My wife and I decided on a 50-day long cruise-trip for our 50th wedding anniversary. We searched for options and selected the 46-day Grand Africa Voyage offered by Holland America Line. The adventure began with a flight to Fort Lauderdale 9 October, boarding the Zuiderdam on 10 October and ending the cruise at Cape Town on 25 November. We added a few days to tour Cape Town before beginning our long flight back to Atlanta and home.
In this post, I will do the following:
1. Identify the ports and places with a short commentary
2. Add a few photos
3. Provide links to pages providing more detail about the places we visited.
Because of the lengthy adventure, this post is a work in progress. I hope to add pages over the next few weeks.
THE CRUISE
OCTOBER 2023
10 Oct Embark at Fort Lauderdale, Florida
11 - 17 October. Cruising across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
18 Funchal (Madeira) Portugal.
The dock is a plain and unattractive but clean area. We shared a taxi with another couple to see some of the island's gorgeous scenery and we were not disappointed. Language-Portuguese, Currency Euro
19 Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
It isn’t a particularly exciting port. The area is dotted with a few restaurants. We walked around the port then spent some time in a local shopping centre before returning to the ship. Language-Spanish, Currency Euro
20 Agadir, Morocco (tender to shore)
We shared a taxi to view highlights of the area which included an old fort, a Mosque, a fish market, and a Souk. Language-Arabic, French, Currency- Euros were accepted.
21 Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco
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| Mosque, Casablanca |
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| Palace at Rabat |
We took a day tour, which included a visit to the third larges mosque and Royal Palace in Casablanca then we traveled to Rabat to see the King's Palace, enjoy a Moroccan lunch, and toured an old fortress.
22-23 At sea
24 La Goulette / Tunis, Tunisia
Because of protests over the Hamas-Israeli war, we were advised to avoid Tunis. We took a cab to Carthage and took our time looking at the ruins of this ancient city occupied by various groups over more than two thousand years. Language-Arabic, French, Currency- Euros were accepted.
25 At sea
26 Souda/ Chania, Crete, Greece
We docked at 11 am and took a shuttle to central Chania. From there we walked past old Venetian sites toward the interesting harbour ringed with shops and restaurants. Language-Greek, British English, Currency- Euros.
27 At sea
28 Limassol, Cyprus
We took a 5-hour tour, which included three main components: Kourion, the Sanctuary of Apollo, and a village stop for shops and two historic sites (a monastery, medieval wine press). Language-Greek, British English, Currency- Euros.
29 At Sea
30 Egypt. We entered the Suez Canal at Port Said, Egypt. Most of the day was a slow cruise through the canal.
31 Egypt. We spent a long day traveling by coach to Luxor from the port city of Safaga. We crossed over the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings.
We returned to the east side to visit the amazing ancient city of Karnak.
After a sizeable buffet meal by the Nile at sunset, we toured the Temple of Luxor. This was a major highlight of the trip.
Language-Arabic, British English, Currency- Euros accepted
NOVEMBER
1 - 4 At sea
[Note We were scheduled to stop at Aqaba for two days where we were going to visit Petra, but this was canceled because of concerns about the Hamas- Israeli war.] Many of us were disappointed at the cancelation.
5 Port of Salala, Onan
We shared a taxi and visited a small Souk then a shopping centre. This was an interesting port where people were mostly friendly but it was not an outstanding port for our interests in historic wonders and nature.
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Language-Arabic, British English, Currency- Euros and dollars accepted.
6-9 At Sea
10- 11 Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles
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We walked to the Botanical Gardens then to the market area near the harbour. Language- British English, French, creole. Currency- Euros accepted.
12-13 At Sea
14 Zanzibar, Tanzania Day 1 of 2
We wandered past the Old Fort, glanced as the shops of Stone Town, ducked for cover from a massive rain storm, and eventually arrived at the Anglican church and the area where slaved were sold at market. It's a somber memorial to this tragic treatment of our fellow humans. I rate this experience a 10 of 10.
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| Memorial to the slaves sold in Stone Town, Zanzibar |
Links:
Slave Market site in Stone Town
15 Zanzibar, Tanzania Day 2 of 2
We hired a taxi to take us to Jozani National Forest, which is home to the Red Colobus monkeys, other animals, and natural beauty. I rate this experience 10 of 10.
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| Red Colobus Monkey, 2023 image by Geoffrey Sutton |
16 At Sea
17 Mamoudzou, Mayotte
There was little to experience near the port city. We walked around the hilly town, peaked in shops, and walked along the coast before returning to port.
Language-French, Currency- Euros.
18 Andoany (Nosy Be), Madagascar
We explored Lokobe Strict Nature Reserve on the Island of Nosy Be. We arrived in a small boat, waded ashore, and trekked through the Forest with a local guide who pointed out Lemurs, chameleons, a boa constrictor, a gecko, and more. I rate this a 10.
Language-Malagasy, French, Currency- Euros accepted
19-20 At Sea
21 Maputo, Mozambique
Language-Portuguese, some English, Currency- Euros accepted
22 Durban, South Africa
We took the shuttle bus to a village, enjoyed an aquarium with seal and dolphin shows, and some shopping.
Languages-British English, Afrikaans, many others; Currency- Rand.
23-24 At Sea
25 Cape Town, South Africa
We debarked here and stayed in a hotel near the Victoria and Alfred Wharf for three nights.
25 We took an Uber to the outstanding Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden where we walked for miles on the trails and attempted to capture the inspiring images. We had a great lunch before heading back to our hotel.
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26 We joined a small tour group on a day safari to a private game reserve. We saw four (Cape Buffaloes, elephants, rhinos, lions) of the big five (no leopard) as we braved the near 100 degree heat. Following a large buffet lunch, we began our two hour return journey to Cape Town.
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27 We hired a driver for a Cape area tour. These must see sites included Chapman's Peak, Cape Point, Cape Hope, African Penguins, and Table Mountain.
28 We spent most of the day at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town . We shopped in the African Market, the African Trading Post, rode the Cape Wheel, enjoyed fish and chips at the Fish Market, and sat in awe as we listened to a youth choir.
At about 10.30 pm, we boarded our flight to Atlanta
29 We arrived in the US before 8 am
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