West Africa Coast & Atlantic Islands cruise

Arrive in Dakar, relax, and spend the overnight here preparing for your adventure.

*specific hotel and location to be announced

Experience Dakar through its museums, local galleries, and waterfront restaurants. Walk the lively Medina, where mosques, tea shops, and busy markets reflect everyday life. See the city's blend of Senegalese traditions and French-inspired buildings and cuisine. Browse Soumbédioune Market for handcrafted wood carvings, paintings, and locally made souvenirs.

Fabulous museums, a thriving art scene and elegant seaside dining showcase Dakar's rich culture and forward outlook. The bustling traditional Medina quarter with its mosques, tea shops and street markets contrasts with the Senegalese capital's French-influenced architecture and cuisine. Traditional crafts like woodcarvings and paintings sell at Soumbédioune market, making it the perfect souvenir stop.

Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital and largest city, is a key Saharan hub. It offers Fishermen’s Beach, known for its colorful boats and sunset views. The city hosts the Presidential Palace and the National Museum of Mauritania, which provides insights into regional history. Notable shopping areas include the Grand Market and the Artisan’s Village, where visitors can browse local crafts and traditional products.

Included Activities
Markets of Nouakchott
4 hours
Experience the vibrant culture and history of Nouakchott on this engaging shore excursion. Begin with a visit to the famous camel market, where herders and traders gather in a colorful and lively setting. Continue to the bustling Marché Capital, the city’s central market, filled with local crafts, textiles, and spices. Explore the National Museum, showcasing Mauritania’s rich history and fascinating archaeological treasures. Admire the Grand Mosque from the outside, an iconic landmark of the city’s skyline. Conclude your tour with a stroll along the lively fishing port and market, observing the daily routines of local fishermen.

Nouadhibou, Mauritania’s bustling port city, is a cultural hub known for its diverse population, vibrant markets and a strong economy based on iron ore and fishing. The Port Artisanal is busy with Mauritanian and Senegalese pirogue fishing boats. Nearby, Cap Blanc features pristine sands and a colony of monk seals, while the UNESCO-listed Banc d'Arguin National Park, renowned for its nesting birds and migratory waders, is also close by.

Included Activities
A taste of the Sahara
2.5 hours
Discover the highlights of Nouadhibou on a relaxed shore excursion that begins and ends at the ship. Start with a visit to the lively fishing port, where colorful boats and daily catches reflect the city’s strong maritime traditions. Continue through town to see the Catholic church, a modest yet meaningful landmark of local history. Enjoy a scenic desert drive toward Cap Blanc, part of the Banc d’Arguin National Park. Take in views of the Atlantic coastline and look for the elusive and endangered monk seals that sometimes rest on the beaches below the cape.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

The largest city in the Canary Islands sits on the northeastern tip of Gran Canaria, where the Atlantic trade winds have brought ships into harbour for five centuries. The Vegueta quarter — the oldest surviving Spanish colonial neighbourhood in Africa — centres on the 15th-century Santa Ana Cathedral and the Casa de Colón, the governor's residence where Columbus is said to have stayed before his first crossing to the New World. Beyond the historic centre, Las Palmas is a working port city with a long urban beach, a thriving market and a distinct identity that belongs neither entirely to Europe nor to Africa, though it is shaped by both.

The historic streets of breathtakingly beautiful Santa Cruz de la Palma, on La Palma, make it one of the prettiest settlements in the Canary Islands. Steeped in history, this island capital is home to palaces, colonial-style houses and the Shrine of Virgen de las Nieves, the oldest religious statue in the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz is as equally picturesque in the day as at night when the city comes alive.

Madeira is famous for lush gardens with subtropical plants, but Funchal, the capital of the Garden Island, has more to offer. Rua de Santa Maria's colourful Old Town street is brightened with 200 painted doors. Madeira wine cellars' tasting rooms are scattered throughout the town. Taking a cable car ride to Monte provides a scenic experience, then from the top, carreiros, straw-boatered drivers, guide wicker-basket sleds down the steep streets.

Today as you sail, you’ll bask in the endless comforts of your ship. From the deck, marvel at the dramatic sea views. Relax with a nurturing facial treatment or massage in the spa or delve into the ship’s learning resources. Or, simply take refuge in your cabin and enjoy the opportunity to rest.

Spread over seven hills with São Jorge Castle views, bustling Lisbon is one of the world's oldest cities. Elegant Baixa, hilltop Alfama with its yellow tram, and scenic Graça overviewing pastel buildings, are top areas. The Jerónimos Monastery in Belém is a World Heritage Gothic site. The classic Portuguese pastel de nata custard tarts are a local treat. Europe’s longest suspension bridge, the Ponte 25 de Abril, crosses the river Tagus.