Cape Town departure features on Nicko Cruises’ World Cruise

The German cruise line Nicko Cruises will feature Cape Town in South Africa as a key turnaround port on the 183-day World Cruise aboard Vasco da Gama.

The ship, formerly Holland America Line’s Statendam and P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Eden, will sail an 86-day grand voyage from Cape Town to Sydney.

The full 183-day World Cruise departs Lisbon on October 10th, 2023, and ends in the same city on April 8th, 2024, featuring more than 80 port calls in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the South Pacific, North America, and the Caribbean.

Countries visited include South Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Maldives, India, Australia, New Zealand, Cape Verde and other Atlantic Islands to name a few.

The 86-night Cape Town to Sydney leg departs November 3rd, 2023 and features 43 ports of call as the ship sails the coast of Africa, across the Indian Ocean and through Southeast Asia.

The vessel will visit Madagascar, the Maldives, Seychelles and Reunion, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia, with 14 overnight stays.

There are also six port calls in Australia, including Sydney. The ship will visit Darwin, Cooktown, Cairns, Townsville, and Brisbane, before arriving in Sydney on January 28th, 2024.

The South Africa to Australia leg of the World Cruise is being offered exclusively to Australian cruise passengers through Queensland-based small ship specialist Cruise Traveller, with packages starting at A$33,995 per person twin-share and from A$38,375 for solo travellers.

The cost includes flights from Australia, a hotel stay in Cape Town the night before the cruise, and a Classic Beverage package for the 86 nights on board Vasco Da Gama.

For everyone else, Nicko Cruises is also offering the chance to sail from Cape Town as part of the World Cruise, with a 16-night itinerary departing November 3rd, and ending November 18th, 2023 in Mauritius.

“South Africa is famous for Cape Town, Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope, so we will obviously be visiting all three,” Nicko Cruises says of the itinerary. “Then we will set out to explore the country… watching whales in Mossel Bay, enjoying the endless and beautiful beaches in Port Elizabeth, and the immersive Zulu culture of Richards Bay.”

The cruise line also offers antelopes, hippopotami and other wild animals at the Gwahumbe Game Reserve in Durban, and long stretches of days at sea as the ship sails for Madagascar, and then on to La Réunion, with its hidden beaches and Piton de la Fournaise volcano.