Port guides
Filter 2,700 cruise ports by region or search by name — each links to its guide and the cruises calling there.
Ports in Africa
68 ports
Toamasina, Madagascar
Africa
Toamasina, also called Tamatave, is a port city on the east coast of Madagascar. Its old town district features Creole houses built on stilts. Place Bien Aimé, a large park shaded by banyan trees, is home to a decaying colonial mansion. Wide, palm-lined Independence Avenue leads to a seaside boulevard. Archaeological exhibits and traditional tools are on show at the University of Toamasina Regional Museum.
1 cruise
Aldabra Island
Africa
Part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, Aldabra is reputedly the world’s second-largest atoll and has been described as “one of nature’s treasures” and a “sanctuary”. The inner lagoon teems with marine life like eagle rays and sea turtles. It is possible to snorkel and drift along with the tide passing in or out of the lagoon as massive numbers of fish come and go through the same channels. Narrow channels between fossilized coral islands are fringed in mangrove forests supporting large colonies of nesting boobies and Great Frigatebirds.
Ambodifotatra, Madagascar
Africa
Ambodifotatra (am-bodi-foot-atr) is Île Sainte Marie’s only real town and has all the island’s practical facilities. You’ll find everything you need to organise your stay, plus some interesting restaurants.
Amboseli, Nairobi
Africa
Amboseli National Park is in southern Kenya. It’s known for its large elephant herds and views of immense Mount Kilimanjaro, across the border in Tanzania. Observation Hill offers panoramas of the peak and the park’s plains and swamps. Varied wildlife includes giraffes, zebras, cheetahs and hundreds of bird species. The western section is dominated by vast Lake Amboseli, which is dry outside the rainy season.
Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
Africa
Bazaruto Island lies in Bazaruto National Park, off the coast of southern Mozambique. Resorts dot the island’s white beaches, and it’s known for marine life like turtles and dugong. The clear waters of Two Mile Reef are filled with colorful fish, reef sharks and moray eels, while the deeper area in Indigo Bay is home to sailfish and marlin. Traditional dhow boats run to nearby islands Santa Carolina and Benguerra.
Carache/Binte
Africa
On Carache Island, you will visit Ampincha, a village with strong traditions. In the villages of the Bijagos Islands, animist traditions live on, punctuated by sacred rituals shrouded in mystery. For the Bidyogo, each natural element has a soul. These people’s greatest treasure is their environment: their canoes are carved out of the majestic kapok trees, their clothing is made from palm fibre, and their diet mainly consists of shells found in the mangrove and along the foreshore.
Conakry
Guinea · Africa
Conakry is the capital of Guinea, a country in West Africa. The city sits on the slender Kaloum Peninsula, which extends into the Atlantic Ocean. Just offshore, the Loos Islands are known for their beaches, dense palm forests and water sports. In town, the enormous Grand Mosque has 4 tall, elegant minarets. Next to the mosque, the large Botanical Garden features kapok trees and tropical flowers.
Freetown
Sierra Leone · Africa
It may still be a bit of a rough diamond, but Sierra Leone’s capital is a true traveller’s gem. Lush rainforest and palm fringed beaches have been sadly overshadowed by Freetown’s turmoil, which has left its pock marked legacy on the city. Happily, this reputation is slowly receding. Expect to be greeted by warm welcomes and wide smiles. The city is slowly rebuilding after spats of fierce fighting in the 1990s. Today Freetown is a bustling metropolis, centred around the busy port.s While there may be an undeniable element of poverty to the city, this is more than out balanced by the unfailingly optimistic vibrancy and intriguing history that Freetown offers. This joie de vivre makes Freetown one of West Africa’s most dynamic cities; think bustling streets and gentle sign-song sounds of local dialect Krio. British philanthropists founded the ‘Province of Freedom’, which later became Freetown in 1787. This was a British crown colony and the principal base for the suppression of the slave trade. By 1792, over 1,000 freed slaves from Nova Scotia had joined the original settlers, called the Maroons. Another group of slaves rebelled in Jamaica and travelled to Freetown in 1800. Unsurprisingly, colonial reign has left its mark on the architecture of the city. British involvement is best viewed at the National Museum, and in the superbly preserved Victorian railway. The uplands around Freetown are verdant and home to the Western Area Forest Reserve (accepted by UNESCO as a tentative World Heritage Site).
Georgetown, Ascension Island
Africa
A cruise to the Cayman Islands has everything you would want from a Caribbean destination—warm breezes, clear seas and a laid-back attitude—but the archipelago also has something you might not expect: an exciting culinary scene. Between the celebrity chefs who’ve set up shop on Grand Cayman and the 135 or so resident nationalities that have helped season the island’s giant melting pot, this is, hands down, one of the best places to eat in the Caribbean. In and around George Town, the Cayman Islands' capital, you’ll find such an amazing array of culinary offerings, you’ll fear for the future of any buttons, snaps or hooks on your waistband. And that’s where the island’s other chief pleasures come in: There’s enough walking (whether along the fabled Seven Mile Beach, around historic sites or through lush gardens) as well as stunning swimming, snorkeling and diving to be done to counter the effects of . . . So. Much. Good. Food. Or at least you can begin to. Oh, and one warning: Should you wind up at Rum Point—Grand Cayman’s castaway beach imago—there’s a good chance your ship is, by your own design, sailing without you. Regardless of what you do, our Cayman Islands cruises are sure to have something relaxing and enjoyable for you to experience and remember.
Ilheu Bom-Bom
Africa
Ilhéu Bom Bom is an island in the Gulf of Guinea. The islet is located near the north coast of the island of Príncipe, one of the main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe and is almost completely forested. Its population is 15. There is a tourist resort near the island. There is a lighthouse on the island built in 1997.
Jamestown.St Helena
Africa
Although primarily known as the island where Napoleon was exiled after his defeat at Waterloo, the fascination with St. Helena goes back many more centuries. Its main attraction may very well be its remoteness, which enabled the Portuguese to keep their discovery of the island in 1502 a secret for the next 80 years. It was this isolated location that the British thought perfect to keep the defeated Napoleon. St.
Monrovia
Africa
Wedged in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mesurado River, Libera’s capital Monrovia has a lot to recommend it. Despite its reputation as being risky, if you can look beyond the scars two civil wars have left on the city, you’ll soon find that Monrovia is bursting with African excellence. Like many African nations, Monrovia has had its fair share of turmoil. View less Founded in 1824 by the freed slaves of the USA and Caribbean, Monrovia take its name from James Monroe, then President of America, and ardent supporter of the freedom movement. Thousands flocked to its shores with the promise of finding a better life in the early 20th century and by 1937 the population had reached 10,000 (for a police force of just 30). Oppression and civic unrest was bound to and did follow. A military coup in 1980 overthrew the government, which was later followed by 14 near-consecutive years of civil war. Certainly, the city is a bit rough around the edges. However, Monrovians have a proverb, that “To the patient man will come all the riches of the world.” And, as Monrovians have been more than patient, riches are most definitely beginning to arrive. African history has found its rightful place in the Liberian National Museum, while the rolling surf and glorious beaches have begun attracting holidaymakers in search of an authentic African experience. The city’s transformation is definitely a work in progress, but watch this space, and you might be one of the lucky ones to say that you were there in the beginning.
Mozambique Island
Africa
The densely populated Mozambique Island is small at only 3 km (1.9 miles) long and less than 500 meters (650 yards) wide. The Portuguese had already settled here by 1507, and the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere is found on Mozambique Island: the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte. Fort São Sebastião also dates back to the 16th century. Historical buildings on the northern side of the island include the Palace and Chapel of São Paulo, built in 1610 as a Jesuit College - later converted to be the Governor's Residence, and now a museum. As a result of its rich history and architectural remains, the Island of Mozambique is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The majority of the residents today live in reed houses in Makuti Town at the southern end of the island. In addition to the old Christian churches there are several mosques and even a Hindu temple on the island. For the last 55 years a 3 km (1.9 mile) bridge has connected the island to the mainland.
Nairobi
Africa
Nairobi is Kenya’s capital city. In addition to its urban core, the city has Nairobi National Park, a large game reserve known for breeding endangered black rhinos and home to giraffes, zebras and lions. Next to it is a well-regarded elephant orphanage operated by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Nairobi is also often used as a jumping-off point for safari trips elsewhere in Kenya.
Pointe Noire
Republic of the Congo · Africa
Pointe-Noire is a port city and oil industry hub in the Republic of the Congo. It’s also known for its beaches. The city's train station is the terminus of the French colonial Congo-Ocean Railway. Nearby, dense rainforest surrounds the striking red cliffs of the Diosso Gorge. North of the city, Conkouati-Douli National Park features abundant wildlife and diverse terrain like lagoons, mangroves and savanna.
Tema
Ghana · Africa
The largest seaport in Ghana, Tema boasts an inner and outer fishing harbor, the former known as the Canoe Basin and built to encourage the local fishing practice; the latter designed for the commercial fishing industry. But some of the most fascinating sites are located further along the coastline, where you’ll find UNESCO-listed forts and castles remaining from the Portuguese trade between the 15th and 18th centuries.
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Regions are derived from each port’s coordinates. Sailing counts reflect active upcoming departures, refreshed through our scheduled feed.
