I had the opportunity to cruise from the Middle East around the continent of Africa and back to Europe earlier this year. The cruise was actually 3 cruises back to back with passengers coming and going along the way, but a few of us chose to go the whole way around! I split the voyage into 3 different blogs, so I can be specific without making a very, very long blog. This one is about the Middle East and Eastern Africa.
The Cruise Around Africa Part 1 starts in Doha, Oman, where I flew into the day before. It was a new world for me, with the clothing and culture immediately apparent, starting with the people at the airport and beyond. I spent my first 2 nights at the Westin Doha Hotel & Spa, even though I had made reservations at the Radisson Blu Hotel because they had overbooked the hotel! Turns out that my stay was much nicer at the Westin, and it was a fabulous room.
After resting most of the first morning and afternoon, I decided to take a taxi to the famous Souq Waqif (shopping district). The Souq sells traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to restaurants and shisha lounges. The original building is a specimen of traditional Qatari architecture and dates back to the late 19th to early 20th centuries. It was dinner time, so I looked for a seafood restaurant, but everywhere was full. I finally found a small hidden restaurant that served Omani food, and it was quite delicious!
Boarding the NCL Dawn for my Cruise Around Africa starts about midday, and it is another nightmare because the luggage drop-off area is very slow. It was at least 1.5-2 hours in line! After that, it was just minutes to get on board, so I cannot understand the lack of respect and organization, because this happened at all 3 embarkation ports during these cruises.
My first port of call is nearby at the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I had booked the NCL Tour “Abu Dhabi City Tour,” which is a nice air-conditioned bus around the city. Then later in the day, I booked “Abu Dhabi by Night” as I wanted to see all of the lights of the city. It is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and sits off the mainland on an island in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf.
Its focus on oil exports and commerce is reflected by the skyline’s modern towers and shopping megacenters such as Abu Dhabi and Marina Malls. Beneath white-marble domes, the vast Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque features an immense world’s largest hand-knotted Persian carpet, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, and a capacity for 41,000 worshipers. I am delighted that our tour stopped at this fabulous place and we get to spend a few hours here because it does take that long to get around.
Later that day, we enjoy the bus a ride around with a few stops to take photos!
The Cruise Around Africa continues, as we stop in the world-famous city of Dubai, UAE. I have booked the NCL tour “Discover Dubai Old and New”. Dubai is famous for its incredible buildings, with the world’s tallest (at this time), the Burj Khalifa, at 830 meters. Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture, and a lively nightlife scene. At its foot lies the Dubai Fountain, with jets and lights choreographed to music. On artificial islands just offshore is Atlantis, The Palm, a resort with water and marine-animal parks. After we drive around the new part, we get off the bus and take a boat across the river to the old part, also another Souq within Dubai Old City.
The few days are spent at sea, coming down the coast of the Middle East and East Africa, passing by some dangerous areas like Somalia. Five days later, we arrived in Port Victoria, Seychelles. Seychelles is an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, known for its stunning beaches, lush nature, and unique wildlife. It’s located northeast of Madagascar and about 1,600 km (860 miles) east of Kenya. The country is comprised of 115 islands, with Mahé being the largest and home to the capital, Victoria. Seychelles. It is a popular tourist destination, offering a variety of activities from snorkeling and diving to hiking and exploring nature reserves. Here I have booked another NCL Tour, “The Northern Highlights”. We do a northern island drive around, with stops in various places, including the botanical gardens with their huge tortoises.
We get another chance to see more of the Seychelles at the next day’s stop in La Digue on the Cruise Around Africa cruise. La Digue is an island in the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean off East Africa. It’s known for its beaches, like Anse Source d’Argent, dotted with granite boulders, on the west coast. I have booked the NCL Tour “La Digue Highlights” and we take a short drive to a coconut farm and spend some time at their famous beaches.
Our Cruise Around Africa continues, and now, after a few more days at sea, we get to go to Mombasa, Kenya, where I have booked my first safari! It is at Tsavo National Park a long drive away. Mombasa is a huge container port and brings a lot of products to the interior of Africa. It was a crazy police escorted drive in our 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers for 3 hours to get there! It was worth the drive, and I saw a lot of animals inside the park, although not as close as I had hoped. Luckily, the drive back was a bit better, but still 2.5 hours.
After we returned to the ship, some bad news was forthcoming. Our next port of call in Zanzibar, Tanzania, had been canceled due to a cholera outbreak. Therefore, we were going to go to another port in Madagascar, Nosy Be located on the eastern coast. It turned out to be a good thing as my NCL tour took us to a nature preserve where we could see, feed, and play with the famous lemurs in this area.
We started to play chase with Cyclone Garance as it was moving off the eastern coast of Madagascar. It was unclear of the exact direction, but at first, it looked like it would strike Mauritius. Then it kept moving westward towards Reunion, so we were keeping a close eye on where it was going. However, our next port of call was in northern Madagascar in Antsiranana, and I had booked the NCL Tour “3 Torquoise Bays”. It was another interesting adventure again as we traversed from bay to bay in soft sandy soil in SUVs. But they were not designed for these types of roads, and sure enough, a vehicle got stuck and we were trapped for over an hour on the one-lane road. Finally, it was pushed off to the side into the jungle brush and we could continue!
We continue to watch Cyclone Garance as it moves further west and looks to avoid Mauritius, but a direct hit is imminent in Reunion. It struck the island on February 28 with +100 mph winds, and unfortunately, 4 people died. Of course, it was dropped from our itinerary, and we overnighted in Mauritius. It was the 2nd embarkation port, so many passengers were canceled or had last-minute arrivals to the island. Needless to say, it was a bit chaotic! At least a shuttle was added, and I was able to see a bit of the downtown wharf and shopping area. The next blog continues with Cruise Around Africa Part 2!
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