The surprisingly affordable premium safari experience in Africa

A key attraction is the chance to see an impressive roll-call of animals roaming wild in their natural habitat, and with this voyage offering wildlife excursions at every stop, there is plenty of opportunity.

NATURAL WONDERS 

Little beats the thrill of witnessing herds of giant elephants striding across the grasslands of the Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth (now also known as Gqeberha), the second stop on this sailing, as our safari bus trundles through the 630-square-mile expanse, home to zebra, grazing buffalo and flighty antelope.

What I love most is the unpredictability of watching zebras rolling in the rich African earth, throwing up clouds of reddish dust, before our bus violently brakes to avoid a family of warthogs – a mother and four tiny piglets who race across the road in front of us.

Or sitting spellbound as a young male elephant emerges from the bushes to stride within metres of us, so close I can almost reach out and touch him. A few minutes later, we pull up at a waterhole where around 100 of these majestic beasts are cooling themselves in the muddy pools.

Another stop at Richards Bay, near Durban, serves up a completely contrasting experience and different animal encounters – highlighting why it is worth booking at least two safari options during the cruise.

At the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve we belt along rutted dusty tracks in a safari Jeep that gives this a more gritty and authentic experience. It’s a blazing hot day and temperatures are in the 40s, with a stifling breeze that makes me feel as though I’m being buffeted in a tumble drier.

Not surprisingly, the animals are keeping a low profile and despite a lengthy search, our driver/guide Sheldon is unable to track down the park’s 28-strong elephant herd. But having seen elephants already on my previous outing I am less bothered.

Instead, we find ourselves in a stand-off with an irritable rhino deciding whether to charge our Jeep (he doesn’t); a tower of giraffes nibbling the leaves off trees in a shady copse; and charming baby nyala antelope sheltering by a bush.

After such wild antics ashore, Norwegian Jade makes a cosy base and has an intimate feel that comes from holding 2,402 passengers, mainly North Americans on this sailing, followed by a mix of Brits, Germans and South Africans.

The second of NCL’s Jewel-class ships, built in 2006 as Pride of Hawaii and renamed Norwegian Jade in 2008, it has since benefited from refurbishments. The most recent one being last summer when interiors were refreshed during a short dry dock, with new carpets and soft furnishings throughout, plus a new Pit Stop Bar & Grill added overlooking the pool. The ship’s atrium has a more open feel and the Garden Cafe has also had a makeover.

BENEFITS OF A CRUISE 

For a relatively small ship, when compared with its larger sisters, it has a varied choice of speciality and complimentary dining venues with a roll-call of NCL favourites such as teppanyaki, Le Bistro and Cagney’s Steakhouse.

The same goes for evening entertainment, with tribute acts and themed shows in the main Stardust Theater, late-night discos in the Spinnaker Lounge and live bands and karaoke in the Bliss Ultra Lounge.

Aside from this, there’s much to be said for touring South Africa from a cruise ship, not just for the convenience of exploring some of the country’s most interesting regions, but as a reassurance for anyone concerned about its crime reputation. It’s a particularly pertinent point where excursions are concerned, as this isn’t a destination to be wandering off in ports to explore independently.

Another bonus is that being on a ship shields passengers from the country’s nationwide power cuts or “load-shedding” that last for hours each day to take the strain off the country’s electricity network.

My last day rolls round far too quickly, but I’m spending a final night in a hotel at the V&A Waterfront, a buzzing tourist hub just a few minutes’ drive from the cruise port.

It’s an ideal way to savour my last few hours here, and a morning trip to the top of Table Mountain adds a final flourish with fabulous far-reaching views, thankfully unobscured by any devilish smoking habits.

Book it: Next winter, NCL will base Norwegian Dawn at Cape Town from February to March offering 12-night sailings and a longer 17-night departure that also features the Indian Ocean and calls at Mozambique. A 12-night South Africa & Namibia round-trip sailing from Cape Town, including calls at Port Elizabeth, Durban and Luderitz, departing on 8 March 2024, starts from £1,286pp. ncl.com