Jeannine Williamson discovers the culture and wildlife-rich west African coastline with Crystal
As the police motorcyclist sounded his siren the nose-to-tail crawl of slow-moving morning traffic parted like the biblical Red Sea. Cars and lorries dutifully pulled over as our coach driver picked up speed and followed the uniformed biker towards Luanda’s rocket-shaped Agostinho Neto Cultural Centre.
Having never personally experienced a police escort – thinking they were the sole preserve of royalty, political leaders and dignitaries – it was initially a somewhat strange and unreal experience. On top of that, I was already getting used to having a butler, Marjan, looking after me back onboard Crystal Symphony. Within an hour of arriving, he’d already personalised the mini bar in my suite with a not so miniature bottle of gin and my favourite wine.
However, any personal imposter syndrome aside, when you travel with Crystal you quickly realise that being treated like a VIP is all part of the service.
On the visit to the Angolan capital of Luanda, and other countries including Ghana, it also became the norm to have an official escort to hurry things along on any grid-locked roads. It was among the many eye-openers on Crystal’s new cruise along the coast of western Africa.
For silver travellers looking for new cruise destinations to explore, this one is a winner. It will also appeal to adventurers who want to make the most of a trip to a lesser-known region of Africa and experience a wide and diverse range of cultures, landscapes and wildlife in the space of less than a fortnight.
I travelled from Cape Town to Tema, in Ghana, on the 3,385-mile voyage across six countries which is also available in reverse. A rudimentary straw poll among some of my shipmates, the majority seasoned silver travellers, revealed that aside from Cape Town, only a handful had visited the other countries.
Everywhere we went, enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides were proud to show off their heritage. In emerging tourist destinations such as Angola, ravaged by 27 years of civil war which ended in 2002, they also didn’t hide from reality. On the way to Agostinho Neto Cultural Centre – resting place of Angola’s namesake and revered first president who was elected in 1975 after Angola achieved independence from Portugal – the coach fell silent as our guide told us both his parents were fatally shot and his sister suffered life-changing injuries when a bullet passed through her leg.
Similarly, much of this coastline was linked to the to the slave trade, which peaked in the 17th and 18th centuries, and saw millions of Africans forcibly shipped to America, many of them initially duped into thinking they were leaving for a better life. Again, our guides talked candidly and answered questions about this dark period.
Indeed, wherever we went I left with a deep and insightful knowledge of the destination, and never felt we were scratching a sugar-coated surface. In 2022 Crystal was acquired by the award-winning tour operator Abercrombie & Kent and the two combined their expertise on sea and land. The result is a wide selection of well-curated shore excursions which are helpfully graded across various activity levels.
A highlight was a full day tour of Sao Tome, part of the twin island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, which is so cut off it only attracts around 35,000 visitors a year. Uninhabited until the late 15th century, the fertile volcanic islands were claimed by Portuguese explorers in 1486 who established coffee and cacao plantations to make chocolate. We happily sampled both and were treated to colourful cultural displays, one involving a vertiginous stilt walker. The other was a potted version of a good versus evil tragedy, which is something of a theatrical endurance test for both participants and audience members as the whole thing takes six hours to perform.
Away from towns, we embarked on trips across lunar-like desert landscapes, including a magical sundowner tour where we sipped sparkling wine as the blood-red sun dipped over the horizon. There were also walking tours in a luxuriant oasis and across parched sands to marvel at the resilient Welwitschia mirabilis plant, or desert octopus, which can somehow live for 1,000 years or more in this harsh environment.
Another day brought unusual linguistic and culinary challenges. In Namibia we opted for a tour taking in three different townships, and where a portion of the cost of the tours goes towards community projects. On our first stop we met a herbalist to learn about the healing properties of various plants and the click language of the indigenous Khoe people, where click consonants differentiate between words containing the same letters. It’s a real tongue twister and I could only muster up one sound, akin to encouraging a horse. So it was fascinating to listen as our host read a short story peppered with different sounding clicks.
The last stop of the day involved a traditional local lunch including maize porridge, spinach and the delicacy of mopane worms, which are actually tree caterpillars. As a vegetarian (which comes in handy at times), I politely declined. However, my stalwart partner Paul and a couple of other guests gamely stepped up to the mark and declared them to be “firm and meaty”.
Back on board Crystal Symphony there were certainly no food issues. It was consistently some of the best food I’ve ever eaten on a cruise ship (and I have been on quite a few). From the buffet, where even humble toast was elevated to new heights with toppings such as hummus, edamame beans and balsamic caramelised mushrooms, to chic eateries including the new Beefbar and only at-sea outpost of the acclaimed Nobu, the choice is incredible. Even better, every restaurant aside from the Vintage Room private dining venue is included in the fare.
Staff were equally wonderful, and the service blended the perfect mix of being proactive and instinctive without being obsequious or stuffy. I have to admit, by the end of the cruise I’d got used to having a butler!
Other passengers took advantage of the bonus of having Dorset-based master photographer Kevin Wilson onboard. Kevin travels on selected Crystal cruises to offer bespoke portrait sessions around the ship, which create extra special memories.
Entertainment was also excellent, with Crystal Symphony’s energetic troupe of dancers and singers and visiting artistes such as Rocket Man Aaron Kavanagh, whose Elton John tribute was outstanding.
In fact, music followed us wherever we went. Joyful dancers and musicians would greet us on the quayside, in the desert and even on the water, in a boat, when we visited Ganvie stilt village. Even the two-tone police siren provided a lasting impression of an incredible voyage filled with so many visual, audible and culinary memories.
Find out more
To book a cruise with Crystal and get further information from our Silver Travel Advisors, call 0800 412 5678.
