A voyage on this ship costs more than Sh200,000. PHOTO | Courtesy
In July this year, Christine Okoth, 30, flew from Nairobi to
Italy to board a cruise ship for a sailing safari across four countries.
Once
she landed at the departure port of Civitavecchia in Italy, together
with her friend Maryam Shikanda, they explored France, Monaco and Spain
aboard a luxury ship—Norwegian Epic.
‘‘Sleeping in one
country and waking up in another thrills me. Cruising through the
Mediterranean hotspots beats all my other travelling escapades. I fell
in love with the cities that I had never been to and met people I have
never met,” she says.
Christine and Maryam’s desire to
holiday at sea for days started when they were browsing the Internet for
a destination— particularly Santorini in Greece.
Maryam stumbled upon a cruise package online that would cost the same amount as visiting Greece.
“I
had been picking all our previous destinations so I let her (Maryam)
visit her dream destination which was France. It happened to be among
the countries on the cruise ship safari package,” says Christine.
After
settling on the package, Bonfire Adventures, their tours and travel
company made all the arrangements and within a month they had their
visas and ready to go.
With yacht ownership being
ultimately for the super wealthy, few Kenyans take cruise safaris. It is
also seen as a sport for retirees, but it appears to be growing, thanks
to millennials, adventurous generation X travellers and increased use
of travel agents.
Simon Kabu, the founder of Bonfire Adventures says booking for a cruise safari is just like any other package.
“You make a 30 per cent deposit to secure a cabin then once you get a visa, you make the balance payments,” he says.
The cruise package that Bonfire sells, however, is not from Mombasa port.
Theirs
are international cruises sailing from the Mediterranean, Singapore,
Dubai, Caribbean among others destinations where a traveller has to fly
to the port of departure.
Quite affordable
A cruise travel is not only for millionaires.
“A
Sh200,000 cruise ship safari package—for a side cabin—includes a return
flight ticket to the departure port,” the Bonfire chief executive says.
However, Christine says they paid more after opting for a luxurious ship — the Norwegian Epic.
The
port of Mombasa has been Africa’s leading cruise port three years in a
row since 2014, according to the World Travel Awards, but tours firms
are yet to create packages from Kenya to other overseas destinations. It
is also a favourite among international cruise lines.
Denis
Mailu of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Africa’s leading business travel
agency, says they also arrange for cruises around the region for
business-cum-leisure travellers.
Mr Mailu, the leisure consultant of Bunson Safari which operates Carlon Wagonlit, says they do not offer group cruise packages.
“We
do not do it as a group from Kenya but on individual basis. We get
about 10 and 15 cruise ship travellers once a year,” he says.
The
number of global cruise passengers is set to rise, according to the
largest industry trade group. The Cruise Lines International Association
estimated that 25.3 million passengers sailed this year.
“Sailing
in the deep seas is where good life begins. It is luxurious and simply
extraordinary,” says Christine, adding that you can be on the deck
mesmerizing as the ship docks at a port while sipping a cold drink or
sleep as you watch the moon.
Cruise ships have 24-hour restaurants with food and drinks flowing.
“Oh!
the food. There were so many choices and everything was really good,
and in plenty. There are little things on the cruise ship that are
exciting,’’ Maryam says.
Christine aboard the ship with many bars and lounges. PHOTO | COURTESY
Christine aboard the ship with many bars and lounges. PHOTO | COURTESY
The ship had many bars and lounges ranging from
coffee bar, jazz bar, piano bar, wine bar, whisky bar, sports bar, cigar
lounge, solo travellers lounge and a pool bar—all under one moving
roof.
When the ship docks in different towns,
travellers can experience local cultures, customs and shop, activities
organised by the company that organises the pleasure voyages.
Most travellers love experiencing local cuisine at the ports that they visit.
For Maryam, the history of different cities, the landmarks and the culture of Europe intrigued her more. They saw the Vatican City in Italy, Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, attractions they explored in 10 days.
For Maryam, the history of different cities, the landmarks and the culture of Europe intrigued her more. They saw the Vatican City in Italy, Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, attractions they explored in 10 days.
“My assumption
while on tour was that English is universal. I was wrong,” says Maryam.
“I remember I had to speak broken English in some countries to be
understood…Travelling has taught me the importance of learning a few
phrases of each country’s official language.”
December trip
Travelling is Maryam’s second hobby after cooking.
“I love travelling. It is food for the soul,” she says.
She
has visited Sentosa Island, Universal Studios which is southeast Asia’s
first theme park, the Singapore Flier, the Three Tower (Marina Bay
Sand) in Singapore to the Swiss Alps, but nothing beats the cruising
experience.
“This was just a different experience from
our previous travels. But if you want a more exclusive luxury cruise
trip, then it comes with a price,” she says.
Christine Okoth on a cruise ship (left). PHOTO | COURTESY
Christine Okoth on a cruise ship (left). PHOTO | COURTESY
The two friends are set for another cruise safari in December but on a different route.
For five nights, they will sail from Singapore through four ports after paying about $972 (Sh100,116) per person.
According
to Bonfire’s senior tours and travel consultant, Emma Njoki, the firm,
has booked 10 passengers on the December safari so far, with the
Mediterranean cruise being the most preferred for its favourable weather
periods.
“Depending on a destination and season, the
most expensive route would be Hawaii because of the high flight costs to
the expensive state of Alaska,” says Emma.
smurumba@ke.nationmedia.com
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