay, NamibiaArrives 12:00 PM Its name in Afrikaans means "Whale Bay," but those days are long gone. Today its dramatic setting is inseparable from any impression of this deep-water port on Namibia's desolate, but beautiful "Skeleton Coast." Here the undulating dunes of the Namib Desert meet the sea, and its lagoon is spangled with white pelicans, pink flamingos and other seabirds. Up the coast road is Dune Seven, the highest along Namibia's coast, and a great place to take off your shoes and feel some sand between your toes after your Atlantic crossing.
Day Walvis Bay, NamibiaDeparts 11:00 PM Its name in Afrikaans means "Whale Bay," but those days are long gone. Today its dramatic setting is inseparable from any impression of this deep-water port on Namibia's desolate, but beautiful "Skeleton Coast." Here the undulating dunes of the Namib Desert meet the sea, and its lagoon is spangled with white pelicans, pink flamingos and other seabirds. Up the coast road is Dune Seven, the highest along Namibia's coast, and a great place to take off your shoes and feel some sand between your toes after your Atlantic crossing.
Day At Sea
Day At Sea
Day At Sea
Day At Sea
Day Crossing the Equator The equator is an essential component of our planet's geographyâeven though it's just an imaginary line drawn on a map. In addition to being the widest spot on the planetâa full 43 kilometers (27 miles) wider than at the polesâthis is also the planetary dividing line for the Coriolis effect, which explains why cyclones rotate clockwise north of the equator and counterclockwise south of it. It's also the place best suited for launching spacecraft because the gravitational pull gives rocket ships an extra boost out of the stratosphere. And for a bit of light-hearted fun, if you're onboard a craft where any of the crew are crossing this imaginary line for the first time, you'll likely witness a King Neptune (or Crossing the Line) ceremony. This ancient naval tradition puts newbies, or âPollywogs,â through a series of pranks and tests to prove themselves worthy of being a son or daughter of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
Day Tema (Accra), GhanaArrives 07:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM Tema port is about 25 km from Ghanaââ¬â¢s teeming capital. The cultures of West Africa share a traditional propensity to be busy. Itââ¬â¢s exciting and can be dazzling to newcomers. Accra is a bustling, colorful city where everybody is rather joyfully struggling to get ahead. Enjoy it. The oldest section, Jamestown, is centered around the 17th century James Fort, where the British converted a traditional market for precious metals to a trade in slaves. Climb the red-and-white lighthouse for a view of the busy city. Visit the National Museum to get a glimpse of the elaborate and very ancient cultures of Ghana through exhibits of art and artifacts. Then survey Independence Square, and its memorial to the independent nationââ¬â¢s first leader Kwame Nkrumah. Once your pulse is up to speed, perhaps venture into the sea of humanity that is the Makola Market. The Artists Alliance gallery contains works in every medium imaginable from the fertile community of Ghanaian artists. The ANO Centre for Cultural Research is another place to discover the rich vein of creativity that runs from antiquity into todayââ¬â¢s culture. A more vivid example can be experienced at Labadi Beach, where enterprising entertainers, venders and artists gather to ply their trades among the visitors from neighboring luxury hotels. Like the pulsing, jazzy Ghanaian popular music, the beat of Accra is fast-paced and insistent, but full of joy.
Day Banjul, GambiaArrives 08:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM The Gambia takes its name from the river that runs through it. In fact the nation consists largely of the river and a narrow band of riparian land on either side of it. The smallest nation on the African mainland, it is only 30 miles wide at its broadest point, and surrounded on three sides by Senegal. The capital of Banjul, formerly known as Bathurst, slumbers on small St. Maryââ¬â¢s Island near the riverââ¬â¢s mouth. The townââ¬â¢s life centers around the bustling Albert Market, where nearly everything is traded in any (or several) of the countryââ¬â¢s five official languages, plus French and English. The National Museum is a good place to get a look at the historic and ethnographic makeup. South of the town is Abuko Nature Reserve, a 180-acre section of savannah forest preserved in 1968 through the efforts of the countryââ¬â¢s first forest officer, Eddie Brewer. The reserve is a good place to see examples of the native fauna including several species of monkeys, hyenas, antelope, and reptiles including crocodiles and monitor lizards. It also attracts more than 270 species of birds.
Day Dakar, SenegalArrives 08:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM One of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan African cities, the Senegalese capital bears many visual reminders of its past as a French colonial outpost. Despite the Parisian-style boulevards and buildings, however, there is a distinctly African feel to the city. Bankers and executives can be seen going about their businesses dressed in the flamboyant traditional Grand Boubou costume, and women wear the feminine version with an equally striking headpiece. The common language is French, although many citizens may also speak as many as five or six ethnic languages, since the whole coast of West Africa has been steeped in a heritage of mutual trade for centuries. Among the many sights and sounds greeting visitors, none is more evocative and sobering than a visit to Goree Island and its House of Slaves. This fortress, just offshore of the city waterfront, displays many reminders of the brutal trade in human beings, including an unimposing doorway, set just above the waterline in the seaside wall, identified simply as the ââ¬ÅDoor of No Return.ââ¬Â
Day At Sea
Day Praia, Ilha de Santiago, Cape VerdeArrives 08:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM Santiago is the largest of the Cape Verde islands, and nearly half the nationââ¬â¢s population lives on the island. Originally volcanic, Santiago is unusually fertile, and agriculture is an important part of the islandsââ¬â¢ economy. The Cape Verde Islands only won their independence from Portugal in 1974, following a violent revolution. The nation is struggling valiantly to progress after a repressive history. Accordingly visitors will notice a striking difference in development between it and many of its neighbors. The Cape Verdeans, though, are friendly and optimistic, and welcoming to visitors. The old capital, formerly known as Cidade Velha, has been renamed Ribeira Grande de Santiago, which was its name when it was an important port in the infamous slave trade. Dating from 1466, it was the first European colonial settlement in the Tropics. Visitors will notice a cluster of well-restored colonial-period houses, as well as a monument to the original pelourinho, or pillory where slaves were both punished and sold. This area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day Mindelo, Cape VerdeArrives 08:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM The most important city on the Cape Verde island of Sao Vicente, Mindelo originally thrived as a coal depot for steamships plying the Atlantic. With the advent of diesel engines, its importance waned, although it is still an important port for the maritime trade. The island is volcanic, dry and mostly low. The town has replica of Lisbonââ¬â¢s Belem Tower, located near the fish market, in an interesting part of the city. The late Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora started her career singing in the taverns of Mindelo, and later brought the uniquely lilting CapeVerdean form of fado music to the world through her bestselling records and concert tours.
Day At Sea
Day At Sea
Day Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, SpainArrives 08:00 AM Departs 10:00 PM Las Palmas is a large Spanish city, which just happens to be on the island of Gran Canaria. That fact adds the exotic, slightly African and international flavor to the place. It played an important part in the early exploration and exploitation of Africa and the New World, some of which is recounted in the Casa de Colon Museum. Columbus may have slept there, but it was never his house. It was actually the mansion of early governors. Other museums of note are the Museo Canaria with a number of Cro Magnon skulls, and the fascinating Elder Museum of Science and Technology. For shopping, strolling and general local interest, head to La Vegueta, the oldest quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the adjacent Triana high street shopping district. Most visitors are here for the beaches, and the municipal Playa de Las Canteras is a long, clean and safe option if that is your intention. The Canaria in the name of the islands refers to the indigenous Presa Canaria breed of dogs, which are large, strong and made quite an impression on the earliest Spanish visitors.
Day Casablanca, MoroccoArrives 07:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and its most important port. While Rabat is the country's official capital, Casablanca is its economic and cultural hub, the place where Moroccans go to make it big. There has been a settlement here since before the Romans, and although the Barbary pirates and Portuguese also left their marks, it wasn't until the French colonial period that Casablanca truly came into its own. The modern city was the first in the world to be laid out by aerial survey, and was barely 20 years old when its name was framed forever in the Hollywood classic of the same name.