Categories: SA Cruise News

Voyages to Antiquity possibly most interesting West Africa cruise from Cape Town in 2019

Voyages to Antiquity, the British cruise line with a laser sharp focus on ancient history, will be cruising from Cape Town to Malaga in Spain on March 13th, 2019.

The 33-night cruise is the most interesting West African itinerary of any cruise departing Cape Town. It starts in the Mother City, dominated by Table Mountain and hugs the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, cruising along on of the most spectacular coastlines on the planet.

The Skeleton Coast is one of the most dramatic coastlines in the world.

RELATED: All about cruising with Voyages to Antiquity

RELATED: 5 of the best rail and cruise voyages in 2019

In colonial Luderitz, beautiful Walviz Bay and the Angolan port of Luanda, the “Paris of Africa”, where the influence of Portugal is also still evident, passengers will be offered a myriad of shore excursion offerings.

The ghost town of Kolmanskop near Luderitz, in an area known as the ‘forbidden place’.

There are no less than 14 shore excursions, from exploring the ‘ghost town’ of Kolmanskop near Luderitz, to chasing dolphins and seals off the coast of Walvis Bay, or a walking tour of Marrakesh with its grand square bustling with snake charmers and market traders and its almost psychedelic souks.

Best of all, just two of these fourteen tours are optional, the rest are all included in the cruise fare, and are led by renowned experts in history, sociology and anthropology.

After leaving Luanda, passengers aboard Aegean Odyssey will celebrate the maritime tradition of ‘Crossing the Line’ as the ship passes over the equator bound for Bom Bom Island, followed by Praia in Cape Verde and Las Palmas in the Canaries.

Praia in Cape Verde.

RELATED: Oceania to offer roundtrip Cape Town cruise aboard Nautica in 2019

RELATED: South African cruise market demand exceeds capacity says survey

Tangier in Morocco is the last port of call, where Aegean Odyssey will stay overnight so that passengers can undertake a land tour to the famous souks of exotic Marrakesh, the historic walled city of Taroudant, legendary Casablanca and of course Tangier itself at the mouth of the Mediterranean.

On April 13th, the cruise will end in Malaga, Spain.

Aegean Odyssey is a small cruise ship by modern standards, and indeed she hails for a bygone era of ocean travel, when cruising was still a burgeoning industry and not the dominant tourism operation it is today.

At just 141m and carrying 380 passengers she is a ship that is unashamed traditional. Dinner is served in two sitting, with light entertainment before and after, while passengers mingle and make friends rather than go ski-diving or rock climbing.

Because the ship started out life as a ro-ro passenger ferry back in 1973, before being completely rebuilt as a cruise ship in 1988, and then re-built again in 2010, she has a slightly haphazard lego-boat look, but it only adds to her charm.

Shaun Ebelthite

Founder and editor of Cruise Arabia & Africa. I try to create the best news and information specifically for cruise passengers taking cruises to and from Dubai (where I live) and South Africa (where I was born). You can contact me at shaun(at)cruisearabiaonline.com.

Recent Posts

Norwegian Sky drops Dubai call from final voyage before transfer to Cordelia Cruises

Dubai will no longer feature on Norwegian Sky's farewell voyage after Norwegian Cruise Line revised…

1 week ago

P&O Cruises refreshes Keel & Cow steakhouse menus aboard Arvia and Iona

P&O Cruises has introduced a redesigned menu at Keel & Cow aboard its Excel-class ships,…

1 week ago

Celebrity Reflection to debut 13 new venues in major 2027 refit and refurbishment

Celebrity Cruises has announced a major transformation for Celebrity Reflection, introducing 13 new venues as…

1 week ago

Cordelia Sun to debut in India in November 2027, sailing roundtrip from Mumbai

Cordelia Cruises has confirmed that the former Norwegian Sun will begin operations in India in…

1 week ago

Four Seasons Yachts orders 3rd ultra-luxury vessel for 2031 delivery

Four Seasons Yachts will expand its fleet with a third ultra-luxury vessel following a new…

1 week ago

Silversea unveils 278 voyages across 497 destinations for 2028/29

Silversea has opened its 2028/29 deployment with 278 voyages across 497 destinations, including its largest-ever…

1 week ago