Azamara Journey to cruise roundtrip from Cape Town eight times in 2022/23

Azamara Journey has been added to the line-up for the 2022/23 South African cruise season out of Cape Town.

Azamara Journey will cruise from Cape Town eight times during December, 2022 to February, 2023, before departing the region on March 4th on her repositioning cruise to Lisbon.

This is the third time Azamara Journey has spent a full cruise season sailing roundtrip from Cape Town, and will mark the return of Azamara to Southern Africa after they were forced to cancel their planned season in 2021 due to the Omicron variant.

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Azamara Journey’s South African season out of Cape Town will consist of eight roundtrip cruises, all but one of them lasting 12 nights.

These cruises will call in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Richard’s Bay, and Durban in South Africa, as well as Maputo in Mozambique. The ship will spend two nights in port in Cape Town at the end of each cruise.

The first cruise of the season, departing December 20th, 2022, will be a 14-nighter, but will follow the exact same itinerary, except that the ship will stay overnight in Port Elizabeth and Durban, and will spend three nights in port in Cape Town, rather than two as the 12-night itineraries do.

Azamara calls these itineraries South Africa Intensive Voyages, and for good reason, with all but one of the ports (Maputo) being in the country.

Every cruise will begin in Cape Town, home to the Cape Winelands, the Cape of Good Hope, and of course the iconic and fabled Table Mountain.

The first day of the cruise will be spent at sea cruising for Port Elizabeth, where the ship will stay late in port, giving passengers time to delve into its storied history on the Donkin Heritage Trail, and visit the animal sanctuary of Addo Elephant National Park.

The following day, the ship calls in East London, where shore excursions include the white-sand beaches and dunes of the Sunshine and Wild Coasts.

After another day at sea, Azamara Journey will make an early morning call in Maputo, Mozambique, with its colonial-era architecture and the markets, parks, and shops of the Old Town. Then its on to Richard’s Bay the following day, a gateway to game safaris at at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park—home to Africa’s “big five” animals and the largest white rhino population on Earth.

Then it’s on to Durban, where guests can relax on the bustling Golden Mile and go on a tour of traditional Zulu homesteads in the interior of the Kwa-Zulu Natal province. The ship will then depart for Cape Town, spending two days at sea as she cruises down the Wild Coast of South Africa.

“As we head back to Cape Town, you have two more days to really indulge at your boutique hotel at sea. Pamper yourself in Sanctum Spa, choose from specialty dining venues and fine wines, and take in some sensational performances,” Azamara says of this part of the itinerary.

“In Cape Town, learn about its past and apartheid history, enjoy countless outdoor adventures from mountain peaks to rugged coasts, and sip your way around the world-renowned wineries,” it adds.

Azamara also offers various 2- and 3-night pre- and post-cruise hotel stays in Cape Town, as well as longer land tours to Greater Kruger National Park and the Winelands, as well as Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

At the end of her cruise season, Azamara Journey will depart Cape Town on March 4th, 2023 on a 21-night grand voyage up the West African coast to Lisbon, Portugal.