Forget safaris: Africa is on the precipice of a cruise boom

Africa has long been underrepresented on cruise itineraries, but adventurous cruisers can now visit an increasing range of enticing African destinations.

The current security risk in the Red Sea has seen more cruise ships visiting African ports as they redeploy around the continent between Asia and Europe.

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca – Morocco is on the itnerary for Viking this coming season.Credit: iStock

Perhaps the most impressive example is Seabourn’s Grand Africa Voyage in November this year which, in a 90-day round-trip from Barcelona, visits 42 destinations in 20 countries from Morocco to Madagascar.

The Red Sea’s problems could be Africa’s moment to snatch a slice of the cruise pie. South Africa has already benefited from 65 ship visits during the 2023-24 summer. Other nations are looking to diversify their tourism portfolios away from safari income: Kenya opened a timely new cruise terminal in Mombasa in 2023.

There are hindrances to quick growth. Many African ports have inadequate tourism infrastructure, and visa and vaccination requirements can be onerous. Expedition companies such as Hurtigruten have pulled out of West Africa citing safety concerns in remote places, although Variety Cruises has resumed on the Gambia and Senegal rivers.

But more ocean ships are visiting an increasing number of mainstream cities along the West African coast. One of the leaders is Oceania Cruises, which has a 27-day voyage departing from Barcelona in November 2024 that visits Cape Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Togo, Sao Tome and Namibia before arriving in Cape Town. As the ship sails onwards to Asia, it calls into Madagascar and Tanzania too.

Oceania is returning for an even more significant 2025-26 season, when its ship Sirena will sail a 25-day Africa voyage, and Nautica a series of five African voyages ranging from between 11 and 30 days.

Azamara also sails the West African coast, where it visits similar ports of call. One itinerary in February 2025 makes a detour out to St Helena in the mid-Atlantic for those who want another unusual feather in their sailor’s cap. The company also operates South Africa Intensive itineraries.

Southern Africa has certainly been the focus of cruise lines so far. MSC Cruises expects eight per cent growth a year in Africa over the next few years, largely driven by this region.

The company is by far the biggest cruise operator in Africa, accounting for a third of all African cruises thanks partly to home-porting a ship in Durban for cruises aimed at the South African market.

Norwegian Cruise Line too operates an extensive African season, which earlier this year included a 12-day sailing between Port Louis and Cape Town with visits to Reunion, Madagascar and South Africa, and 12-day round-trip sailings from Cape Town to South African and Namibian ports.

Those who want to explore other parts of Africa can also consider expedition company Ponant, now offering in-depth cruises that focus on Madagascar or the Tanzanian coast and Seychelles.

Meanwhile, Viking has a new voyage this year, round-trip from Barcelona but taking in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, that promises another angle on the Mediterranean, which is as much an African sea as a European one.