Turns out that Zanzibar ( a scheduled port visit that was skipped due to a local cholera outbreak ) was not to be the only scheduled port that the Norwegian Dawn would miss. While a public health risk was the culprit with Zanzibar, it would be the weather gods that wreaked havoc on our itinerary after Madagascar. There was to be one final stop prior to reaching Port Louis in Mauritius – the French island of Reunion ( which is very close to Mauritius ). Unfortunately Cyclone Garance had other plans. As we were departing Madagascar, the captain came over the PA system to advise that there was a dangerous cyclone just ahead of us ( it had all be so calm up until then ! ) and that, since Reunion had closed both its port and airport, we would take an extra “sea” day and navigate around the rough weather. This he managed to do and apart from one evening where we encountered larger than normal swells, the ship was unaffected by the cyclone. Reunion, though, was hit hard and very sadly at least 4 people were killed.
The cyclone we avoided was quite deadly.
The sea days were fine, always lots to do anyway, and the captain kindly threw us all a $100 on-board credit for the inconvenience – covered the cost of a few more cocktails to celebrate the imminent end of what has ( overall ) been a really wonderful cruise. We’d both had doubts about our ability to last for 17 days at sea but in reality it flew by. Norwegian did a spectacular job, the ship was great, the staff were outstanding and the ports ( mostly ) offered outstanding sightseeing options, if at times a bit rushed. Would we do it again ? Yes, in a heartbeat, although we don’t have any plans to do another for a few years. As mentioned before, this route ( and schedule ) just filled a very specific void in our larger “van” plans and we don’t think we could have found a better option to occupy the 3 weeks van transit time.
Our favourites – thanks to the captain for providing a few extra on the house !Cruise finale- the whole crew came up on stage and got a standing ovation ! They were outstanding.
Right on schedule the Norwegian Dawn pulled into Port Louis harbour in Mauritius. While most guests ( and a number of crew ) got off here, many sailed on to Cape Town and some even on to Lisbon, Portugal . We’d made some wonderful new friends and were sorry to say “au revoir” to them but at the same time we are looking forward to 4 days in Mauritius before flying on to Germany to pick up our van. Speaking of the van, I had been tracking its progress across the Atlantic- via Halifax, Liverpool and finally on to Hamburg where I could now see that it had been unloaded on to the dock.
The van is in Hamburg !Hardly surprising, I suppose, that the weather would initially be a bit ominous, arriving in Port Louis as we were, at the tail end of a cyclone. Fortunately it quickly improved, and 3 of our 4 days there provided clear, hot, sunny weather.Our hotel in Grand Baie, Mauritius. The roof- top terrace provided great views of the bay and beaches every morning at breakfast.View from the hotel.We did have a little drama one night. Lois slipped and fell getting some very nasty bruises on her chin and arms. An XRay revealed no breaks or fractures fortunately. Speedy and professional help from the medical clinic in Grand Baie.Downtown Grand Baie, where we spent most of our time.
First, Mauritius. Accommodations and stunning beaches virtually ring the entire island – ours was a little boutique hotel across from the beach in popular Grand Baie in the island’s northern west. Probably as nice a part of Mauritius as any if perhaps a little more “touristy” than some other areas. A two day car rental gave us ample time to sample most of the attractions, although a sudden downpour on our last day dashed any hopes of seeing the famous waterfall and “7 coloured hills” of Chamarel.
Typical scenery when driving across the island.
The west coast of Mauritius has more development and is home to Port Louis, where we arrived. Refreshing, after Mombasa and 2 Madagascan ports, to disembark in what one could honestly describe as a nice, historic and well maintained city. Throughout our time in Mauritius we mostly explored, driving all over the island, and when we came upon them sampled a selection of its famous beaches – Peyrebare, Flic en Flac and a few smaller east coast ones were our pick but a visitor would literally need weeks ( or months even ) to sample them all. Two things were consistent everywhere, the warmth of the water and the soft white sand.
Pretty La Cambuse beach near the airport.One of many wide open and almost deserted east coast beaches.A small east coast beach. A “fly in” beach obviously !Here at Flic en Flac beach.
Had a chance to sample traditional creole food and found it delicious, if perhaps a little spicy and also enjoyed some of their renowned craft beers. Some have said Mauritius is expensive – we didn’t find it to be at all, and would happily return here for a “sun and surf” vacation. Hot and humid, as one would expect, and although there are mosquitoes, the island is fortunately dengue and malaria free.
Mauritius is famously a country of many cultures, Indian, Chinese, Malay, African and European. Here one of many Indian temples.
All good things must end, as they say, and with our time here having quickly passed, we readied ourselves for the 12 hour flight to Germany. Fortunately it was a daylight one meaning we did not have to try to sleep sitting bolt upright. Hard to believe after a life of relative luxury on the high seas we will be back with our van in two days..!
We flew out on the German airline, Condor – quite the bold livery !
Day two in the stunning Seychelles took us to the nearby island of La Digue, famed for its especially white, sandy beaches and warm, turquoise waters. One of those beaches, Anse Source Argent, reportedly ranks among the world’s best by some rankings ( Lonely Planet, 2024 ) so much excitement accompanied our arrival there.
Main clock tower, Victoria, Seychelles. Supposedly a small replica of Big Ben.
Unlike our stop in Victoria ( the capital, on the main island of Mahe ) the previous day, the smaller island of La Digue had no port large enough to accommodate a cruise ship so we were tendered ashore using the ship’s lifeboats. An interesting process to watch as the lowering and lifting of them was all done with great speed and efficiency by the crew – in no time we were on the island and walking the track to Anse Source Argent.
It’s certainly a very beautiful, white, sandy beach, with beautiful warm water and some unique rock formations, which provide for a very picturesque setting and we enjoyed our day there. That said, I’m not sure I would rank it with the very best in the world – perhaps just a slightly enthusiastic piece of Seychelles’s tourism marketing. The snorkeling was not bad with some colorful fish but, like many areas of the world, the coral appears to be dying ( or perhaps we just were not in the best part for viewing it ). A memorable part of the La Digue visit was the La Nautique bar, set right on the beach overlooking our ship anchored in the bay. As is often on the case, it’s the people you meet that make the occasion and we enjoyed some wonderful conversation with fellow passengers from both the UK and US. While we will exit the cruise in Mauritius after 17 days, one of those couples will stay on through to Cape Town, and on all the way up the west coast of Africa to Lisbon, Portugal. Now, THAT is a long cruise !
Arrival in La Digue, Seychelles.Anse Source Argent, La Digue, Seychelles.La Union Estate, where vanilla is produced, and through which you walk to Anse Source Argent. On an extremely hot and humid day it was wonderful to be at a beach with shade, making it easy to move in and out of the sun.Yours truly…..Cold Heineken for me and a refreshing Gin and Tonic for Lois after lots of walking on La Digue. Really hit the spot !
Departing La Digue, the ship sailed due West for Mombasa, Kenya, our first African port. It was to be one of two African ports, the second being Zanzibar in Tanzania, just an overnight sail from Mombasa, but a cholera outbreak there meant we’d now be skipping Zanzibar. While very disappointing, everyone understood. Consequently the ship would now be making two stops in Madagascar, whereas the original itinerary called for just one.
The two days sailing between the Seychelles and Kenya passed quickly, filled with pool time during the day, along with lots of eating, reading, walking, before taking in some excellent shows in the evening. Must say, it’s a pretty easy life and one could very easily get used to this longer term ! Having. recently crossed the equator ( it’s just north of the Seychelles ) we noticed that the sink water was now draining in the opposite direction than it did just north of the equator, ( a phenomenon known as the Coriolis Effect, should you ever get the question in a trivia quiz ). I checked it in our room !
One receives a certificate as proof ( if any was needed ! ) of having made a surface crossing of the equator.No shortage of things to do on long “at sea” days.Occasionally we managed window seats when dining – but you had to be up early !
Had heard mixed reports about Mombasa – variously “interesting”, or “historic”, one even said “exotic”. While we certainly saw elements of all three, our general impression ( granted, from a very short stay ) would align more closely with the others who described it as “run down”, “dirty”, and generally somewhat “dangerous”. The cruise ship warnings ( prior to disembarking there ) probably didn’t help. It was a Sunday, lots of things were closed and there was generally an impression of lots of people standing around with little else to do. Also, a lot of street begging which we’d not seen anywhere else to date. It’s “historic” Old Town was a bit underwhelming compared to so many other such historic areas we’ve seen in other cities – run down, sketchy looking, and covered in litter. Less than impressive.
An “all electric” tuk-tuk. These were popular in Mombasa.The Mombasa Tusks, which commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1952.Islamic influence, Old Town, Mombasa.Omani style historic doors, Old Town, Mombasa.
Mombasa has some great beaches but we’d had lots of that in the Seychelles so used the rest of our time exploring historic Fort Jesus ( a UNESCO historic site, dating from the Portuguese era in the 1600’s ). This was, despite pretty oppressive humidity and large crowds, well worth a visit and very interesting. Probably the highlight of the port call. No time, of course for any serious safari’s or the like.
Exploring Fort Jesus, Mombasa.Ditto.Ditto.Ditto.
Skipping Zanzibar meant we now had a day at sea before reaching our two Madagascan ports of call. Added to Antsiranana in the far north ( already on our scheduled itinerary, would now be the island of Nosy Be, famous for its wildlife, especially the lemurs and chameleons. Nosy Be would be the first of the two stops, and we enjoyed one of the most enjoyable and exciting days on the trip so far. Teamed up with a lady from Alberta and another from Florida and hired a driver/guide who took us to Lokobe National Park where the aforementioned animals (and a slew of others ) were to be found. Hot, sweaty, and muddy but it was fascinating to see boas, lemurs and chameleons in the wild.
Arriving in Nosy Be one runs the usual gauntlet of souvenir stalls, and pesky touts.Once in the park area it was extremely lush. Drove through beautiful forest/jungles to meet our boat.Arrived at the beach to see this boat waiting to make the 2km crossing. It must be ours………er, not quite. This was our “boat”, a still sturdy, but somewhat leaky outrigger. Bonus- we each got a paddle to help with the rowing, while the captain’s 12 year old son bailed water continuously to keep us afloat. We may have lacked the best boat but all agreed we had the best “adventure” !A chameleon.Up close. The colours are surreal.Hard to see, but look close and you’ll see the boa.Lemurs – impossibly cute !Ditto.
An easy overnight sail away was the northern Madagascan regional capital of Antsiranana. A fairly rundown place and rather than an attraction in itself, serves more as a base for for nearby sites ( including Nosy Be ). The people we met here were all super friendly and helpful, despite the grinding poverty and our tuk-tuk driver “Frankie” made sure we saw what there was to see. The unusual boab trees were probably the highlight, the filthy central market probably best avoided altogether ( sorry, but there’s just something super gross about seeing fly-covered raw meat sitting out on display in 30 degree heat and stifling humidity). Not what we’d call an “attraction” !!!
Frankie, our tuk tuk driver.We found the central market pretty filthy……and frighteningly unhygienic. Raw meat, sitting for sale in 30 degree heat!The unusually shaped Baob ( baobab ) trees. Of the 9 species in the world, 2 are in Africa, 6 are endemic to Madagascar’ and one in Australia.At every stop, mobbed by vendors.The French connection to Madagascar is everywhere- the language, building styles, and a lot of seriously old ( and heavily overworked) French cars still on the road!
And with that our two days in Madagascar was over. With only two days left in our cruise ( an “at sea” day and a day in Reunion ) we will soon be disembarking in Pot Louis , Mauritius, but more on that in the next edition.
Till then…..
Jeff + Lois
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
