Western Africa with Silversea Expeditions

I recently came back from a 20-night Silversea expedition cruise to Western Africa. It
was really a unique experience and I’m finding it difficult to put it into words. This sailing
allowed me to visit places that would be difficult to visit any other way. Many of the
destinations have a troubled history and some are still working through some instability.
Americans do frequently visit Ghana and Senegal, but the other stops along the way are
visited much less often. I am grateful that I was able to experience these places and dig
a little deeper into their histories (both with on board lectures and with local guides in
each port).

The journey began at the port closest to Accra, Ghana and we came into town a few
days early so we could explore the city. Ghana had been a British crown colony and
became independent in 1957. Ghana was one of the first West African countries to gain
independence from colonial rule and it was interesting to learn the history of how
independence came to be. Accra is a modern city with a thriving large and vibrant
market in the city center. I always enjoy going to the market as I feel like it gives me a
glimpse into local life and a chance to see what kinds of things people are buying, what
they are wearing and what they are eating. I was on a mission to get African fabric as I
love how vivid and colorful it is. Our guide took us the fabric area of the market and it
was difficult for me not to buy yards and yards of fabric.

After a couple of days in Accra, we drove about an hour to get to the port of Tema
where we boarded our expedition ship the Silver Wind. The ship holds around 250
guests and has nearly 250 staff on board, so the service on board is excellent. I chose
an expedition sailing because it provided a great opportunity to see countries of western
Africa that are difficult to see any other way as well as learning more about plants,
animals and history of the destinations that we were visiting from the excellent team of
experts on board. The Silver Wind also provided a comfortable and luxurious home
away from home during this journey. Every guest enjoys butler service on board
Silversea whether it's a classic sailing or an expedition sailing. This comfort was
welcomed after going ashore for several hours.

The other guests on board were well-traveled, well educated, and had had an idea of
what to expect in this area of the world. Working with an advisor like me gives you
confidence that the cruise that you select is the cruise that you have in mind and are
hoping to experience. While I really enjoyed this sailing and appreciated every
experience I had along the way, it is certainly not for everyone.

The itinerary took us to a second stop in Ghana before moving to the Ivory Coast,
Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, the Cabo Verde islands, Canary Islands
and Morocco before ending in Lisbon, Portugal. On Silversea expedition sailings,
excursions are included in each port. The options ranged from city tours to excursions
into nature where we experienced national parks and beautiful hikes. Very few cruise
lines visit these countries---some of that is because the demand is simply not that high,
but this region also poses some challenges for getting guests off the ship and handling
the logistics necessary to make a visit an enjoyable experience. For those of you in LA
or New York City, you may think you know traffic, but until you've experienced traffic in a
West African country you cannot imagine the chaos that travelers and locals alike must
manage every day. Since the cruise ship was on a set itinerary, both for safety and
logistical reasons the cruise line hired a police escort to get us into and out of the port to
the places that we were visiting in the quickest way possible. In some countries that
meant that drivers pulled off to the side of the road and allowed us to continue which
honestly made me feel a little bit uncomfortable, but this was the only way we could see
a destination in the time allowed. Other times the police escort decided that the easiest
way to get us to where we were going was to drive on a sidewalk, along the median, or
even going in the opposite direction of traffic hoping that people would get out of our
way for us to get to where we were going.

In the first two port stops, we opted to be out in nature. The drive to Kukum National
Park took about 3 hours from the port (each way) but that gave us a chance to see a
good part of Ghana and how people live, what the stores look like as well as the
scenery. On the drive one of the expedition teams pointed out a ship in one of the
harbors. It was a ship that was generating electricity. This new technology provided
more reliable, cleaner, and less expensive electricity to Ghana. These ships are
providing power to many countries in Africa.

When we arrived at Kukum we began a journey across several canopy bridges. Each
bridge allowed us to view beautiful scenery and get deeper into the forest. Wildlife does
live in the park however it can be difficult to see as the animals have learned to stay
away from the people as there hasn't always been a good relationship between the
people and the animals. After walking across the canopy bridges, we had a naturalist
walk with us through the forest and explain how many of the plants have been used for
medicinal purposes.

In the next port Abidjan in the Ivory Coast we chose to visit Bunco National Forest. This
forest is in the city center which is uncommon for any city, let alone a city in western
Africa. Our port stop happened to fall on a Saturday and in addition to the natural
experience, we also were treated to a cultural experience. As part of the school
curriculum students are brought to the national forest to learn the importance of
protecting the environment and the benefits of being in nature. The day we visited it's
hard to estimate but there were hundreds if not thousands of children and locals in the
forest--some were walking and others were having picnics and just enjoying being in
nature and with each other. We were a bit of an attraction and people were curious
where we had come from and why we were visiting their country. In general, there were
a lot of smiles and waves and we seemed to be very welcome.

Our next stop was in Monrovia, Liberia. Liberia has an interesting history as many of the
freed slaves from the United States and the Caribbean founded the country in 1824.
History has not always been kind to Liberia and there is a history of unrest and civil war.
This is not unique to Liberia---several countries in this area have had civil wars.
However, the link to the United States is a bit unique for this region. The Liberian flag
even resembles the United States flag and one of the recent presidents (Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf) was schooled and lived in the United States before she took control of the
country in 2006 and served until 2018. She was the first female head of state in Africa.

I had heard stories about ports of calls sometimes changing the agreements with cruise
lines in this area of the world---suddenly saying things like if you want to dock, it will cost
you X amount more or saying you are not allowed to dock for X reason. We didn’t have
that extreme of a situation, but as we were getting ready in the morning, our expedition
leader came on the PA and said the local pilot (someone who helps navigate the ship
into the harbor) had not yet made it to the ship. They were scheduled to arrive at
6:30am and it was now about 8:30am. He told us to enjoy breakfast, and he would
keep us updated. The captain navigated us in a large circle so we could be ready
whenever the pilot was and this continued until early afternoon when the pilot decided to
finally join us. We weren’t privy to all the details, but the pilot had been busy with
container ships, so something was up. We arrived in port and our excursions went on
mostly as planned. I applaud Silversea for their flexibility---some cruise lines would
have said, sorry, we have to miss this port in order to be on time to our next port, but
Silversea found a way for us to experience Liberia without losing out at our next
destination (we sailed faster is the short answer).

Monrovia was a chaotic city, but like the other places we visited we felt welcomed. Our
local guides were excellent in each port and Monrovia was no different. They shared
details of the history and their life and welcomed questions and discussions, so we felt
like we made a friend is each port.
​
Our next two ports were in Sierra Leone. I knew a bit about the civil war from reading a
book “A Long Way Gone” about one man’s experience as a child soldier during the war
and many of you may have seen the movie “Blood Diamond” which takes place during
the civil war. Nothing really prepared me from hearing the atrocities committed during
that time from people who are thriving today. It is hard to imagine being so resilient and
it gave me hope while also making me question how humans can do so many terrible
things. A whole generation grew up during the civil war (which took place from 1991-
2002). Many people who were young adults during the war are the same age as me
and I think being a similar age made it hit a bit harder.

That resiliency showed during our first port stop in a small community. Silversea
sponsored a league soccer match while we were there---it counted as part of the regular
season—for teams competing in a league where all the players are amputees. As part
of the reign of terror during the war, soldiers often amputated arms or legs of children to
put fear into the community. This didn’t just happen a few times, this happened
frequently. Watching everyone play soccer and play it well was inspiring. Having a
place on a team with others with a shared experience helps give people a purpose and
allow them to process their experiences and look to the future. We weren’t the only
people cheering them on…locals came from miles to see them play which was a great
way to use our visit to have a positive impact on the community (both financially and
socially). The game took place on a beautiful stretch of beach.

Our second stop provided a double dose of humanity can be terrible---we visited Bunce
Island which was a staging area for the slave trade. This is where slaves were kept for
a few days as they were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Our guide was a former
child solider, and he told his story on the journey to the island (you need to take a 45
minute or so boat ride from the capital of Aberdeen) and then he began to tell us the
story of the slave travel once we arrived on the island. Again, I choose to think of hope
and resilience. The capital city currently has a lot of challenges. Trash pick-up service
isn’t very regular and the ocean has become a bit of a dumping ground for waste. The
propeller on the boats we were on had to be cleaned occasionally as they got clogged
with plastic waste. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade and this isn’t a simple problem to fix.

Just outside of Aberdeen we saw another power ship that is helping Sierra Leone move
on from higher polluting forms of energy (like coal) and have a more secure and stable
source of power (the ship uses compressed natural gas).

​Our next three days were spent on an archipelago off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. You
are not the first person to have no idea where that country is----I had to look at a map
when I saw the itinerary. The Bijagos are scattered off the coast and we spent time on
zodiac boats looking at the wildlife (mostly birds, but also a few other species including
beaches covered in a type of small crab), as well as visiting small communities that
often go for a year or more in between visits from outsiders. We experienced traditional
dances and met tribal leaders and were generally welcomed fondly. Many of us were
invited to join in for the dances and while we didn’t speak the same language, we
shared the excitement and joy of the ceremony.

​Our next port of call was Dakar Senegal. We arrived in the afternoon and started our
visit with the local market. This was one of the few port stops that started in the
afternoon and I wish that we had had the entire day to see the city. The city was a bit
more cosmopolitan than what we had been seeing and I felt like we could have spent a
couple of days in the city and still not see at all. The African renaissance monument is
the tallest statue in Africa and from the top you definitely get some beautiful views. We
also spent some time at the museum of Black Civilizations Which highlights the cultural
heritage of Senegal as well as highlighting some art installations. The building is
massive and very modern--like nothing else we had seen in the rest of western Africa.

I’m pausing for now. Part 2 will start with our stop in the Cabo Verde Islands and cover
the sailing to Lisbon. Please feel free to reach out if this blog has sparked your interest
in taking a similar cruise.