2025 Africa - Land Safari in Botswana and Culinary & Cultural Cruise on SilverSea, Silver Wind, Cape Town, South Africa to Accra, Ghana - Part II

. . . the day before. . . . upon arriving in Cape Town, we were met and escorted to our hotel, one of the prettiest hotels in which I've had the pleasure to stay - One & Only. I'd not heard of One & Only hotels before this trip, but found out they are all over the world. This one boasts a Nobu restaurant, the only Nobu in South Africa.

Since I'd not ever been to a Nobu restaurant, Eric, Diane and I decided to go for dinner. I was excited about this! The restaurant was awesome!

Thursday, April 3 - Cape Town - Boarding Silversea Silver Wind

Cape Town, city and seaport, legislative capital of South Africa and capital of Western Cape province. The city lies at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula some 30 miles, at its southernmost boundary, north of the Cape of Good Hope. Because it was the site of the first European settlement in South Africa, Cape Town is known as the country’s “mother city.”

Cape Town has a beautiful setting: parts of the city and its suburbs wind about the steep slopes of Table Mountain (3,563 feet high) and neighboring peaks and rim the shores of Table Bay; other parts lie on the flats below the slopes or stretch southward across the flats to False Bay. The city covers an area of 116 square miles. Pop. (2005 est.) urban agglomeration, 3,103,000.

Eric had scheduled a seven hour road tour around Cape Town environs, along the coast. The tour would include lunch with a delivery to the ship at around 3:00 p.m. The sights were wonderful! Cape Town has an incredible setting, with the ocean and the mountains that are dramatic. In one area are promontories designated as the Twelve Apostles. The road is carved right into the rock and in a few areas one travels through rock ceilings . . . you know that the mountain is above you.

A lunch stop at Food Barn - quite good!

Finally unpacked, did the muster drill via the television in my suite, and a visit to the muster station . . . and the sun was setting.

Since our lunch had been so good, skipped dinner and had an early night.

Friday, April 4 -Saldanha, South Africa

Situated in the northern corner of South Africa’s largest natural Bay, Saldanha is known for its contrasts and natural beauty.

Saldanha Bay is named after António de Saldanha, captain of a vessel in Albuquerque’s fleet which visited South Africa in 1503. The name was first given to Table Bay, where Saldanha’s ship cast anchor. On Table Bay being given its present name in 1601, the older appellation was transferred to the bay now called after Saldanha. In 1781 a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone seized six Dutch East Indiamen, which, fearing an attack on Cape Town, had taken refuge in Saldanha Bay. This was the only achievement, so far as South Africa was concerned, of the expedition despatched to seize Cape Town during the war of 1781-1783.

The bay also hosts a naval training base and the South African Military Academy, in  which can be found a pristine nature reserve which becomes a floral wonderland in

spring. There are well-established hiking trails and several great vantage points from which to view the majestic Southern Right Whale in calving season.

Waited and waited this morning for my tour to be called. It was to begin at 9:00 a.m. - a walking tour. Finally went down to the exit at 8:50 to find out that the tour had left five minutes before! UGH! Back to my room to catch up the blog, and take a nap.

Enjoyed a quiet dinner by myself at La Terazza, and so, to bed . . .

Saturday, April 5 - At Sea

Eric hosted a cocktail party for the whole group who are now on the ship. Added to the seven who were on safari, there were additional members of his group who only wanted to cruise. Everyone seems nice and happy to be all together.

Eric and Diane asked that I join them for dinner at La Terazza. We had a great dinner, with some wonderful Brunello di Montalcino wine from Italia.

Sunday - April 6 - Luderitz, Namibia

Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbor and Shark Island. Lüderitz had a population of 16,125 people in 2023.

The town is known for its colonial architecture, including some Art Nouveau work, and for wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. It is also home to a museum and lies at the end of a currently decommissioned railway line to Keetmanshoop. The town is named after Adolf Lüderitz, founder of the German South West Africa colony.

Well, I'm batting zero for two! Waited again for my walking tour to be called. Everything was delayed because of people not going through immigration prior to leaving the ship. They never called it, so I stayed on board again. Unfortunately, these stops are not such that I cannot go in to town alone - at least that's what we've been advised.

Those people coming back from the walking tour say that I didn't miss much - that makes me feel better . . .

Monday - April 7 - Walvis Bay, Namibia

The town of Walvis Bay lies on the edge of the Namib Desert at the mouth of the intermittently flowing Kuiseb River. A portion of the town lies below sea level (4 feet) and is protected by a dike against flooding. Walvis Bay Harbour serves as Namibia’s chief port. It is sheltered by Pelican Point Peninsula on the northwest and is connected to the interior by road, rail, and air. The harbor was formerly a deepwater anchorage for the South African navy, and since the late 1970s the port has exported uranium from one of the world’s most important deposits, at Rössing, 50 miles (80 km) northeast. Severe coastal overfishing from the mid-1970s caused a decline in importance of the town’s former economic mainstay. Pop. (2001) 43,611; (2023) 102,704.

Tuesday - April 8 - Walvis Bay, Namibia

Wednesday, April 9 - At Sea

Thursday, April 10 - Namibe, Angola

On the coast, in the far southwest of Angola, bordering Namibia, lies the city of Namibe. Formerly known as Moçademes. This pleasant city has many beautiful Portuguese buildings and is located in the Namib Desert. For that reason, you will certainly notice the difference in climate. The Welwitchia Mirabillis, one of the strangest plants in the world, can be seen in the surrounding area. The plant has only two leaves and grows very slowly. On average, the plants are about 500 to 600 years old, but it is known that some specimens are as old as 2,000 years old. As the South African name 'two-blaarkannie death' indicates, this plant has only two leaves.

In Namibe Province, ocean, desert and savannah landscapes come together. Breathtakingly beautiful vistas  glide past you. At the mouth of the Kunene River you will find bizarre landscapes, a great contrast to the spectacular coastal strip where sea turtles, dolphins, flamingos and pelicans live. In this region lies also the rugged Iona National Park . . where the world can't find you. . .

Friday, April 11 - At Sea

Saturday, April 12 - Luanda, Angola

Luanda, city, capital of Angola. Located on the Atlantic coast of northern Angola, it is the country’s largest city and one of its busiest seaports. Founded in 1576 by Paulo Dias de Novais and initially settled by the Portuguese, Luanda became the administrative centre of the Portuguese colony of Angola in 1627 and was a major outlet for slave traffic to Brazil. The city is regarded as the capital of the Mbundu peoples, who have their roots in the surrounding area.

Luanda has a warm equable climate. The surrounding region fronts a tropical coastal plain that gives way to a tableland dissected and drained by the Cuanza River and other coastal streams. Cambambe Dam, 110 miles to the southeast on the Cuanza, supplies power to Luanda. Skyscrapers and wide avenues give Luanda a modern appearance. The higher part of the city, consisting of the outlying districts, is generally poverty-ridden, and the lower is commercial and industrial. The city is the seat of a Roman Catholic archdiocese and is home to Agostinho Neto University (1963) and the Catholic University of Angola (1997). The National Library of Angola and the National Historic Archive are also located there, as are several museums.

Sunday, April 13 - At Sea

Monday, April 14 - Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo

Pointe-Noire, town (commune), principal port of Congo (Brazzaville). It lies at the Atlantic coastal terminus of the Congo-Ocean Railway, 95 miles (150 km) north of the Congo River and 245 miles (394 km) west of Brazzaville, the national capital. Between 1950 and 1958 Pointe-Noire was the capital of the Moyen-Congo region of French Equatorial Africa. With independence in 1958, it was replaced by Brazzaville as the national capital but remained the primary entrepôt and second largest city. The Congo-Ocean Railway from Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire was completed in 1934 to bypass the rapids of the lower Congo River. The city is situated on a calm bay, but its port facilities were not completed until 1939; they were expanded during World War II. An international airport was built south of the town. Later, light industries and mineral-processing plants were established, but the city’s chief importance remained its transit trade. In the 1970s, petroleum drilled offshore near Pointe-Noire and processed at a refinery in the town became a major national export. Pop. (2005 prelim.) 663,400.

Tuesday, April 15 - At Sea

Wednesday, April 16 - Bom Bom Island, Sao Tome and Principe

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, about 150 km (93.21 mi) apart and about 250 and 225 km (155 and 140 mi) off the northwestern coast of Gabon. With a population of 201,800 (2018 official estimate), São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest and second-least populous African sovereign state after Seychelles.

The islands were uninhabited until their discovery in 1470 by Portuguese explorers João de Santarém and Pedro Escobar. Gradually colonized and settled throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade centre for the Atlantic slave trade. The rich volcanic soil and proximity to the equator made São Tomé and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation, followed later by cash crops such as coffee and cocoa. The lucrative plantation economy was heavily dependent upon enslaved Africans. Cycles of social unrest and economic instability throughout the 19th and 20th centuries culminated in peaceful independence in 1975. São Tomé and Príncipe has since remained one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries. São Tomé and Príncipe is a developing economy with a medium Human Development Index.

The people of São Tomé and Príncipe are predominantly of African and mestiço descent, with most practicing Christianity. The legacy of Portuguese rule is also visible in the country's culture, customs, and music, which fuse European and African influences. São Tomé and Príncipe is a founding member state of the Community of  Portuguese Language Countries.

Thursday, April 17 - At Sea

Friday, April 18 - Lome, Togo

Lomé (loh-MAY) is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 while there were 2,188,376 permanent residents in its metropolitan area as of the 2022 census. Located on the Gulf of Guinea at the southwest corner of the country, with its entire western border along the easternmost edge of Ghana's Volta Region, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center, which includes an oil refinery. It is also the country's chief port, from where it exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and oil palm kernels.

Its city limits extends to the border with Ghana, located a few hundred meters west of the city center, to the Ghanaian city of Aflao and the South Ketu district where the city is situated, had 160,756 inhabitants in 2010. The cross-border agglomeration of which Lomé is the centre has about 2 million inhabitants as of 2020.

Saturday, April 19 - Lome, Togo

The city was founded by the Ewes and expanded in the 19th century by German, British and African traders,[4] becoming the capital of Togoland in 1897. At the end of the 19th century, British customs duties on imported products (especially on alcohol and tobacco) weighed very heavily. The traders, mainly maritime Ewe or Anlo from the area between Aflao and Keta in the east of the British colony of Gold Coast, then looking for an alternative place to unload goods while being out of reach of British customs officers, naturally targeted the coastal site of Lomé, nearby. This commercial dynamic of customs circumvention and tax evasion then favored the expansion of Lomé around 1880. The calm and sparsely inhabited Loméen coastline began to be populated rapidly. The Ewes were soon joined by European, British and especially German companies, as well as itinerant merchants from the interior, such as the Hausa caravans from the cola roads. Many people were attracted by the new economic hub that Lomé represented. The rapid growth of the city was reinforced, and Lomé quickly earned a reputation as a place where good business was done.

Sunday - April 20 - Takoradi, Ghana

Sekondi-Takoradi, port city on the Gulf of Guinea (an embayment of the Atlantic Ocean), southern Ghana.

Both the Dutch and the British built forts at Sekondi in the 17th century that were destroyed by the Ahanta. Fort Orange, rebuilt by the Dutch and bought by the British in 1872, survives as a lighthouse. Sekondi flourished in the 1900s after construction of the railroad to the interior gold fields. Its surf port became commercially obsolete, however, with the opening of the artificial harbor at Takoradi in 1928. Sekondi and Takoradi, a single municipality since 1946, became one city in 1963.

Sekondi is a mixture of old and new buildings on a hilly site, extending to the seashore. The old port is used by fishing and pleasure craft, and a naval station is nearby. Takoradi is well-planned, with modern buildings and tree-shaded residential areas. Two breakwaters enclose 220 acres (90 hectares) of sea with quay berths and lee facilities for loading bauxite and discharging oil. The harbor is the terminus of several Ghana railways and is served by road and air. Sekondi-Takoradi also has light industrial, agricultural, and fishing enterprises. Its busy market and street vending activities are conducted by women. Pop. (2000) 289,593; (2010) 539,548.

Monday - April 21 - Tema (Accra), Ghana

• Population (1990 estimate) 180,600.

• Distance From Accra (25 Km / 16 mi.)

• Tema city is located in Southeast Ghana, near Accra. The City was built in 1960 as a manmade harbor. Its port, developed in the 1950s and opened in 1961, is the busiest in Ghana.

  
  

With the opening of an artificial harbor in 1961, Tema developed from a small fishing village to become Ghanas leading seaport and an industrial center. Most of the country's chief export, cacao, is shipped from Tema. The city has industries producing aluminum, refined petroleum, chemicals, food products, and building materials.

Tema is considered the "heart of the country's development.

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 22 and 23 - Leaving Silversea - ,Accra, Ghana to Dubai

Wednesday, April 23 - Dubai to San Francisco