South Africa will feature prominently in Nicko Cruises’ 2027/28 world cruise, with Vasco da Gama spending more than two weeks exploring the country’s coastline and neighbouring Indian Ocean islands.

The 172-day voyage will include an extended itinerary through the Indian Ocean before sailing along the country’s east and west coasts.

The programme, announced by the German cruise line, sees Vasco da Gama spend part of its global voyage visiting destinations including Durban, the Garden Route, Cape Town, and the Cape of Good Hope, alongside calls in Madagascar, Mauritius, La Réunion, and the Comoros.

The itinerary also includes safari excursions in South Africa before the ship continues north along Africa’s Atlantic coastline via Walvis Bay in Namibia and Angola on its return to Europe.

Departing Lisbon on November 4th, 2027, the world cruise will visit 41 countries across six continents before returning to the Portuguese capital on April 24th, 2028.

Guests can book the complete 172-day “Big World Tour”, a shorter 125-day “Small World Tour” between Panama City and Lisbon, or any of the voyage’s nine individual segments.

The itinerary begins with calls in the Azores, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde before crossing the Atlantic to Barbados and Martinique.

A second Caribbean segment includes visits to Dominica, Antigua, St. Kitts, the British Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic.

The voyage then continues through Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Belize, Honduras, and Costa Rica before transiting the Panama Canal to Panama City.

During the Christmas and New Year period, Vasco da Gama will sail along the Pacific coast of Central America and Mexico before crossing to French Polynesia.

Subsequent segments visit Bora Bora, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia before arriving in Sydney.

The Australian section of the itinerary includes calls at Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, and Darwin before continuing to Indonesia, with visits to Timor, Komodo, Bali, and Java.

From Southeast Asia, the ship sails via Singapore and Malaysia before crossing the Indian Ocean to the Maldives, Seychelles, and Zanzibar ahead of arriving in Mombasa, Kenya.

The penultimate leg then focuses on the western Indian Ocean and southern Africa, with calls in the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and La Réunion before reaching South Africa.

After departing Durban, Vasco da Gama will continue along the Garden Route to Cape Town before rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing north via Walvis Bay, Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe’s Ilhéu Bom Bom, before a final call in Tenerife ahead of returning to Lisbon.

2027/28 World Cruise highlights

Departure: Lisbon – November 4, 2027

Duration: 172 days

Countries visited: 41

Continents visited: Six

Return: Lisbon – April 24th, 2028

South Africa & Indian Ocean segment

Mombasa, Kenya; Comoros; Madagascar; Mauritius; La Réunion

Durban; South African safari excursions; Garden Route; Cape Town; Cape of Good Hope

Walvis Bay, Namibia; Angola; Ilhéu Bom Bom, São Tomé and Príncipe; Tenerife