Swan Hellenic announces expedition cruises along east & west coasts of Africa

Swan Hellenic has announced its cultural expedition cruises of Africa for 2023 as SH Vega reached the continent from Antarctica. 

Explorers now have a choice of nine cultural expedition cruises between March and November 2023, ranging from 8 to 14-day voyages on SH Diana and SH Vega. 

SH Vega will be following the West Coast of Africa northwards as she makes her way to the Arctic, offering 4 cultural expedition cruises: “Safaris of the Southwest Coast” (Cape Town to Luanda over 10 days), “Unspoilt Wilds of Southwest Africa” (Luanda to Accra over 14 days), “Cultural Crucibles of West Africa” (Accra to Dakar over 14 days) and “Volcanic Cultures of Africa's Atlantic Islands” (Dakar to Santa Cruz de Tenerife over 9 days).

There are so many unique attractions to choose from that it’s well worth exploring all these cruises in detail on the Swan Hellenic website. However, standouts range from Loango National Park in Gabon, with lowland gorillas and its surfing hippos, to the opportunity to encounter chimpasees in the Conkouati-Douli National Park in the Republic of the Congo. 

Here guests will also be able to visit the famous chimpanzee sanctuary that rescues animals from the bushmeat trade and reintroduces them to the wild. Swan Hellenic is unique in offering access to both parks.

Any of these cruises starting from £3,708 inclusive can be daisy-chained as desired.

SH Diana, the largest ship in Swan Hellenic’s fleet, which is outfitted with tender boats as well as expedition zodiacs, will be sailing the North and East Coasts southwards between August and November. 

The five cultural expedition cruises offered here are “Mysteries of Carthage and the Moors” (Lisbon to Palermo over 11 days), “Revelations of Suez, Sinai and the Red Sea” (Limassol to Jeddah over 13 days), “Paradise Islands of the Indian Ocean” (Port Victoria to Mombasa over 12 days), “Madagascar and its Eastern Islands” (Mombasa to Maputo 11 over days) and “Extraordinary Southern Africa” (Maputo to Cape Town over eight days).

Highlights here include the holy city of Medina, the famous pink sandstone Nabataean city of Petra, and lush Pemba Island with its fruit-eating flying fox megabats and unforgettable snorkelling.

Daisy-chaining is, as always, a Swan Hellenic option, in this case including in combination with cultural expedition cruises of the Mediterranean to create an extraordinary odyssey of magnificent civilisations and unforgettable wild places.

“We’re really excited to offer these special new opportunities to discerning explorers,” commented Swan Hellenic VP of global marketing Patrizia Iantorno. “Our expertly designed Africa cruises mark the beginning of a new era of cultural expedition cruising worldwide.”

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