The luxury cruise line Silversea will cruise from Port Elizabeth for the first-time next year aboard Silver Cloud on a grand voyage through the Indian Ocean.
Silver Cloud will depart Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) on April 4th, 2024, on a 66-day itinerary visiting 45 destinations in 12 countries.
The announcement was made as part of the roll out of two new grand voyage itineraries for 2024, with the other being a 43-day cruise aboard Silver Spirit from Lisbon in Portugal to Athens in Greece.
Silver Cloud
That itinerary is a Mediterranean-focused one, with Silver Spirit calling in 34 destinations in 13 countries around the Mediterranean Sea, including Barcelona, Rome, Monte Carlo, Korcula, Cadiz, Alexandria, Naples, Dubrovnik and Jerusalem.
The Silver Cloud cruise from South Africa is more adventurous, taking the ship across the Indian Ocean to Australia, where the cruise ends in Darwin on May 24th. This will mark the first time Silversea has cruised from Port Elizabeth as a departure port, and is a result of South Africa’s ongoing efforts to market itself as a cruise destination and home market.
Although the majority of passengers on the voyage will be fly-cruise passengers from Silversea’s principle markets in North America and Europe, a significant number will also be South Africans.
The voyage includes a two-night pre-cruise overland program: the African Adventure in Shamwari, South Africa, where guests can observe a range of wildlife and enjoy the cruise’s Bon Voyage dinner reception.
Fort Gereza
Guests will also have the opportunity to visit the UNESCO-listed Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, and visit the ruins of Malindi Mosque, Fort Gereza, the tombs of the sultans, and the Great House.
The remains of two great East African ports admired by early European explorers are situated on two small islands near the coast. From the 13th to the 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain; much of the trade in the Indian Ocean thus passed through their hands.
UNESCO
The Australian leg of the voyage features a discovery of Australia’s Kimberley Region, while port calls in the Indian Ocean include Il de Mozambique, Zanzibar, Mahe in the Seychelles and more.
Passengers looking for a shorter Silverse itinerary out of South African can also book the voyage as a shorter Port Elizabeth to Maputo cruise of just 12 days, or a Port Elizabeth to Mahe voyage of 30 days, starting at $10,300 and $23,000 per person sharing respectively.
With these two new additions, Silversea’s collection of Grand Voyages for 2024/2025 now features eight unique journeys: Grand Pole-to-Pole Expedition 2024; Grand South Pacific Expedition 2024; Grand Pacific 2024; Grand Mediterranean 2024; Grand Indian Ocean Expedition 2024; Grand South America 2025; Grand Africa and Arabia 2025; and Grand Asia 2025.
The Grand Indian Ocean Expedition 2024 will be sailed aboard Silver Cloud, which was recently outfitted with four new Zodiacs for expeditionary exploring. The ship is one of the smaller vessels in the Silversea fleet, carrying just 254 passengers.
She features four restaurants, three lounges (including a traditional Observation Lounge for expansive views while at sea), as well as a spa, gym, large pool deck, and 127 all-suite cabins.
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