Cruise Into Africa

	Next Stop, Gambia
	Photo: Hapag-Lloyd

Cruises are the de rigueur vacation for masses of retirees, well-heeled families and groups of young singles on the prowl.

You know the drill: fly to Florida and board one of the myriad, anonymous ships that then proceed to bump into one another like a herd of seafaring cattle in the Caribbean.

For the cruise set, an exotic adventure might mean leaving from Vancouver, British Columbia, for a few stops in Alaska. That's not bad, but why limit yourself to standard fare?

One European company has shaken up the cruise status quo by offering truly unusual destinations, knowledgeable guides and lecturers, luxe accommodations and up-close interaction with the scenery.

But this is no upstart line; in fact, this company was at the forefront of the nascent cruise industry, beginning operations more than a century ago.

Cruise Control

In 1891, the director of Hapag-Lloyd, Albert Ballin, hit upon the idea of offering ship travel to exotic ports of call simply for the pleasure of the voyage in what he imagined as a floating hotel.

This was a revolutionary idea at the time -- boarding a ship in the 19th century was the only means of getting between continents and typically meant a week or more of cramped accommodations and anything but pleasure.

But Ballin's simple idea would spawn the modern-day cruise industry. Setting sail in January 1891 for the Mediterranean and parts of the Middle East, the opulent Augusta Victoria was among the first ships of its kind to sail simply for pleasure and not to transport passengers from one point to another.

Continuing this tradition today, Hapag-Lloyd's latest cruise, departing in October, will voyage up the Gambia River in west Africa for a once-in-a-lifetime journey (starting at $5,425 per person, based on double occupancy).

In cooperation with New York's Museum of Natural History, this cruise on the Bremen is ideal for amateur naturalists and birders, with onboard lectures by a museum lecturer and guided excursions to many of the area's rich historical sites and nature preserves.

Starting from Tenerife -- in the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco -- the Bremen will head south, tracing the routes of early Portuguese explorers on its way to the Cape Verde Islands. From there the Bremen will dock at Banjul, the capital of Gambia, situated at the mouth of the Gambia River. After a day in the capital, the Bremen will slowly sail up the Gambia for three days then return for its ultimate destination of Dakar, Senegal.

Ship Shape

At the Bremen's helm will be Daniel Felgner, a 45-year-old ship captain hailing from Zittau, Germany, with extensive maritime and engineering experience.