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Luanda Angola, Banjui Gambia, Dakar Senegal, Praia Ilha De Santiago, any ports idea


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On the Holland America 2018 World Cruisefirst time to Africa any ideas in these ports ??

 

Luanda Angola 8-5

Banjui Gambia ,8-6

Dakar Senegal ,8-6

Praia Ilha De Santiago Cape Verde, 8-6

Thanks

 

Marty

 

 

 

Hi Marty,

 

I see that you haven’t received any replies to your request for information on these ports so I’ll do my best to help. We have been to all 4 port but on different cruises. We also had a land holiday in Banjul, Gambia.

 

I have some mobility issues so my DH and I often do ship’s tours as we can do different ones as he is much fitter and more active than me.

 

These ports are not often visited by cruiselines and it can be quite a culture shock if you haven’t experienced less affluent areas of the world. Having said that, we enjoy visiting 'less explored' places and thoroughly enjoyed our time in all 4 ports.

 

 

 

Below are extracts from my diary entries for those ports plus a few pictures. It will take a few postings to include all the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited Luanda on Ocean Princess in 2015 and, apparently, ours was the first cruise ship to visit Angola.

 

Tuesday 12th May2015.

LUANDA, ANGOLA. TOUR - EASY LUANDA.

The language was Portuguese.

The bay was huge and the port area was very industrial....the view from ourbalcony was a row of enormous grain silos!

It was a long walk to the port exit and there was no shuttle service.

There was a long, quite pleasant promenade about 250 yards from the port exitwhere there were benches to sit on but not much shade.

There were several banks across the road from the port exit.

I assume that there are some shops near the banks but we didn't see them.

It was recommended that we did not have expensive cameras, jewellery etc onshow.

There were certain places where it was forbidden to take photographs.

I didn't see taxis outside the port but there may have been some. We were toldthat taxi drivers only speak Portuguese.

Some people had booked private tours via the Internet.

OUR TOUR - EASY LUANDA.

We met in the lounge on deck 5 at 10.00.

The tour busses were waiting at the bottom of the gang plank.

There were tour company personnel on the coaches but they spoke limitedEnglish.

It was a recorded commentary played over the bus's sound system (a bit like theHOHO system but without the earphones) and was adequate.

There were stops at the church, the fort (now a military museum) and the tombof the first president.

We also had a drive along the 'sophisticated and beautiful'seafront.......their words - not mine as it was actually quite grubby anddepressing but the country is trying to recover from years of civil war.

I'm glad we went and I would have liked to have seen something of the interiorof the country but the tours were so expensive and the horror stories of theftand attacks were so off putting that we decided to stick with this one.

In the end we never had chance to purchase anything.

An interesting day.

31172927603_82802633a2_b.jpgAfrican Adventure May 15 Izzy 3 412 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31158121064_c1128ee562_b.jpgIMG_9252 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31850229582_facd3eea32_b.jpgIMG_9277 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31172905233_b355689d15_b.jpgAfrican Adventure May 15 Izzy 3 418 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31142150814_947e483cb4_b.jpgAfrican Adventure May 15 Izzy 3 426 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31961211056_3ddc9929f8_b.jpgIMG_9305 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

Edited by soccerref
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We visited Senegal, Gambia and The Cape Verde islands on a FredOlden cruise in February 2014 and our land holiday was in January 2015

 

Tues 11thFeb - DAKAR, SENEGAL

CURRENCY.

Senegal - Senegal Francs

Most vendors and some shops will take € and US$. They will accept Euro coinsbut you may be asked to swap their Euro coins for notes (5€ Is the lowestdenomination note) as it is difficult to change coins at the bank.

Many vendors have no real concept of the exchange rates for their localcurrency so it makes sense to check the rates on board so you know what you arebargaining for. I ask prices in local currency firs before swapping to €s or US$

 

City centre is approx 1.5km from dock

Shuttle bus runs from 09.15 to 17.30 on a continuous loop - £5pp tickets fromreception. Unlimited use

Huge industrial port

Taxis on dock side near gangway

Small souvenir market on dock side. Need to haggle.

Currency is CFA (Senegalese Franc.) € and US$ are widely accepted in souvenirshops

Language is French.

WARNINGS

Medical advice is to wear trousers, socks and long sleeved tops + insectrepellent and not to buy water from street vendors.

danger of pick pockets so keep valuables well-guarded

You will be hassled by beggars and traders.

The Senegal post office had a small stall selling cards and stamps just insidethe ship by the gangway. Postcards €1 for 2 cards. Stamps were €2 and thegentleman will post them.

MY TOUR -SIGHTSEEING TOUR OF DAKAR(4hrs) £40pp

Met in Neptune Lounge at 13.40

On the bus at 14.00.

Bus was old but had working air conditioning.

Microphone didn't work so guide used a megaphone!

Dakar is a big bustling busy city but relatively poor by Western Europeanstandards.

Road surfaces are poor so ride was bumpy.

We were shown the best that Dakar has to offer which, again, is not a lot ifcompared with some other countries.

There were a couple of photo stops and there were souvenir sellers but theyseemed quite respectful.

There was a 40 minute stop at a restaurant where there was the opportunity towatch the 'sand painting' artist and purchase pictures.

The other stops (10 mins each) were at the Presidential Palace and the Monumentof the African Renaissance (a huge statue at the top of one of the only 2 hillsin Dakar)

A beer/soft drink was included.

There were toilets.

The tour included driving past the palace, through the University grounds,through the street market, past the cathedral and mosque, along pastIndependence Square and then along the Cornish to see the coastline,

Couldn't go to the market as there was nowhere to park so back to the ship at17.30.

There was a FO crew member with us throughout.

Was it worth it? That's adifficult question to answer but, on reflection, I would say yes because Ithink many people would find it quite intimidating to walk around the citycentre. Don't get me wrong, the people seemed polite and pleasant but the roadswere extremely busy and the pavements were really crowded. There didn't appearto be many of the types of shops that we are used to either. I also think youwould have needed to have done a lot of research to know the best places tovisit. I'm not sure how much English the taxi drivers would speak.

31929389961_8c99b2948a_b.jpgIMG_3552 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

 

31205760014_47427713b7_b.jpgDSCN5119 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31236539573_c34d3c035b_b.jpgDSCN5140 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31205712554_abbfcb539c_b.jpgDSCN5170 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

32007488926_03d0d817b6_b.jpgDSCN5179 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

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MY DH'S TOUR - SALOUM ISLANDS (8hrs)

Met in Neptune Lounge at 07.50

Off ship at 8.20

Bus was air conditioned.

2 guides that took turns to give information. Both spoke good English.

2.5-hour drive to the river through interesting countryside ....... Villages, farm land and forested areas.

10 min toilet stop at petrol station.....squat plate toilets

Bumpy ride once off the main road.

Small canoe type boat which held approx 14 passengers.

Had to climb in and out without aid from the beach....no steps etc. boat ride was approx 45mins

There was a choice of riding to the village by cart or doing a10 min walk.

Lunch was at the Island Eco-lodge and consisted of spring rolls, fish in light curry sauce, rice, salad and crepes.

Given a bottle of water at lunch.

This was followed by some free time.

There was a 50 minute ride to the 'shell village' where a local guide explained the history of the area.

Left the village at 16.45

Returned to the ship by a different route for part of the journey.

Back on board at 19.00

My DH said that he thoroughly enjoyed the tour as it gave him an inside into the history and geography of Senegal.

31672763920_0ebc2721eb_b.jpgIMG_7671 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

32047084495_eeca04ac56_b.jpgIMG_3588 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31206286354_39c018f9c7_b.jpgIMG_3581 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31206313344_c52784c694_b.jpgIMG_3576 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

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Hi Marty, it's my pleasure. here is the rest of the information. I'm not sure why some of the words are 'run together'. It happens when I post the message but the words are separate when I write them......oh, well - a computer gremlin!

This information is from our cruise on Fred Olsen cruise line and was a ship's tour.

 

Wed 12th Feb 2014 - BANJUL, GAMBIA. GENERAL INFORMATION

Industrial port but nice views across to small beach and local small ferries

Approx 2 km into town centre.

Banjul could be even more of a culture shock than Dakar.

The currency is the Dalasis.....approx 63=£1

Most vendors accept € and US$ but you need to haggle....it's expected.

I didn't see any taxis on the dock side but they may have been hidden by thetour busses. There were a few taxis at the port gate 400m from the ship

There was 1 person holding up a passenger's name so I assume that was for apre-arranged private tour.

IMHO walking into town would be a real challenge to the senses andsensibilities of someone who is used to more sophisticated urban surroundings.

I spoke to a couple who walked in to town and they were approached by severallocals who offered to show them the sights. They said that they should havenegotiated a price immediately with one of them which may have prevented thepestering.

There didn't seem to be a lot to see in the town centre.

OUR TOUR -'LAZY DAY CRUISE'

Met in Neptune Lounge at 08.30

Coach had air con.

Guide spoke good English and had a sense of humour

Ride was 30 mins

Drove through the centre of Banjul and then through the countryside to theriver dock.

Short walk over rough ground to the jetties to board the boats,

A bit tricky to get on but plenty of helping hands.

Approx 20 passengers per boat and 5 crew including the guide.

Top deck is open with some garden chairs and lounging mats. There is a smallcovered area.

Downstairs has bench seats around the exterior sides of the boat with somecushions.

There is a small kitchen.

The toilet is a proper flushing one and there was toilet paper + a wash basinwith soap.

cups of tea/coffee + 1 beer or 1soft drink we're complimentary. There was alsoa complementary glass of sparkling wine or orange juice at lunch.

Some boats had sets of binoculars and bird books for passenger use (ours didn'twhich was annoying as we could have brought our own)

Lunch consisted of shepherd’s pie, fish, salad, rice, French bread and freshfruit ( mango, oranges and bananas)

We sailed in a loose convoy along the river. It was lined with just mangrovetrees so the scenery was rather monotonous. There were several species of birdsto spot including storks, kingfishers, ibis, bee eaters and rollers but notmuch else.

Our boat did stop in mid river for 30 mins so people could swim but the ladderwas a bit rickety. Some boats pulled onto a beach so people could paddle orwalk.

This photo was taken from the ship when we were docked in Banjul

32047671555_76d1f24a61_b.jpgIMG_7676 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

These photos are of the 'Lazy Day' excursion/

31898817112_88613e22c8_b.jpgIMG_3643 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

32047554645_11f476a478_b.jpgDSCN5195 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

32007945276_9b7cb6da9b_b.jpgIMG_3650 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

These are pictures of the beaches near Banjul

31628972290_9766789c2d_b.jpgIMG_7643 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31628969900_32f2099362_b.jpgIMG_7644 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

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When we did our resort holiday we did trips to places that might be offered by your cruise line so I am including this information. the nature reserve could possibly be done independently.

 

 

 

Wednesday28th January 2015

Half day taxi tour to the monkey park, vulturefeeding and crocodile pool.

Weorganised a taxi at a cost of 1100 Delassi for the tour. The car was a 6-seaterpeople carrier so we fitted in comfortably.

Our driver, Seiko (like the watches!), spoke good English, was very pleasant,knowledgeable and helpful.

 

It was a 30 minute drive to the BIJILOFOREST PARK to see the monkeys. The entrance fee for foreign nationals was150D pp. People were selling bags of peanuts for 50D.

There was a very small and somewhat dilapidated visitors' centre at theentrance where there were some local crafts on sale and toilets (I didn't useit so can't comment on the style and quality).

The trail winds its way through quite dense forest and is a half mile circularroute. The pathway is a dirt track with some quite steep slopes in places.

Seiko was our guide and he showed us termite mounds and pointed out differenttypes of trees.

We didn't see any monkeys for the first 30 minutes and we were beginning tothink it was a wasted journey but suddenly there was a monkey and then2...3...and we were surrounded. There was a whole troupe of about 20 monkeys ofall ages and sizes. They were very adept at taking the peanuts, shelling themand eating them. The babies were very cute. The monkeys only came up to you ifyou had the nuts in your hand so I was ok. Emma was quite happy to have themonkeys on her shoulder and we have some great photos.

 

We spent about 75 minutes at the forest before moving on to the SERAKUNDA HOTEL (Senagambia) VULTUREFEEDING EXPERIENCE.

SENAGAMBIA is a more touristy areawith shops and restaurants.

It is free entrance to the hotel.

The hotel is very 'posh' with beautiful gardens, a grand atrium and largeterraces with a lovely pool.

The vulture feeding takes place at 11.30 on an open grassy area where a rangerbrings a tray of meat. There must have been close to 100 birds.....mainlyvultures but also a few kites and cattle egrets too.

I managed to get a few postcards, stamps and a sun dress for Amy for 600D whileJim went in the little supermarket and got some cans of coke and bottles oftonic plus a packet of Bourbon biscuits.

 

KATCHIKALLY CROCODILE POOL.

Seiko then drove us to the crocodile pool which was a 20-minute ride through avery poor area.

It was 150D pp.

The conservation pool is in a compound with a small museum and shop. There wasa 250m walk along a rough track to get to the pool.

I managed to trip over a tree root and fell in a most undignified heap onto thegrassy path edge. Luckily, I only damaged my toe and not my hip.......veryfortunate really.

Also, fortunately, the crocs had been fed before we arrived which gave Jim,Tony and Emma chance to stroke one.......notice that I didn't!!!

We spent 30 minutes around the pool where there were perhaps 20 crocsvisible.....most were sunbathing before re boarding the taxi for the journeyback to the hotel.

 

31163129594_0bc84d439f_b.jpgIMG_0060 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

32003426195_26e6920898_b.jpgIMG_7634 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31628952670_f7222a47f7_b.jpgIMG_7649 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

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Thursday29th January 2015 - 'ROOTS' river trip.

Thetour left the hotel at 08.50 and we were the last pick-up. There were just the2 of us From the Laico and approx 20 others on the coach.

It was a 10 minute ride through centralBANJUL to the port and then a walk along a pier to the boat.

There was no gangway onto the boat so everyone had to be helpedaboard......quite scary for me.

There were several other tour companies with passengers on board.

The boat is quite small with an indoor seating area, a shaded upper deck withchairs and bench seating at the stem and stern. There is a small bar whichsells soft drinks.

Apparently the boat is Spanish owned with a Gambian crew.

 

We sat outside at the back.

We departed at 09.30.

They brought round a tuna sandwich (tiny) and a glass of sangria at 10.00.There was no non-alcoholic alternative......disappointing.

 

As we sailed, the weather began to improve....the wind dropped and the sun cameout. We had the perfect seat at the back against the bulkhead......shelteredfrom the wind and in shade.

 

The journey to ALBADARR was justunder 3 hours. I was surprised that the river was so wide that we oftencouldn't see land.

The ship docked at a very crumbling jetty but there were many helping hands forus less agile folk.

 

As we walked along the jetty to the village the abject poverty (in our terms)was obvious......derelict buildings from colonial times, shacks for homes andno paved roads. However, the guides, tourist police and locals that we met wereall fiercely proud of their homes and heritage.

 

The guided tour consisted of a chance to see a local school (we were able tobuy packs of exercise books and pencils for 300D) followed by a visit to the'slavery museum' (very humbling.....man's inhumanity to man came to mind....butalso a pride in knowing that Josiah Wedgwood and Josiah Spode had hugeinfluence in the abolishing of the slave trade) . We then walked to the nextvillage, JUFUREH, where the grouphad a meeting with a distant relative of Kunta Kinte, the Gambian slave whoinspired Alex Hayley to write his best-selling novel.

It was well worth doing as it really brought home the horrors of the slavetrade but it also gave us a further insight into the way the poorest people inthe world struggle to live each day.

 

The walk was about a mile and a half and, boy, was I glad to get back on theboat as I am only just beginning to rebuild my stamina but the good news....NOPAIN (not even in my stubbed big toe).

 

Once back on board we bought a bottle of water each and there was a buffetlunch.....mainly salads, prawns and a vegetable rice dish. Our group was firstback on board so avoided the long queue but there was plenty for everyone.

 

We set sail at 2.15. And sailed over to JAMESISLAND where the captured locals were held in prison until they boarded theslave ships. You had to climb down a ladder onto a large canoe whichtransported the passengers across. There were a few people, including me, whostayed on board the ship.....I didn't dare risk the ladder. Others said theexperience was worthwhile. They were on the island for about half an hour.

 

We were served a delicious slice of watermelon as we set sail back to Banjul at4.00.

On the way back we were treated to the sight of a small shoal of bottle neckedriver Dolphins.

 

We were served complementary coffee/tea and biscuits.

 

 

32003294865_6d6489bf83_b.jpgIMG_7710 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31162716984_d88cd1698f_b.jpgIMG_7724 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31965680796_504f919028_b.jpgIMG_7735 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

31162630864_48fb35bd53_b.jpgIMG_7757 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

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Fri 14th Feb 2014.

 

PRAIA, CAPE VERDE

distance to town is approx 2km.

Shuttle bus £5pp for unlimited journeys. Drop off in town centre. First busfrom port 09.00 - last bus from town is 17.00

Currency is Escudos or CVE but Euros are widely accepted.

Approx exchange rate:

£1 = 132CVE

€1= 109 CVE

$= 80CVE

Language is Creole but the official language is Portuguese. Many people speaksome English.

Many shops are closed for siesta from 12.00-15.00

Nearest beaches are Prainea and Kebra Canela and are approx 3km from the ship.

400 m to port gate through industrial dock

Taxis are available outside the port gate.

Market stalls along the road side.

OUR SHIP'S TOUR - ISLAND DISCOVERY.

Met in Neptune Lounge at 08.25

All transport in mini busses -quite comfortable but no air conditioning or PAsystem. Our guide spoke loudly and in excellent English.

Bus left at 08.45.

Drove through Praia (didn't seem much to look at there) and up into themountains where the scenery was spectacular........very green and lushvegetation in the volcanic crater.

The first stop was 15 minutes at the Botanical Gardens. These are quite smallbut have many beautiful trees and flowering plants. The paths are cobble stonesand fairly steep slopes with some steps up the hill sides. This caused somedifficulty for people with mobility problems but I thought it was worth theeffort to go part of the way.

There was 1 male and 1 female toilet. They were usable if desperate.

We travelled through some magnificent volcanic scenery to the I town of Säo Jorge dos Órgãos Where we had a 25-minutestop. We were able to use the toilets at a bakery/cafe which sold fabulouscakes.......no obligation to buy.

The toilets were clean. There was a colourful local market near the café and wehad a little time to view.

 

The journey continued through the crater and over the mountain pass to thesmall seaside town of Tarafalwhere we had a 90-minute stop for lunch.

The tables were on an open terrace with shaded areas and overlooked a gorgeousbeach and small harbour.

The lunch was a buffet and consisted of fish, chicken, hot bean stew, potatoes,rice, chips and salad followed by fresh fruit. There were bottles of water oneach table and beer and soft drinks to purchase.

The restaurant has a terrace overlooking the beach which was a very pleasantplace to sit in the shade and watch the beach and the waves. Many people tookthe opportunity to swim.

The toilet facilities were ok.

The beach area had a small harbour where fishing boats were landing and peoplewere selling the fish.......very colourful!

The journey back to the ship was by a different route and a lot of the roadswere cobbled so it was bumpy.

It took 2.25 hours to get back to theship with only 2 photo stops so not much time to stretch legs.

Was it worth it? I thoroughlyenjoyed seeing the beautiful scenery and realise that the islands are quiteunder developed so there are not many sights, other than scenery, to visit.Some people may find it a bit disappointing.

32047415145_ef547a3e91_b.jpgIMG_3680 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31929554071_e796b05cb9_b.jpgIMG_3724 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31237511543_020ef99a90_b.jpgIMG_3681 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

32008373406_e2e9f3a18a_b.jpgIMG_3691 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

 

31206529354_0db9d66819_b.jpgIMG_3700 by isabel Rushton, on Flickr

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  • 2 months later...
I am interested in learning how you organized your taxi tour. Did you arrange it ahead of time and if so with whom? Email address, perhaps.

Or, did you just do it on the dock?

 

Hi Cruisersheelk,

I take it that you are referring to the tour that we did in Gambia to the forest and vulture feeding when you ask about organising a taxi........we booked our taxi through the concierge of our hotel because this tour was done during our beach holiday stay in Banjul.

 

I would think that there will be taxis at the port but do be aware that the quality of the vehicle may leave a lot to be desired. Gambia is a very, very poor country with a very underdeveloped infrastructure so it might be prudent to stick to ship's tours. The people were lovely and happy to see tourists but it can be quite a shock for us from more developed areas to see their living conditions. Having said that, we would not hesitate to visit again.

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  • 1 month later...

I just discovered this thread. Thank you Soccerref for sharing your experiences and taking the time to post your pictures. It is good to have first hand information on these ports as they are new destinations for many of us.

 

Marty, enjoy your HAL cruise and please report back once you've returned next year.....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow...what excellent information on ports that are not often visited! You answered all our questions about them in a nutshell...with photos to boot! It made me realize it's helpful to put the information about toilets, AC on busses, length of tour, stops, etc. when I make my "diaries"....can be useful to others. Thank you!

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