11-night Madagascar & South Africa Cruise

South Africa's third-largest city, thriving industrial center, and largest port in Africa creates a photogenic place for meandering or eating and drinking dockside. Durban's second-largest population group, Indians, have mosques, bazaars and temples festooned with wildly coloured deities standing juxtaposed to Victorian buildings that mark out the colonial center. The city's main interest lies in reconciling competing Indian, African and English cultures and in keeping rampant vegetation at bay. Admire mosques, explore the Indian area around Grey Street, or pass by Dalton Road Zulu Market. Enjoy the KwaZulu-Natal game parks, the Drakensberg, and the Battlefields.

Destination Guide

This busy port presents two contrasting aspects of Kwazulu-Natal's exciting wildlife heritage.The coastal St. Lucia Game Reserve is a fascinating wetland reserve with some of the world's highest forested dunes - and game including black rhino and South Africa's largest hippo and crocodile populations, as well as flamingo and other exotic birdlife. Inland extends the huge Hluhluwe Game Reserve which supports Africa's greatest concentration of white and black rhino - as well as lion and elephant.

Destination Guide

This busy port presents two contrasting aspects of Kwazulu-Natal's exciting wildlife heritage.The coastal St. Lucia Game Reserve is a fascinating wetland reserve with some of the world's highest forested dunes - and game including black rhino and South Africa's largest hippo and crocodile populations, as well as flamingo and other exotic birdlife. Inland extends the huge Hluhluwe Game Reserve which supports Africa's greatest concentration of white and black rhino - as well as lion and elephant.

Destination Guide

Although there's no beach and only a small cultural museum downtown in the growing town of Toliara (also known as Tulear), this Madagascar port is popular because of the snorkeling and diving opportunities at Ifaty village to the north. From the central market to the port of Mahavatse where the canoes leave, the inhabitants of Toliara like to get lost in its streets to the rhythm of Tsapiky music.

Only 7 mi/12 km out of town, Arboretum d'Antsokay protects a wealth of bizarre succulents associated with the spiny desert habitat of southern Madagascar, and it's also a good place to look for desert birds and lemurs. Isalo National Park, to the northeast, contains grottoes, canyons and impressive rock formations—it's a great place to hike and relax for several days (permit required).

Other nearby sights include the banyan tree at Miary, the thousands of pink flamingos on the difficult-to-access Lake Tsimanampetsotsa and the highly decorated Mahafaly tombs (there are a few tombs near town, and more at Betioky, 60 mi/100 km south of Tulear). The area is 390 mi/630 km southwest of Antananarivo.

Destination Guide

An important center of the Sakalava people in Madagascar, Morondava is a good base for visiting their decorated tombs. Unfortunately, many of the sculptures associated with the tombs have been stolen, so the tombs are considerably less impressive than they once were. Anyone wishing to visit the tombs must be accompanied by a guide.

Morondava, 230 mi/370 km southwest of Antananarivo, is also known for its beaches (Nosy Kely has the best sunsets), and for the much-photographed Avenue of Baobabs, which lies about 10 mi/15 km north of town. It is particularly spectacular at sunrise or sunset. Some 40 mi/65 km northeast of Morondova, the dry forest of Kirindy is the best place in Madagascar to see the fossa, the island's largest predator; it has retractable claws and looks like a cross between a cat and a weasel. Nosy Kely beach offers some modest hotels with small cabins on the sand facing the sea.

Destination Guide

Mahajanga, also known as Majunga, shows strong Arab and Indian influences, reflecting its importance as a center of maritime trade in Madagascar since the mid-18th century. There are more than a dozen mosques in town and countless Indian- and Pakistani-owned shops. There's also an enormous baobab tree by the sea. The coastline of the city is very pleasant, and the beaches become more beautiful as you move away from the center.

Every year in July the Fanompoa Be is celebrated, washing the royal relics of the Sakalava people, which begins a week of festivities.

Plan two days in the area, which is located 240 mi/385 km northwest of Antananarivo, to visit nearby beaches, the grottoes of Androhibe (about 53 mi/85 km from town) and the Ankarafantsika National Park and Ampijoroa Forestry Reserve (both about 60 mi/95 km from town), which offer opportunities to see lemurs, waterbirds and a breeding center for two threatened species of tortoise.

Destination Guide

The holiday resort of Nosy Be has colonial French atmosphere galore. Nearby is the island of Nosy Komba and its free-spirited lemurs.

Destination Guide