Hurtigruten Expeditions Offers West Africa Small Ship Cruising

West Africa Small Ship Cruising with Hurtigruten

Edited by Ted Scull

Hurtigruten, an ever-growing dual-purpose provider of regular passenger and cargo services along the Norwegian Coast and expedition destinations to diverse parts of the globe, is breaking truly new ground.

In 2022/2023, Hurtigruten will offer 13-day itineraries to West Africa, both continental coastal ports and seldom-visited off-shore island chains.

Five West Africa small ship cruising departures take place from late November 2022 to mid-January 2023.

west Africa small ship cruising on MS Spitsbergen

MS Spitsbergen in West Africa. * Photo: Hurtigruten Expeditions

Cruising from Dakar

The cruises embark in perhaps the most exciting West African city — Dakar in Senegal at the extreme western tip of West Africa. There are additional coastal calls to the south in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

Dakar sightseeing includes a trip to nearby Gorée Island, once the largest center for the African slave trade that lasted for nearly 500 years, operated by the Dutch, Portuguese, British and French traders. Besides the slaveholding warehouses, the small island features the slave owners’ colonial mansions. Gorée Island is now operated as a World Heritage Site.

That’s just the starter as the 200-passenger Spitsbergen continues out into the tropical Atlantic to the Cape Verde Island chain and the virtually unknown Bissagos Islands, an 88-island archipelago.

West Africa Cruise Map: Hurtigruten Expeditions

Cape Verdes

The first island group, the rugged volcanic Cape Verdes, sees a four-day visit where the population is a combination African and Portuguese descent as Portugal was once the colonial power. As an aside, quite a few islanders have migrated to New England and especially Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

To thrill wildlife lovers, the main attractions in Cape Verdes are a variety of endemic and migratory bird species. In the surrounding seas are dolphins, sea turtles and whales.

Man-made interests are fortifications and towns with residential architecture from palatial mansions to simple single family dwellings.

Santo Antão village in Cape Verde. * Photo: Hurtigruten Expeditions

Bissagos Islands

The truly out-of-the-box experience will be the four days spent in the Bissagos Islands just off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. Many of the inhabitants still speak the original language unique to the island.

Bissagos Islands in Guinea-Bissau, a new Hurtigruten Expeditions' destination for 2022. * Photo: Hurtigruten

In the air and on land there are encounters with some 500 species of birds. Meanwhile, in the sea and/or land, gape at crocodiles, dolphins, sea turtles and manatees, and believe it or not – hippopotami.

Just briefly, another inaugural set of Hurtigruten destinations for 2022/2023 are the Canary Islands and Madeira with respectively, Spanish and Portuguese influences.