Africa & Indian Ocean Cruise

Before the Dutch East India Company established a 17th-century victualling station on Table Bay’s pristine shore, the Cape Flats were hunted for hippopotami and other large game by the Khoi-Khoi and the San (Bushmen). With colonisation, the Cape of Good Hope established a lasting tradition of hospitality leading weary explorers and sailors to rename it The Tavern of the Seas. The sight of majestic Table Mountain and the people who live beneath it are as welcoming today as they were all those years ago, the looming crags a striking landmark providing a magnificent backdrop to the vibrant, friendly Mother City. Modern Cape Town, with its extended seafront, underground malls and soaring skyscrapers holds itself dear to its origins. Explore the many fascinating museums and historical buildings reflecting the cultures shaping the city and the province it serves.

Durban is a big subtropical city in the north-eastern province of KwaZulu/Natal. It has been a major port since the 1850s and is home to the largest concentration of Indian-descended people in the country – Mohandas Gandhi arrived here as an indentured labourer in 1893. Today the city is better known as a holiday-makers’ fun parlour with a happening nightlife. The weather (and the water, thanks to the Agulhas current) stays warm year-round drawing the crowds to Durban’s long string of surf beaches.

Apart from the sandy strip, ‘Durbs’ has a fair bit to offer. The impressive city hall houses an art gallery which has a good collection of contemporary South African works and a patchy natural science museum (check out the cockcroach display). Also in the city centre, the local history museum has interesting displays on colonial life and the African Art Centre features exciting work by rural artists. The Indian area, to the west of the city centre, has a bustle and vibrancy that’s missing from most commercial districts in South Africa. The Victoria Street Market is the area’s focus, but other must sees are the Juma Mosque, the largest in the southern hemisphere, and the Alayam Hindu Temple, South Africa’s oldest and biggest.

Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles, is also the least known. This 58 sq. mile island is a hidden paradise, well worth exploring.

Zanzibar, (zàn´ze-bär´) region (1988 pop. 375,539), 950 sq mi (2,461 sq km), Tanzania, East Africa, consisting chiefly of the islands of Zanzibar and Tumbatu, in the Indian Ocean. The major city is also named Zanzibar. The economy of the region is almost entirely agricultural, and Zanzibar and the nearby island of Pemba produce a large portion of the world’s cloves. The Portuguese gained control in 1503, using the island as a base for territorial expansion on the African coast and for the slave trade. In 1698 Zanzibar and Pemba fell to the rulers of Oman. Under the Omani sultanate of Zanzibar (est.1840) Muslim traders pushed deep into Africa in search of slaves and ivory. The islands became a British protectorate in 1890 and an independent nation in 1963. In 1964 leftists deposed the sultan, and the two islands merged with Tanganyika to form Tanzania. Zanzibar retains control of its internal affairs.