On April 13th we headed from the Atlanta airport in route to Maputo, Mozambique where we were departing on the Silversea Cloud for an 18-day expedition cruise to Madagascar, Tanzania, and the Seychelles Islands. We had a 15-hour non-stop flight to Johannesburg, South Africa where we had a 17-hour layover, allowing us to stay overnight in a nearby hotel room to get rested up and eliminate our jet lag. The next day we took the short 1-hour flight to Maputo which is the capital of Mozambique. The next morning after a nice night in the Radison Blu Hotel we headed to the port by taxi which turned out to be more exciting than we anticipated. The taxi driver dropped us off at the port building, but we could not see the Silversea ship and the port guard said we were not in the right area. Two locals, who spoke a small amount of English, helped us drag our luggage down to another area of the port where we proceeded to enter at another gate area of the port. After the guard, who once again spoke little English, told us we were in the wrong spot, we were sent back to the exact same port entrance the taxi driver dropped us at. The two locals we had “hired” took our baggage back to this port entrance and the guard this time reluctantly let us pass without the two locals who could go no further. As we went down the cobblestone path, we eventually entered a port terminal but there was nothing in there suggesting Silversea was in port. As we exited the terminal on the waterside we could see the Silversea ship down the dock about quarter mile from the terminal building. We dragged our luggage down until a Sliversea’s crew member came out to greet us being somewhat surprised on where we were coming from. Obviously, Maputo doesn’t get many cruise ships and not everyone knows where they are when they do come in. We had never been so happy to board a cruise ship before. We were one of the first passengers aboard, which gave us time to settle in.
We had booked this expedition cruise because Distinctive Voyage, a program we have worked for in the past, was in need of a host on this cruise to help coordinate a tour for 13 passengers on board this ship. The only cost we had to incur was the expense for our travel to get there and return after the cruise. This was an extremely expensive cruise going to some unique destinations and we were excited to get the opportunity to host this Distinctive Voyage group on this cruise.
As we headed out to sea, we were looking forward to our first port stop in Madagascar in 2 days. The seas were very chopping for a small ship like we were in (250 passengers) but the ride was relatively good. Unfortunately, as we approached Madagascar we received very disappointing news. We were told our ship would not be allowed to dock at any Madagascar port because we had just come from a South African country where cholera was currently an issue. We would only be allowed to dock if we taking a prescribed antibiotic which we did have available in the quantities required on the ship. This was a new requirement from a Silversea’s perspective and they were caught off guard by this requirement. The passengers on board were very upset by this news and we were forced to turn around and look for alternate port stops before getting back on the original itinerary. The next day we were going to stop at Bassas da India which is a unique atoll off the coast of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel. It is a beautiful atoll that is supposed to be a great place to snorkel and dive. As we approached the atoll in the morning, we were told to stay away by the French navy who contested control of this island with Madagascar and didn’t want a ship our size visiting this area in fear of ecological damage. Well strike two for Silversea and the passengers were starting to get a little rowdy. With what we paid (or didn’t pay), we certainly couldn’t complain. We ate at specialty dining restaurants every night at no cost with all full drink packages. The nice thing about cruising with Silversea is that they are a very inclusive cruise line. All their specialty restaurants except one had no cost and there is no charge for any drinks on board. They provide all the tours at no cost. It is an extremely nice cruise line to go on and the passenger to staff ratio is almost 1 to 1 which means you get great service.
Well, we were back to another sea day sailing to Bazaruto Island where we decided to go as an extra stop before rejoining the original itinerary. The day before arriving at Bazaruto, we went through various checks to get set up with snorkeling equipment that was provided to us for the rest of the cruise and getting approved to go on kayak trips when they were allowed at our various stops. At Bazaruto our ship docked off the northern end of the island where we took our zodiacs about a mile to the sandy shoreline. All expedition cruises use zodiacs to get their passengers ashore when there is not port to dock at. On this cruise there was only one other dock we would be at in Zanzibar and all the other stops required us to get into zodiacs to get a shore. Most of the zodiac landing were called wet landings which means the zodiac would land on sand and you would have to jump out into the surf and get your feet wet to get on shore. At Bazaruto we had signed up to do their aggressive hike which was supposed to be a 3 mile hike up the beach to a lighthouse about 80 foot up in elevation. Usually when you hear “aggressive hike” with cruise lines, you anticipate a moderate hike where you hardly break a sweat. Well, when Silversea says “aggressive” they must mean the hike from “hell and back” because this hike was TOUGH! The 80-foot hike up the hill to the lighthouse turned out to be a 250 foot hike up a steep incline in very soft sand through vegetation that could slice you up. On the way up the guide got lost and we had to double back and try a different route. Most people made it up, but several people elected to go back down to the beach and walk back. We both made it to the top although one of us was doing much better than the other when we finally made it there. Several people up at the top were getting medical help to stop the bleeding on their legs and arms which had gotten cut up when going through the dense vegetation. I think even the guides when we got to the top thought that this might have been a little too aggressive of a hike. The walk back down from the lighthouse was easy and uneventful. We eventually walked back to a beach on the other side of the island where the tide was out and it was funny to see all the boats just sitting on land because the water was now about a half mile away with the tide going out. There were some African Ibis birds picking for food in the sandy area. A few of the natives on the island would come by and say hi to us as we walked back to the zodiac pick up point. You could see a resort chalets along the beach that didn’t seem to have anybody in it at the time. We got back to the Zodiac and went back to the ship for a little snack and a well-deserved drink. As we were eating and drinking the ship relocated to Santa Carolina which is a small island in the Bararuto Archipelago. In the afternoon we did another zodiac landing to a popular beach area where some people snorkeled. Sharon tried snorkeling there but didn’t see much. Greg was too exhausted from the hike to “hell and back” and enjoyed the beach bar that Silversea set up on the beach while taking advantage of the bartenders carrying cold beer to people along the beach. Well at least we had finally made it to land after 3 days on our cruise.
The next day was another sea day which we really enjoyed. We work on the ships and Silversea’s internet turned out to be pretty good allowing us to get things done. We were having our dinners outside at the Grill Restaurant where they brought you a hot stone to your table and you cooked your fish or filet mignon to your own taste while you ate your appetizers. When we weren’t eating at this restaurant, we would eat at La Terraza which was an Italian restaurant that had a spectacular appetizer “plank” every night with different types of olives, cheeses, salamis and other tasty little treats. You ate this while you enjoyed their freshly made bread that you dipped in the olive oil and balsamic that was used at every restaurant on the ship. Every meal we had was great and we would have been happy on this cruise just eating, drinking and working without going to any port. It certainly was a great environment to work and read a book. We also took our daily hot tub sessions and walks on the top deck while enjoying the rocking waves of the sea. We do well on cruises, as I am sure all our readers know, but Silversea is a really enjoyable cruise line to just enjoy sailing.
The next day we were back on our original itinerary with a visit to the Isle of Mozambique. This was actually a dry zodiac landing where we could just hop off the zodiac on to some concrete steps at a pier. In the morning, we had a 4-hour walking tour where we walked through Stone Town a UNESCO Heritage site. This area was originally discovered by Vasco da Gama who was the famous Portuguese explorer who was the first European to sail around Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa on his way to India. When he arrived at the Isle of Mozambique, he discovered gold and ivory there and claimed the area for Portugal. Mozambique was a Portuguese territory until 1975 when they gained their independence after a 10-year war. When Portugal originally ruled Mozambique, they set up the capital of the territory in Goa, India which they had also claimed as Portuguese territory. The first place we toured in the Stone City on the Isle of Mozambique was the governor’s palace which is now a museum. In this palace were some immaculately carved furniture from Goa India that was hand made for the governor of the time. There were over 40 pieces of furniture with intricate details carved. For the work to be considered a once in a lifetime masterpiece the hands of the carver were cut off to ensure he could never duplicate these masterpieces. This palace was very large with many guest rooms and large accommodations for the governor and his wife. From the museum we walked around the city which is mostly ruins now and not well kept up. At one time it was a world renown city with spectacular architecture of its time. It once contained the largest hospital in Africa, which is now just a shell of a building. As part of the tour, we went inside a woman’s house who rents out rooms to students in the local college on the island that has only been there for 6 or 7 years. She bought the house for $80 over 25 years ago and now it is worth over $40,000. It would not seem to be a livable place for any American to live with almost no furniture and just basic electric outlets. There is certainly no air conditioning, and we didn’t encounter any air conditioning on the entire part of the island we visited. (Not even in hotels or restaurants!) While we were in the woman’s home she explained the life of a Mozambique woman including how they dressed and wore jewelry. She talked about the food they ate and how they made it and showed us the chalking material they made to coat their faces. Evidently this face powder was good for the skin and provided good protection from the sun but it certainly did not look very appealing to us tourists. One of the places we went was somewhat of an artistic show where you sat in one of their traditional dhow boats or a canoe while a light show and film appeared around you that was narrated to tell you about the traditional life of a fisherman in Mozambique. The dhow is a traditional Arabic sailing boat that is seen on the north and east coasts of Africa with boats sailing as far north as Yemen. The boats stay close to the coastline and are used to transport heavy cargo (vegetable, fruit, water, etc.) from different places along the coast. There was a fleet of 10 dhow boats that sailed around our zodiacs when we came in and out of this port just to demonstrate the maneuverability of these boats. This narrated light show was very interesting to better understand life in Mozambique. Outside this theater one of the craftsmen was working on repairing the hull of one of the dhow boats. It was an interesting morning tour, and we learned a lot about Mozambique. Our trip back to the ship in the zodiac was a little wet with the winds picking up and the seas getting a little choppier.
After a quick break for a light lunch and to change into some dry clothes we headed out on the zodiac for an afternoon tour to the fort. At the north end of the island is Fort de Sao Sebastiao which was built by the Portuguese in the late 1500’s and took over 60 years to build. It is the oldest complete fort standing in sub-Sahara Africa. The fort was originally built by the Portuguese to protect their interests in the area which included a very lucrative trade business with India and 100 years later, an equally lucrative slave business in Africa. Mozambique and Tanzania were the primary ports where slaves were shipped out of East Africa. Outside the fort walls along the sea is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte which was built in 1522. It is amazing to think that this chapel built right on the sea could last over 500 years! After we toured the fort and saw how very large it was, we were also shown a large cistern that contained enough water to supposedly provide water for everyone on the island if their normal water supply was unavailable. The water in this cistern looked disgusting with green algae covering the top surface and we were told that they had to boil this water before they could use it. I guess on islands that don’t have lakes or rivers, you get fresh water wherever you can find it! While we were in the fort, they put on a cultural show with the local women all dressed up in their colorful native attire. They performed many dances chanting away at the top of their lungs. While they danced, we were offered all sorts of different drinks and food. Much of the food was seafood that was being made at various stands around the fort. They offered freshly cooked cashews and other nuts along with an array of exotic fruits. Everything was offered at no cost just for the tourists. It was quite a spread and a very enjoyable cultural show to watch. We elected to go back to the zodiacs a little earlier to take a few pictures on the way back in town. As we left the fort, we were assaulted by youths asking for money and other young men trying to sell artwork and jewelry. This is a very poor community, and they would do anything to get some of our dollars although we didn’t have any concerns with regards to robbery or violence. We had been told on the ship before getting to the island, NOT to give the children any money or candy or otherwise we would have 200 children running us over to get the same thing. We were also warned about the “persistent” people trying to sell us things. After making it through the gauntlet of begging children and would be salesman, we got back to the zodiac for another wet ride back to the ship. The waves had continued to get larger, and it took a little longer getting back to the ship as we worked against the heavy current and waves. All in all, it was a very interesting trip to this island and we knew a lot more about Mozambique after this visit.
Our next 4 stops are scheduled to be in Tanzania.
Sharon and Greg
We had booked this expedition cruise because Distinctive Voyage, a program we have worked for in the past, was in need of a host on this cruise to help coordinate a tour for 13 passengers on board this ship. The only cost we had to incur was the expense for our travel to get there and return after the cruise. This was an extremely expensive cruise going to some unique destinations and we were excited to get the opportunity to host this Distinctive Voyage group on this cruise.
As we headed out to sea, we were looking forward to our first port stop in Madagascar in 2 days. The seas were very chopping for a small ship like we were in (250 passengers) but the ride was relatively good. Unfortunately, as we approached Madagascar we received very disappointing news. We were told our ship would not be allowed to dock at any Madagascar port because we had just come from a South African country where cholera was currently an issue. We would only be allowed to dock if we taking a prescribed antibiotic which we did have available in the quantities required on the ship. This was a new requirement from a Silversea’s perspective and they were caught off guard by this requirement. The passengers on board were very upset by this news and we were forced to turn around and look for alternate port stops before getting back on the original itinerary. The next day we were going to stop at Bassas da India which is a unique atoll off the coast of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel. It is a beautiful atoll that is supposed to be a great place to snorkel and dive. As we approached the atoll in the morning, we were told to stay away by the French navy who contested control of this island with Madagascar and didn’t want a ship our size visiting this area in fear of ecological damage. Well strike two for Silversea and the passengers were starting to get a little rowdy. With what we paid (or didn’t pay), we certainly couldn’t complain. We ate at specialty dining restaurants every night at no cost with all full drink packages. The nice thing about cruising with Silversea is that they are a very inclusive cruise line. All their specialty restaurants except one had no cost and there is no charge for any drinks on board. They provide all the tours at no cost. It is an extremely nice cruise line to go on and the passenger to staff ratio is almost 1 to 1 which means you get great service.
Well, we were back to another sea day sailing to Bazaruto Island where we decided to go as an extra stop before rejoining the original itinerary. The day before arriving at Bazaruto, we went through various checks to get set up with snorkeling equipment that was provided to us for the rest of the cruise and getting approved to go on kayak trips when they were allowed at our various stops. At Bazaruto our ship docked off the northern end of the island where we took our zodiacs about a mile to the sandy shoreline. All expedition cruises use zodiacs to get their passengers ashore when there is not port to dock at. On this cruise there was only one other dock we would be at in Zanzibar and all the other stops required us to get into zodiacs to get a shore. Most of the zodiac landing were called wet landings which means the zodiac would land on sand and you would have to jump out into the surf and get your feet wet to get on shore. At Bazaruto we had signed up to do their aggressive hike which was supposed to be a 3 mile hike up the beach to a lighthouse about 80 foot up in elevation. Usually when you hear “aggressive hike” with cruise lines, you anticipate a moderate hike where you hardly break a sweat. Well, when Silversea says “aggressive” they must mean the hike from “hell and back” because this hike was TOUGH! The 80-foot hike up the hill to the lighthouse turned out to be a 250 foot hike up a steep incline in very soft sand through vegetation that could slice you up. On the way up the guide got lost and we had to double back and try a different route. Most people made it up, but several people elected to go back down to the beach and walk back. We both made it to the top although one of us was doing much better than the other when we finally made it there. Several people up at the top were getting medical help to stop the bleeding on their legs and arms which had gotten cut up when going through the dense vegetation. I think even the guides when we got to the top thought that this might have been a little too aggressive of a hike. The walk back down from the lighthouse was easy and uneventful. We eventually walked back to a beach on the other side of the island where the tide was out and it was funny to see all the boats just sitting on land because the water was now about a half mile away with the tide going out. There were some African Ibis birds picking for food in the sandy area. A few of the natives on the island would come by and say hi to us as we walked back to the zodiac pick up point. You could see a resort chalets along the beach that didn’t seem to have anybody in it at the time. We got back to the Zodiac and went back to the ship for a little snack and a well-deserved drink. As we were eating and drinking the ship relocated to Santa Carolina which is a small island in the Bararuto Archipelago. In the afternoon we did another zodiac landing to a popular beach area where some people snorkeled. Sharon tried snorkeling there but didn’t see much. Greg was too exhausted from the hike to “hell and back” and enjoyed the beach bar that Silversea set up on the beach while taking advantage of the bartenders carrying cold beer to people along the beach. Well at least we had finally made it to land after 3 days on our cruise.
The next day was another sea day which we really enjoyed. We work on the ships and Silversea’s internet turned out to be pretty good allowing us to get things done. We were having our dinners outside at the Grill Restaurant where they brought you a hot stone to your table and you cooked your fish or filet mignon to your own taste while you ate your appetizers. When we weren’t eating at this restaurant, we would eat at La Terraza which was an Italian restaurant that had a spectacular appetizer “plank” every night with different types of olives, cheeses, salamis and other tasty little treats. You ate this while you enjoyed their freshly made bread that you dipped in the olive oil and balsamic that was used at every restaurant on the ship. Every meal we had was great and we would have been happy on this cruise just eating, drinking and working without going to any port. It certainly was a great environment to work and read a book. We also took our daily hot tub sessions and walks on the top deck while enjoying the rocking waves of the sea. We do well on cruises, as I am sure all our readers know, but Silversea is a really enjoyable cruise line to just enjoy sailing.
The next day we were back on our original itinerary with a visit to the Isle of Mozambique. This was actually a dry zodiac landing where we could just hop off the zodiac on to some concrete steps at a pier. In the morning, we had a 4-hour walking tour where we walked through Stone Town a UNESCO Heritage site. This area was originally discovered by Vasco da Gama who was the famous Portuguese explorer who was the first European to sail around Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa on his way to India. When he arrived at the Isle of Mozambique, he discovered gold and ivory there and claimed the area for Portugal. Mozambique was a Portuguese territory until 1975 when they gained their independence after a 10-year war. When Portugal originally ruled Mozambique, they set up the capital of the territory in Goa, India which they had also claimed as Portuguese territory. The first place we toured in the Stone City on the Isle of Mozambique was the governor’s palace which is now a museum. In this palace were some immaculately carved furniture from Goa India that was hand made for the governor of the time. There were over 40 pieces of furniture with intricate details carved. For the work to be considered a once in a lifetime masterpiece the hands of the carver were cut off to ensure he could never duplicate these masterpieces. This palace was very large with many guest rooms and large accommodations for the governor and his wife. From the museum we walked around the city which is mostly ruins now and not well kept up. At one time it was a world renown city with spectacular architecture of its time. It once contained the largest hospital in Africa, which is now just a shell of a building. As part of the tour, we went inside a woman’s house who rents out rooms to students in the local college on the island that has only been there for 6 or 7 years. She bought the house for $80 over 25 years ago and now it is worth over $40,000. It would not seem to be a livable place for any American to live with almost no furniture and just basic electric outlets. There is certainly no air conditioning, and we didn’t encounter any air conditioning on the entire part of the island we visited. (Not even in hotels or restaurants!) While we were in the woman’s home she explained the life of a Mozambique woman including how they dressed and wore jewelry. She talked about the food they ate and how they made it and showed us the chalking material they made to coat their faces. Evidently this face powder was good for the skin and provided good protection from the sun but it certainly did not look very appealing to us tourists. One of the places we went was somewhat of an artistic show where you sat in one of their traditional dhow boats or a canoe while a light show and film appeared around you that was narrated to tell you about the traditional life of a fisherman in Mozambique. The dhow is a traditional Arabic sailing boat that is seen on the north and east coasts of Africa with boats sailing as far north as Yemen. The boats stay close to the coastline and are used to transport heavy cargo (vegetable, fruit, water, etc.) from different places along the coast. There was a fleet of 10 dhow boats that sailed around our zodiacs when we came in and out of this port just to demonstrate the maneuverability of these boats. This narrated light show was very interesting to better understand life in Mozambique. Outside this theater one of the craftsmen was working on repairing the hull of one of the dhow boats. It was an interesting morning tour, and we learned a lot about Mozambique. Our trip back to the ship in the zodiac was a little wet with the winds picking up and the seas getting a little choppier.
After a quick break for a light lunch and to change into some dry clothes we headed out on the zodiac for an afternoon tour to the fort. At the north end of the island is Fort de Sao Sebastiao which was built by the Portuguese in the late 1500’s and took over 60 years to build. It is the oldest complete fort standing in sub-Sahara Africa. The fort was originally built by the Portuguese to protect their interests in the area which included a very lucrative trade business with India and 100 years later, an equally lucrative slave business in Africa. Mozambique and Tanzania were the primary ports where slaves were shipped out of East Africa. Outside the fort walls along the sea is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte which was built in 1522. It is amazing to think that this chapel built right on the sea could last over 500 years! After we toured the fort and saw how very large it was, we were also shown a large cistern that contained enough water to supposedly provide water for everyone on the island if their normal water supply was unavailable. The water in this cistern looked disgusting with green algae covering the top surface and we were told that they had to boil this water before they could use it. I guess on islands that don’t have lakes or rivers, you get fresh water wherever you can find it! While we were in the fort, they put on a cultural show with the local women all dressed up in their colorful native attire. They performed many dances chanting away at the top of their lungs. While they danced, we were offered all sorts of different drinks and food. Much of the food was seafood that was being made at various stands around the fort. They offered freshly cooked cashews and other nuts along with an array of exotic fruits. Everything was offered at no cost just for the tourists. It was quite a spread and a very enjoyable cultural show to watch. We elected to go back to the zodiacs a little earlier to take a few pictures on the way back in town. As we left the fort, we were assaulted by youths asking for money and other young men trying to sell artwork and jewelry. This is a very poor community, and they would do anything to get some of our dollars although we didn’t have any concerns with regards to robbery or violence. We had been told on the ship before getting to the island, NOT to give the children any money or candy or otherwise we would have 200 children running us over to get the same thing. We were also warned about the “persistent” people trying to sell us things. After making it through the gauntlet of begging children and would be salesman, we got back to the zodiac for another wet ride back to the ship. The waves had continued to get larger, and it took a little longer getting back to the ship as we worked against the heavy current and waves. All in all, it was a very interesting trip to this island and we knew a lot more about Mozambique after this visit.
Our next 4 stops are scheduled to be in Tanzania.
Sharon and Greg
From Sharon's Facebook Page: We are off on an 18-day Expedition Cruise on Silver Seas Cloud. 1st stop Bazaruto AM - Hiking along the beach to Lighthouse and afternoon to Santa Carolina for snorkeling and island viewing. Ship anchors offshore as we go in groups via zodiacs and wet landings on the beach.
Sharon's Facebook Summary of Mozambique Isle - Dhow boats are made out of teak and coconut wood. One or more masts with lateen sails (a classic triangular-shaped sail (made today out of cotton fabric) attached to a cross beam that is raised and lowered according to the winds) found in the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea in South Africa.
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