Sail your way to safari
Land big-game sightings on cruise excursions.
“It’s a terrific way to see a lot of great animals in a short time.” Chris Snook
HLUHLUWE, South Africa – “Everybody back in the vehicles!”
Ron Schlossberg and nearly a dozen fellow passengers from the luxury ship Crystal Symphony are standing around a fold-up bar in the South African bush when the cry goes out. Two lions are approaching.
Scrambling back to the safety of their souped-up Toyota Land Cruisers, they watch as one of the big cats closes to within 30 feet. It then plops down directly across from the spot where, just moments before, they were having end-of-day cocktails.
“It’s been a wonderful marriage,” Schlossberg, 75, jokes to his wife, Judy, as the creature gives the group an extended stare. A ranger guide assures passengers that the lion poses no danger as thrilled visitors enjoy spectacular photo-ops.
Welcome to the new era of South Africa cruise adventures. Schlossberg, a semiretired business owner from Avon, Conn., and his companions are on a two-night safari at South Africa’s famed Phinda Private Game Reserve — home to lions, elephants, giraffes and other African wildlife. They’re also in the midst of a two-week Crystal Cruises voyage that has South Africa as its focus.
Crystal is one of a growing number of lines touting extended sailings along the South Africa coast that offer the chance to see the country’s wild lands in depth via multiple, multiday overland excursions. More than a halfdozen other cruise operators — including Cunard, Seabourn and Oceania — also have scheduled South Africa voyages with multiday excursions over the coming year.
From November through April, the cruises let vacationers explore the length of South Africa without the hassle of moving from hotel to hotel or lodge to lodge.
“It’s a dream come true,” says Maida Hastings, 75, a retiree from Pacific Palisades, Calif., who also is on the twonight Phinda safari along with her 88year-old husband.
Pausing to talk after a sighting of a white rhinoceros, one of Africa’s “big five” game animals, Hastings suggests it would have been tough for the couple to do a traditional land-based tour of South Africa.
“Being able to return to the ship (after outings) makes it easy and comfortable for us,” she says.
Starting in Durban, South Africa, the two-night excursion to the Phinda game reserve is just one of a half-dozen safaris available to Symphony passengers on this trip. Two-night safaris to South African game reserves also are available from the South African ports of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. There also is a four-night safari trip to Zimbabwe available from Cape Town that includes a visit to Victoria Falls.
Passengers on Symphony can sign up for day trips to game reserves from all five of the South African ports the ship visits. In addition to Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, the vessel stops at Mossel Bay and Richard’s Bay.
“It’s a terrific way to see a lot of great animals in a short time,” Chris Snook, 69, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., says after a day visit to Pumba Private Game Reserve, near Port Elizabeth.
In just three hours of bouncing around the reserve in Land Rovers with guides, Snook and more than 40 fellow Symphony passengers see hundreds of animals including lions, rhinoceros, zebra, giraffe and elephants.
Dubbed Jewels of the Indian Ocean, the Symphony sailing includes a day stop at Maputo, Mozambique, where passengers visit the small waterfront fort that once housed Portuguese soldiers. The French island of Reunion to the east of the African mainland is on the itinerary. The trip ends at the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
Still, South Africa is the focus. Symphony spends two full days in Cape Town, South Africa’s coastal gem, allowing time for tours to the rugged Cape of Good Hope — the most southwestern point of the African continent. There also is an overnight stay in Durban.
Like other cruises that focus on South Africa, the sailing features onboard programming tuned to the destination. During the Cape Town stay, a South African dance group comes onboard to perform. The trip also boasts a series of cooking classes by South African celebrity chef Jenny Morris and lectures by noted South African political analyst and author Daniel Silke.
The voyage is, notably, the first segment of a 114-day world cruise that will take Symphony from Africa to Australia to the Americas. In a sign of South Africa’s growing allure for cruisers, it’s the first world cruise to start in the country.
Sailing since 1995, Symphony long has been known as one of luxury cruising’s finest vessels, and it has just emerged from a makeover. The upgrades included a major overhaul of the vessel’s dining options, including the addition of anAsian eatery and Brazilian steakhouse, revamped lounges and the addition of 40 suites.
Still, for many passengers on this South Africa sailing, the elegance of the vessel is almost an afterthought.
“We booked this specifically because it had the off-the-ship safari opportunities,” says Joe Wurz, 66, a retiree from Syracuse, N.Y. who along with his wife is on his 10th Crystal cruise.
“Some people go for the shows and food on the ship. We go for the itineraries.”