What Travel Advisors Should Know About Swan Hellenic’s West Africa Cruises

Cruising in West Africa offers intrepid travelers an excellent opportunity to comfortably and safely travel to the region. Particularly because overland travel between various West African nations is difficult and time consuming, and infrastructure even in some capitals remains underdeveloped, expedition cruising in this region is even more appealing.  

When determining if they have West Africa cruise clients, travel advisors should look to their client database for history buffs, people interested in colonialism’s legacy or who want to understand the history and repercussions of the African slave trade, and clients curious about Africa’s Francophone and Portuguese-speaking countries. 

We recently sailed on Swan Hellenic’s SH Vega on its 14-day “Crucibles of West Africa” journey commencing in Ghana, stopping in the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and ending 1,759 nautical miles later, in Senegal. Swan Hellenic offers this particular itinerary just once annually as it repositions this ship from Antarctica to the Arctic. 

Only a small handful of other high-end cruise lines offer any itineraries that include West Africa (Silversea, Crystal, Azamara). Swan Hellenic’s itinerary in this region stops at locales other do not. 

Exploratory travel is in Swan Hellenic’s DNA
Originally a cruise line that started with cultural expedition cruising in the 1950s with Greek voyages boasting an intellectual bent with London University professors onboard to offer expert regional lectures, Swan Hellenic relaunched in July 2022, but has remained fully committed to its cultural roots and exploration mindset. 

The new SH Minerva was completed in 2021. Twin sister SH Vega sailed out in 2022, and the line’s newest ship, the SH Diana, began operations in 2023.

The SH Vega, a premium, polar class 5 ship, is 372 feet long, has nine decks and can carry 158 passengers and 122 crew. On this particular cruise, the ship was running at nearly100% occupancy. 

Our sailing had two large groups: one with 50 Chinese nationals, and another with about 50 Stanford University alumni, each traveling with their own guides. The balance of guests comprised a United Nations mix of British, Australian, American, Russian, Canadian, Thai, and Swiss. We were informed while onboard that the next itinerary, from Senegal to Morocco, would have 80 Russians embarking.

Comfortable public spaces, spacious accommodations 
The Finland-built Vega is designed with Scandinavian minimalist sensibilities and intelligent use of space. 

Deck 3 houses the Base Camp and Expedition Lab (used for Antarctic expeditions), a one-chair beauty salon, a spa treatment room, medical clinic, and small library. 

On Deck 4 is reception, the main Swan Restaurant, a complimentary self-service launderette, and staterooms. 

The balance of staterooms are on Decks 5 and 6. Deck 7 has the Club Lounge for light meals and afternoon tea, the Observation Lounge for lectures, daily pre-caps, and recaps, Swan Bar, the outdoor lounge, modest swimming pool, and outdoor bar and grill. 

Deck 8 has a small gym. There’s also a sauna and outdoor Jacuzzi. Deck 9 is for stargazing and sunset viewing. 

Our Deck 6 stateroom was decorated in a gold and gray, calming, neutral color palette, had abundant storage space, and an eye-level safe. An electric fireplace provided ambience, while the Illy espresso machine ensured good mornings. There was an enormous lighted make-up mirror, large working desk, and 55-inch swiveling flatscreen television. The mini bar was stocked, and we desperately tried, but failed miserably to ignore the M&M’s, peanuts, and dried fruit our kindly butler kept replenishing. 

Several USB ports and excellent Starlink connectivity even on sea days can keep even the nerdiest techno-geek pleased. 

The bathroom likewise had generous storage, tiled floors, quartzite countertop, and walk-in shower with excellent water pressure. It contained a 12-inch rain shower and European shower head while Bocelli amenities were in environmentally friendly dispensers. 

Food & wellness
Executive chef Paulo Herrera and his team kept guests well fed and happy. Breakfasts and lunches were buffet style, while dinners were table service by a delightful and thoughtful staff, all accompanied by fine wines from Australia, Chile, Argentina, France, and California, many of which were small batch. 

Breakfasts had a fresh juice station, fresh fruits, house made breads, cheese, charcuterie, cereals, pancakes, and made-to-order eggs, including omelets, and the all-important eggs Benedict and Florentine. 

At lunches an excellent salad bar slightly eased guilt, while made-to-order hamburgers and sandwiches were always available. On several days additional themed dishes were prepared, such as Spanish, Indian, and Mediterranean. 

The dinner menu changed nightly, though several popular appetizer and entree items were always available, and Herrera took advantage of local markets for specialty items. There were vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free guests onboard, all of whom reported being extremely pleased with available options. Passover occurred during the voyage and Herrera made a traditional Seder plate and Chilean-style chicken soup for those guests celebrating. 

Top-notch enrichment 
Though many high-end cruises have guest lecturers with impressive qualifications and expertise, few have ones onboard with regional expertise specific to the sailing’s itinerary. On this voyage, we had not one, but two. Dr. Dean Allen lectured on the Age of Exploration, the Scramble for Africa, and the Atlantic Slave Trade, while Cliff Pereira, FRGS, spoke on several aspects of Returnee Africans, African masks and tribal dance significance, and issues involving Chinese investment on the continent. As this itinerary has a fairly steep learning curve, even for the well-educated and well-traveled, a high-quality enrichment program is especially important. 

Additionally, two members of the Swan Hellenic cultural expedition team delivered a number of interesting lectures on West African conservation, especially important given the region’s political instability that resulted in collateral damage to wildlife habitat, and cultural and economic issues surrounding poaching that rendered certain species nearly extinct. 

Excursions for the curious
In selecting which cruises to book, in West Africa perhaps more than other routes, itineraries must be carefully studied to ensure alignment with client expectations. This itinerary is more of an educational cruise than many other itineraries.

After anchoring in Elmina, Ghana, we went to Cape Coast Slave Castle, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once housing 1,600 people in abysmal conditions as they waited for transport ships. Three million enslaved captives passed through here, more than any other in West Africa. Perhaps most shocking, our guide told us that over 90% of slaves sold to Europeans were already enslaved by Africans. The Anglican Church sanctuary was built atop one of the dungeons so the sounds of worship competed with the wailing of those taken.

In francophone Ivory Coast, Abidjan’s ultra-modern Bedie Bridge towers over Ébrié Lagoon, and St. Paul’s Cathedral ­– Africa’s largest – resembles a white elephant. Both appear like twin Phoenixes rising amid unpaved street life and choking traffic. 

Following 1820, more than 15,000 freed U.S. born slaves and 3,000 Afro-Caribbeans returned to the continent to create Liberia, Africa’s first and oldest modern Republic and its capital, Monrovia, was named after US President James Monroe. The pastor of Providence Baptist Church – Liberia’s oldest – National Museum displays, and our guide all made clear Liberians are hopeful the civil wars, vicious coups, and rebellions that plagued it between 1980 and 2003 remain in the rear-view mirror. Progress continues: since the 2005 democratic elections where American-educated economist Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa’s first female president, Liberia has remained stable. 

In Sierra Leone, guests learn far more about Sengbe Pieh and La Amistad than they can from Hollywood’s rendition. Outside its capital Freetown, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary cares for 119 rescued chimpanzees while attempting to educate Leonians about the dangers of extinction. Before 2009, 20,000 chimps existed in the wild, while today just 5,500 remain, including those at Tacugama. 

In Guinea-Bissau’s Bijagós Archipelago, a protected biosphere, we strolled through Bolama, the former capital with Portuguese architectural remnants, where fruit bats hung, and several vegan vultures spirited from trees. Later we delivered five tons of rice and other essentials by Zodiac to Inorei island, where it seemed all 500 villagers came to dance for us on a sandy beach.

Additional adventures in Gambia and Senegal made the epic journey thought- provoking and unforgettable. 

Travelers to the region must keep in mind the acronym “TIA” – this is Africa – as time operates differently with government officials clearing the ship for entry often late. And, weather can alter landing sites. It’s also important to remember that despite our best intentions, locals work in a system we will never really understand. Remaining flexible is key to enjoying the adventure. 

A good motto to remind clients heading to West Africa is, “We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.”

A final note
Visas are required for US and EU passport holders for all West African nations except Senegal. Swan Hellenic can arrange for on-arrival visas, but the initial entry port, in this case Ghana, must be obtained in advance. As the Ghana Embassy doesn’t have a streamlined process, even when expedited, it will take seven business days, plus FedEx time, so it’s best to use a visa service for your clients.