Cruising in Namibia: the Skeleton Coast

Sometimes referred to as the Mother City, Cape Town is the most famous port in South Africa and is influenced by many different cultures, including Dutch, British and Malay. The port was founded in 1652 by Dutch explorer Jan Van Riebeeck, and evidence of Dutch colonial rule remains throughout the region. The port is located on one of the world's most important trade routes, and is mainly a container port and handler of fresh fruit. Fishing is another vital industry, with large Asian fishing fleets using Cape Town as a logistical repair base for much of the year. The region is famous for its natural beauty, with the imposing Table Mountain and Lions Head, as well as the many nature reserves and botanical gardens such as Kirstenbosch which boasts an extensive range of indigenous plant life, including proteas and ferns. Cape Town's weather is mercurial, and can change from beautiful sunshine to dramatic thunderstorms within a short period. A local adage is that in Cape Town you can experience four seasons in one day.

Langebaan Lagoon, a watersports and fishing paradise, is renowned for its wetlands and tidal mud flats, home to flamingos, the world’s largest breeding colony of black harriers, and thousands of migratory birds. The West Coast National Park protects the lagoon and is home to the Slow Five—tortoises, whales, sand sharks, porcupines and dune moles. The Fossil Park has the oldest modern human footprint, Eve’s Footprint, over 100,000 years old

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

The reopening of the diamond mine at Elizabeth Bay 20 years ago has brought the development of tourism and fishing back to this small 19th century village on the barren, windswept Namib Desert coast. One of Namibias oddities, it has everything you'd expect from a small German town - delicatessens, coffee shops and a Lutheran church. Here, the icy but clean South Atlantic is home to seals, penguins and other marine life and the desolate beaches support flamingoes. It was founded in 1883 when Heinrich Vogelsang purchased Angra Pequena and some of the surrounding land on behalf of Adolf Lüderitz, a Hanseat from Germany, from the local Nama chief. Lüderitz began its life as a trading post, with other activities in fishing and guano-harvesting. As a sign of Luderitz's revival, 1996 staged the first traditional German Karneval since 1960.

Once a whaling station, Walvis Bay provides a gateway to the extraordinary desert landscapes of Namibia and is itself an area of unusual natural beauty. The showpiece of the Walvis Bay area is the natural lagoon where you can see flamingos in their thousands at certain times of the year, along with a variety of other wading birds such as the white pelican. Further inland you will find the stunning Namib Desert, which provides an unlikely home for a diverse array of wildlife. Alternatively, you could venture into the desert of Sossusvlei, whose mountainous ochre sand dunes are said to be the highest in the world, or visit the colonial town of Swakopmund.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

Far from the crowds, the abandoned Ilha Baía dos Tigres, or Tiger Island, in Angola off Namibe Province's coast offers a deserted island setting. Originally a peninsula, it became an island overnight when the ocean breached the isthmus and residents abandoned their homes. Nestled in clear blue waters, the island is a pristine oasis surrounded by secluded beaches, and vast dunes, renowned for desolate landscapes and eerie ghost towns

Namibe is a coastal city of baroque architecture and stately churches in southwestern Angola. The city was founded in 1840 by the colonial Portuguese administration. Namibe is perched between the edge of the expansive Namib Desert and the cold waters of the Benguela Current flowing to the north offshore. Thanks to the blend of cool water and proximity to the desert, Namibe has a cool dry climate and desert vegetation. The most famous of these desert plants is the Welwitschia mirabilis, a rare plant found only in the Namibe Provence of South Angola and the Namib Desert. This exceptional plant species is generally considered to be one of Earth’s older living plants and experts suggest that it can live up to 1,000 years. Close to Namibe is the Arch Lagoon, also known as “the lost oasis”. The lagoon is formed by a magnificent rock formation in a unique display of art in nature. Despite its name the lagoon is usually dry in Spring.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

Luanda is the most populous Portuguese-speaking capital city in the world and among the oldest colonial cities in Africa, having been founded in 1576 as São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda. Angola’s primary port, as well as its major industrial, cultural and urban center, the city is a short drive from striking natural wonders, including the otherworldly landscape known as Miradouro da Lua (“Viewpoint of the Moon”). Here, millions of years of erosion have created a karst landscape with different colored strata that stretch toward the sea.