How I did a safari at sea with Crystal

As the sun climbs overhead in a cloudless sapphire sky, I stare down in silence at the tangle of long, strap-shaped leaves by my feet. Many are brown and frayed at the tips, while others stretch out like tendrils from the low woody stem across the parched sand of the Namib Desert.

Doubtless, if I’d sighted one of the “big five” that go hand in hand with safaris in the southern part of Africa my initial reaction might not have been so underwhelming. But we’re not in the grasslands and savannas inhabited by lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo, and as our guide talks about the extraordinary Welwitschia mirabilis – or octopus of the desert – there are audible “wows” and people in my group start taking photos.

Found only in this coastal desert in Angola, it’s one of the longest-living plants on Earth. With tenacious roots stretching more than 30 metres to seek sparse underground water supplies, and leaves absorbing any sea fog and dew that comes its way, it can live for up to 2000 years in the harshest of climates.

The determined and seemingly indomitable plant certainly demands respect. It turns out to be one of many surprises on this unusual fly-cruise itinerary that takes us through five countries, from Tema, the port city outside the Ghanaian capital of Accra, to Benin, Sao Tome and Principe, Angola and Namibia.

Africa, the world’s second-largest continent, offers a vast range of landscapes and experiences, yet it’s only recently that a small number of cruise lines, such as Crystal, have started visiting the less-travelled western shores. Indeed, there’s something of a pioneering atmosphere on Crystal Symphony and I don’t meet many other passengers – including seasoned cruisers from Australia, the US and UK – who have been here before.

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Voodoo rituals and life on stilts

Crystal is now owned by travel company Abercrombie & Kent and the two have combined their seafaring and land-based expertise, with culture-rich sailings to destinations off the mainstream cruise charts, yet accessible with regular flights from Australia.

One of our first stops is Cotonou, Benin, the birthplace of Voodoo, which is a way of life for many of its inhabitants. Far removed from the stereotypical image of dolls impaled with vengeful pins, the reality is a recognised religion based on honouring nature and different spirits.

Our guide explains this as we gather in a tranquil, sacred forest in Ouidah, surrounded by effigies of Voodoo gods, where roosting fruit bats hang from trees.

A big draw in Benin is the stilt village of Ganvie, a cluster of homes, shops, schools, churches and even a medical centre, constructed on skeletal wooden poles, above the water of Lake Nokoue. The villagers live almost exclusively from fishing, and we watch them cast nets as we float in a small boat through their waterborne community, which originated in the 17th century when members of the local Tofinou needed to find a way to escape slave hunters.

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One of the world’s least-visited destinations

A day at sea brings us to São Tomé, one half of the dual island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, lying 250 kilometres off the African coast in the Gulf of Guinea, and the second-smallest and second-least populated African country after Seychelles. It’s also one of the least-visited places on the planet. With limited flights, and even fewer cruise ships, only around 35,000 travellers get here each year. We feel very privileged.

While we board a minibus, the refreshing lack of mainstream tourism means some visitors might end up being taken around in a school bus. And our charming part-time guide Paulo can usually be found teaching history to schoolchildren or driving a taxi.

The lush volcanic island was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers arrived and started growing coffee. We sip the mellow brew in an old coffee plantation building, now a museum, before heading to Saint Nicholas Waterfall. A youngster offers us freshly picked wild raspberries from the forest, while his friends cool off under the cascade. There’s a flutter overhead and we glimpse the iridescent plumage of a bronze-naped pigeon, Sao Tome’s national bird.

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Small ship sailing

Back on Crystal Symphony, this is small ship sailing at its finest. Even more so as after Abercrombie & Kent took over the ship and sister vessel Crystal Serenity in 2022, the passenger capacity was reduced. A multimillion-dollar refurbishment saw suites being enlarged and Crystal Symphony’s guest count going down by 28 per cent, from 848 to just 606.

As a result, the ship never feels crowded, except for the intimate Avenue Saloon piano bar which is the go-to after-dinner spot on our sailing. Elsewhere, it’s easy to book specialty restaurants such as Nobu and the recently introduced Beefbar, which along with an open bar are all covered in Crystal’s all-inclusive fare that also takes care of – always good news for Australians – gratuities.

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The sounds of history

Everywhere we go, there’s a musical backdrop. In each port, the hypnotic and pulsating sound of drums carries on the breeze as we finish breakfast and energetic dancers in elaborate costumes start performing on the quayside long before the gangway opens.

In Cape Town we don’t even have to leave the ship as the theatre stage is given over to Ingoma, a troupe of singers and dancers whose performance is deeply rooted in local culture.

Particularly captivating is the high-energy gumboot dance where the performers stamp, clap and slap their rubber footwear in unison to create a rhythmic beat with no other instruments. Today it’s joyful and exuberant, but it’s sobering to learn this dance evolved in South Africa’s gold mines during the segregated apartheid era. Workers, sometimes chained together, were issued gumboots as the harsh working conditions often involved working in partially flooded mines. Forbidden to talk to each other, they created a means of coded communication by slapping their boots and rattling their chains.

Similarly, much of the coastline we visit has links with the slave trade, which was at its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries when millions of Africans were forcibly shipped to the Americas, many of them initially tricked into believing they were leaving their tribes for a better life.

It’s a chilling, discomforting but irrefutable part of history and I am pleased the subject is never side-stepped by our guides or the ship’s guest speakers, who all talk about it with candour.

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Wildlife wonders

Prior to Cape Town, our last stop is Namibia’s Walvis Bay, where the wide sand spit is home to around 50,000 Cape fur seals. We see our first one before we even leave the harbour when Julius, so-called by the crew, hauls himself up the ladder of the small expedition boat and settles on the deck.

We learn he was cared for by the skipper after suffering an injury as a youngster and now drops by for a fish breakfast. In return, he provides passengers with a close-up look at his double-layered coat and external ear flaps, both characteristics of the largest fur seal species.

We might not have seen the type of things you expect on a traditional African safari, but I left this cruise with many memories that will last a lifetime – albeit mine won’t be anywhere near as long as the age-defying Welwitschia mirabilis.

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Expert tips

My favourite meal: Impossible to pick just one, as even the buffet on Crystal Symphony resembles a top restaurant where you just happen to serve yourself. But I loved the first at-sea outpost of the chic yet laid-back Monte-Carlo-based Beefbar. While carnivores are in for a treat, don’t be fooled by the name as the creamy avocado hummus topped with pomegranate seeds and caramelised pistachios, followed by cauliflower “chateaubriand” with green tahini sauce, kept this vegetarian very happy.

What to pack: Take layers. The area around Walvis Bay is often cloaked in fog, which doesn’t clear until midday, and mornings can be on the cool side. And don’t forget to pack something for Crystal’s signature white-night party.

Secret tip: Emirates and Qatar Airways fly from Sydney and Melbourne to Accra with one stop. There are also return flights from Cape Town to Sydney and Melbourne, all with one stop.

Book it: The 12-night Tema (Accra) to Cape Town cruise on Crystal Symphony, departing on 11 December 2025, starts from $7100.

Find out more: crystalcruises.com