jeff0198
- Mar 3
- 16 min read

The Intrepid Beauty of Africa and the Indian Ocean: Part Four – Port Louis, Mauritius to Cape Town

10th January 2024 – Change over Day. Port Louis, Mauritius

As Anno, Jeff and Laura bid the MV Bolette goodbye, Paul Hill and Peter Howlett joined Dolphin Dave onboard for the next part of the voyage. Martin Kitching was due to return with Paul for a second time, but unfortunately Covid had other plans and Martin had to stay in the UK.

11th January 2024 – At sea, sailing to Madagascar

A fun day at sea, with plenty of plenty of shearwaters and petrels seen including Baillon’s and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, over 50 Barau’s Petrels and a single Bulwer’s Petrel. White-tailed Tropicbirds also put in several appearances, but cetaceans were sadly lacking.

Baillon’s Shearwater © Paul Hill - OWE

Barau’s Petrel © Paul Hill – OWE

Bulwer’s Petrel © Peter Howlett - OWE

Wedge-tailed Shearwater © Paul Hill – OWE

White-tailed Tropicbird © Peter Howlett - OBE

12th January 2024 – Toamasina, Madagascar

Our first port day on this leg of the trip. Paul and Peter had arranged a private guide who was to take them along the Pangalanes Canal – a manmade watercourse that stretches 600 kilometres from the port of Tamatave to Farafangana along the southeast coast. Although the weather was showery, the tour boat had a canopy, so we were able to enjoy the sights in dry(ish) conditions. Initially the journey along the canal was through litter strewn water and areas where habitat degradation was very much in evidence. However, once we were away from the port the wildlife started to be seen. The sharp-eyed guide and skipper of the vessel were soon spotting chameleons amongst the vegetation.

Madagascar is home to about 50% of the world’s 150 chameleon species many of which are endemic to the Island.

Chameleons © Paul Hill – OWE

We also saw some of Madagascar’s endemic birds during the trip – Malagasay Kingfisher, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Madagascar Wagtail, Madagascar Fody, Madagascar Bulbul and Madagascar Cisticola, though many evaded the camera!!

Malagasay Kingfisher © Paul Hill – OWE

Madagascar Bee-eaters © Paul Hill – OWE

Madagascar, or Red, Fody © Paul Hill – OWE

As we reached the coast we were soon surrounded by both Great Crested and Lesser Crested Terns. An ideal opportunity to compare both species at close quarters.

Great Crested Tern © Paul Hill – OWE

Lesser Crested Tern © Paul Hill – OWE

As we travelled along the canal and backwaters, various heron and egret species were seen, including Yellow-billed and Cattle Egrets, Striated Heron and Squacco Heron.

Striated Heron © Paul Hill – OWE

Local fishermen on the Pangalanes Canal © Paul Hill – OWE

13th January 2024 -At sea to D’Ehoala, Madagascar

We had better luck with cetaceans today (just) with three Bottlenose Dolphins seen, plus single unidentified whale, dolphin and possible blackfish sp. We also had small numbers of seabirds including the only Masked Booby seen on this leg and two Red-footed Boobies that came into roost on the mast at the bow.

Red-footed Booby © Paul Hill – OWE

As can be seen on the photo above, one of the Red-footed Boobies had some blue rope tangled round one of it’s legs, which looked as though it had been flapping against the tail as it showed excessive wear to the feathers – a sad indication of how man treats our natural environment.

Bottlenose Dolphin © Peter Howlett - OWE

14th January 2024 Port D’Ehoala, Madagascar

As we sailed into Port D’Ehoala, several Wedge-tailed Shearwaters were seen and over a 100 Lesser Crested Terns. Madagascar is well known for its Lemurs, with over 100 species present; today’s port day provided an excellent opportunity for the OWE team to head towards the Nahampoana Park. Here, with the help of our guide, we were able to see four species of lemur, amongst the variety of wildlife present.

Brown Lemur © Paul Hill – OWE

Lesser Bamboo Lemur © Paul Hill – OWE Sifika © Paul Hill – OWE

Ring-tailed Lemur © Paul Hill – OWE

Birds seen at the reserve included the endemic Malagasay Turtle Dove, Crested Drongo and Madagascar Harrier Hawk. Several Warty Chameleons were seen, some on sticks carried by the local children in the hope we’d photograph them and give them some money.

A short boat trip on the river through the park provided a contrast to the rest of the park and also gave us views of several large specimens of what the guide called a fishing skink but could perhaps be one of the plated lizards.

Warty Chameleon © Paul Hill - OWE

15th and 16th January – At sea to Maputo, Mozambique

The next two days were spent at sea as we travelled across the Indian Ocean to Africa, through deep water, so hopes of cetaceans and seabirds were at a low. However, on the 15th we did see several cetaceans as we crossed, many of which remained as unidentified blows or distant views. A single Humpback Whale was seen, but four other whales, plus a beaked whale evaded identification as did a single dolphin. We fared better with the seabirds, a single Flesh-footed Shearwater was seen along with a dozen Cory’s Shearwaters, five White-tailed Tropicbirds and over fifty skuas, of which at least 20 were identified as Arctic, many of them harrying the terns present including Sooty and Bridled Terns and Brown Noddy.

Humpback Whale © Peter Howlett – OWE

On the 16th the best sightings were the first Great-winged Petrels of the trip, with several seen during the day. Otherwise, the species were similar to the previous day, although a very close fly-by from an Arctic Skua brightened up the early morning watch from deck 6. Cory’s Shearwaters were also plentiful with several passing very close across the bow.

Cory’s Shearwater © Paul Hill – OWE

Great-winged Petrel © Paul Hill – OWE

Throughout the two days flyingfish were constantly flushed by the Bolette. Some simply skimmed the waves out of the way, while others flew for several 10’s of metres. The diversity of species seen was also quite impressive, with perhaps 9-10 different species photographed.

Flyingfish sp. © Paul Hill – OWE

17th January 2024 – Maputo, Mozambique

The OWE team didn’t have any plans for the day, but the opportunity to go out along the river where the Bolette had docked was too much resist. Paul and Peter joined the Bolette’s RIB for an hour’s excursion and were pleasantly surprised. As we headed inland several White-breasted Cormorants were seen, and as we approached one of the structures in the water two Pink-backed Pelicans were seen resting; approaching some mangroves several large flocks of Lesser Flamingo flew over.

As we returned to the Bolette, we came across Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins, which proceeded to provide excellent, if brief, views.

Back on board it was time to sort through the many images we had taken over the previous few days but also spend time on deck watching the fishing Sandwich, Great Crested and Lesser Crested Terns. On the dockside, Barn, Mosque and Red-rumped Swallows were seen and Little Swifts hawked for insects over the adjacent buildings.

18th January 2024 – Sailing to Richards Bay, South Africa

We had been due to depart Maputo overnight but instead stayed alongside until mid-morning. This gave some time for having an early morning check of the decks, which apart from the usual array of moths and other flying insects attracted to the ship’s lights, included two free-tailed bats. It’s likely they may have been different species as one had very dark, almost black fur, the other was much browner – sadly specific identification requires close examination of the teeth.

It always pays to keep a look out, even alongside in port. We spotted a bat flying over the city. Now, there’s a reason small bats shouldn’t be flying during the day – they’re easy targets for birds of prey – as this hapless individual found out when the local Peregrine spotted it and promptly snatched it out of the sky (sadly too far for a camera to lock focus quickly enough to catch the moment).

Three Caspian Terns took to hunting the river alongside Bolette, providing very close views of different plumages.

Our route out of Maputo took us some 40-50km north before we headed back out to sea and south towards Richard’s Bay. It was amazing to pass through a huge bloom of jellyfish which went on for several kilometres and must have involved millions of jellyfish. Looking at the photos it’s likely they were in the family Catostylidae and most likely Crambionella stuhlmanni which is endemic to these waters.

Sea conditions were far from ideal with 30-35 knot winds, we did, however, manage to spot a Loggerhead Turtle passing down the starboard side – a very brief view as we motored past it at 15 knots. There was little else to be seen during the afternoon at sea, a large flock of Sooty and Common Terns perhaps most notable and a distant, dark storm petrel was likely a Wilson’s.

19th January 2024 – Richard’s Bay, South Africa

The first of several port days in South Africa. The main agenda for the day was a trip to St Lucia National Park. Dolphin Dave travelled on one of the ship excursions, whilst Paul and Peter travelled with a private guide from Zulu Safaris. Our first port of call was a small area of forest in St Lucia, but persistent rain made birding difficult, although White-eared Barbet and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird were seen and several butterfly species sheltered from the rain.

White-eared Barbet © Paul Hill - OWE

butterfly sp. © Paul Hill - OWE

The rain eased as we made our way to the Jetty to join a river cruise to look for Hippopotamus along the river. Boarding the upper deck gave us good views of the river and surrounding banks and it wasn’t long before we saw our first family party of Hippopotamuses wallowing in the shallows.

Hippopotamus © Paul Hill – OWE

In between looking at Hippopotamuses, we were entertained by iridescent Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and Barn Swallows hawking for insects over the water.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater © Paul Hill – OWE

The reed-beds along the banks of the river were occupied by Yellow and Southern Brown-throated Weavers – the bright, almost gaudy, males displaying their nests to females, hoping that they would be happy with their nest building attempts.

Displaying Yellow Weaver © Paul Hill - OWE

Following the river cruise we headed towards the coastal sand dune system where the St Lucia lake enters the sea. Here we saw Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters in the dunes, Blacksmith Plover, White-fronted Plover and Water Thick-knee. The shoreline also held large numbers of terns, Grey-hooded Gulls and Grey Plover. Barn Swallows and Little Swifts hawked insects overhead and a distant Yellow-billed Stork was added to the species list.

Blacksmith Plover © Paul Hill – OWE

White-fronted Plover © Paul Hill – OWE

Water Thick-knee © Paul Hill – OWE

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater © Paul Hill – OWE

Several small crabs were seen on the sand dune, many scurried away as we attempted to photograph them, but some were more cooperative.

Crab sp. © Paul Hill – OWE

A quick stop at St Lucia bridge (where we’d boarded for the river trip earlier) gave good photo opportunities for White-throated and Lesser Striped Swallows, Little Swift and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, as well as more Weavers.

Lesser-striped Swallow © Peter Howlett – OWE

White-throated Swallow © Peter Howlett - OWE

Little Swift © Peter Howlett – OWE

20th January 2024 – Durban, South Africa

Another day, another port! Paul and Peter had another day planned with Zulu Safari’s, exploring the habitats around the Blue Lagoon along the Umgeni River to the north of Durban. The mangroves and forest held a great variety of birds – Amethyst Sunbird, Collared Sunbird, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Bronze Mannikin, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Cape Bulbul and Tawny-flanked Prinia to name a few. A low-flying Woolly-necked Stork gave us a real appreciation as to how big they are.

Amethyst Sunbird © Paul Hill – OWE

The banks and mudflats along the Umgeni River adjacent to the Durban golf course and park held Pink-backed and Great Pelicans, Water Thick-knee, Pied Kingfisher and African Pied Wagtail. Little Swifts and White-throated Swallows nested under the road bridge.

Pink-backed Pelicans (with Great White Pelican in the background) © Paul Hill – OWE

Pied Kingfisher © Paul Hill – OWE

Juvenile African Pied Wagtail © Paul Hill – OWE

21st January 2024 – sailing to East London

The main highlight from today would again be Great-winged Petrels. It was another poor sea-day for cetaceans with no sightings. The latter was due to a combination of the rough seas (making viewing difficult) and the deep water through which we were sailing. Prior to sailing several jellyfish were seen from the ship.

Jellyfish sp. © Paul Hill – OWE

Sunsetting over the Indian Ocean © Paul Hill – OWE

22nd January 2024 – East London, South Africa

As we sailed into East London at dawn, cetaceans began to make themselves obvious (at last). A small number of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins were seem along with a pod of between 60 and 70 Common Dolphins. Seabirds also featured with Great-winged Petrels and Cory’s Shearwaters, Cape Gannets and several terns. The day before, Peter had made contact with a company running dolphin and whale watching tours to see if they would still be sailing. It was a full boat as we were joined by a number of Bolette’s passengers after we had let them know there were still late-notice spaces available.

Dave, Paul, Pete and nine passengers were collected from the Bolette and transferred to the adjacent quay to board a motorised catamaran and we were soon underway in search of dolphins. Not far offshore we saw a feeding frenzy of Cape Gannets and we headed off towards it. As we approached the Cape Gannets we were joined by Common Dolphins swimming in the wake of the boat and bow-riding just two-three metres away, an unforgettable experience.

Common Dolphin © Paul Hill – OWE

Common Dolphin © Paul Hill – OWE

Cape Gannet © Paul Hill – OWE

Cape Gannet © Paul Hill – OWE

Our afternoon was spent catching up with image processing, but also taking photographs of Cape Cormorant, White-breasted Cormorant and Kelp Gull as they flew past almost at eye-level.

Adult (right) and juvenile Cape Cormorants

White-breasted Cormorant © Paul Hill – OWE

Kelp (Cape) Gull © Paul Hill – OWE

23rd January 2024 - Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa

Little time to do any cetacean or seabird watching as we were in port nice and early, and soon Peter and Paul met up with their pre-arranged guide for a trip to the Addo Elephant National Park, about an hour’s drive away.

This was to be a day where land mammals would feature as much as birds, and it was to be a full day – almost too full! But more of that later.

Our first port of call was to some saltpans, where several Kittlitz’s Plovers were seen along with several scrubland species such as the onomatopoeic Bokmarkierie.

Kittlitz Plover © Paul Hill – OWE

Bokmakierie © Paul Hill – OWE

White-throated Bee-eaters and a single Lesser Honeyguide could be seen along the roadside, but cisticolas and prinias, as so often, evaded close scrutiny.

We arrived mid-morning at Addo and proceeded to drive the various roads in search of birds and mammals (you can only leave the vehicle at designated spots). This was to be a tremendous day with many birds seen and some of the Big Five. African Bush Elephant, Black Rhinoceros, Lion, Warthog, Eland, Red Hartebeest and Plains (or Burchell’s) Zebra were all seen at close quarters. Even a Black-backed Jackal seemed unperturbed by our presence.

African Bush Elephant © Paul Hill – OWE

Black Rhinocerous © Paul Hill

Warthog © Paul Hill - OWE

Plains (Burchall’s) Zebra © Paul Hill – OWE

Red Hartebeest © Peter Howlett - OWE

Black-backed Jackal © Paul Hill – OWE

Birds were also plentiful, particularly Steppe Buzzard and Booted Eagle and an obliging Pale Chanting Goshawk was impressive sat in a roadside bush. Other avian highlights included Pearl-breasted Swallow, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Cape Wagtail and Thick-billed Weaver.

Fiscal Shrike © Paul Hill – OWE

White-throated Bee-eater © Paul Hill – OWE

Juvenile Southern Anteater Chat © Paul Hill – OWE

Common Ostrich © Paul Hill – OWE

Our journey back to the ship was rapid to say the least; speed limits in the National Park

are, understandably slow, and elephants have right of way. Twice we had to slow down or stop to let the elephants cross the road, which ate into our journey time. However our guide made good time once we left the park, we arrived back at Bolette with just six minutes to spare – which is a little close for comfort!

Roadblock incoming © Paul Hill – OWE

24th January 2024 – Mossel Bay, South Africa

Today was a port day, but the OWE team were on deck at dawn to make the most of the sea. Before breakfast we had amassed a decent list of seabirds – over 200 Cory’s shearwater, a couple of Sooty Shearwaters, six White-chinned Petrels, a White-capped Albatross and single Brown, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas. Four Sabine's Gulls were also recorded along with Cape Gannets.

Brown Skua © Paul Hill – OWE

As we entered the bay, Cape Fur Seals soon started to appear, porpoising past at high speed on their way out of the bay to feed.

Cape Fur Seal © Paul Hill - OWE

Mossel Bay port is too small to accept cruise liners, so we anchored offshore and passengers were tendered ashore. We’d decided to spend the day on board watching from the deck and it was a good decision. With a two metre swell, embarking and disembarking from the ship to the tender boats was extremely difficult and by mid-morning it was decided to cancel all shore trips.

We made the most of day, watching the Cape Fur Seals and also numerous Smooth Hammerhead Sharks that circled the ship.

Smooth Hammerhead Shark © Paul Hill – OWE

25th January 2024 – at sea to Cape Town

Our final sea day, and it was to prove one of the best of the trip so far. As usual we were on deck before breakfast, while the ship was still in port, and were rewarded with two pods of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins totalling over 120 individuals passing the ship, heading out to sea. A further, smaller pod was seen later on.

Indo-pacific Bottlenose Dolphins © Paul Hill – OWE

Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin © Peter Howlett - OWE

We left Mossel Bay mid-morning and commenced the journey to Cape Town. We had hoped that the Captain would stay close to shore in shallower waters, but we ended up 30km offshore, in deeper water. This didn’t seem to make much difference to the shearwaters and petrels. Over 250 Cory’s Shearwaters were seen, with smaller numbers of Sooty Shearwaters and two Manx Shearwaters; 15 White-chinned Petrels and four Wilson’s Storm-petrels added to the totals, but albatrosses stole the show with six Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses and eight White-capped Albatrosses identified, plus as many other too far out to identify.

White-chinned Petrel © Paul Hill – OWE

Sooty Shearwater © Paul Hill – OWE

White-capped Albatross © Paul Hill - OWE

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross © Paul Hill – OWE

If the seabirds left us satisfied, then cetaceans surpassed themselves. Several Bryde’s Whales were seen during the day, and we also saw several unidentified blows. Dolphins also put in appearances with a pod of Common Bottlenose Dolphins numbering around 100 individuals passing on the starboard side, but at a distance, whilst a super pod of 300 Common Dolphins ended the day as the light faded. A fantastic final sea-day for us.

Bryde’s Whale – © Peter Howlett OWE

26th and 27th January 2024 – Cape Town, South Africa

This was our final port of call before handing the baton over to Emma, Ross, James and Jean for the final leg. However, our trip wasn’t over as we had almost two days to explore Cape Town before our flights,

As we arrived at Cape Town, Peter and David were on deck early, and were rewarded with Southern Right Whale, African Penguin and Heaviside’s Dolphin. Paul meanwhile was still getting up and missed the excitement.

David was to spend the next two days on whale watching trips, seeing more Southern Right Whales and Heaviside’s Dolphins. Paul and Peter had trips planned with Birding Africa and were enroute for the West Coast National Park soon after breakfast.

First stop of the day was to a conservation area to the north of Cape Town. In the scrub habitat, Joel, our guide, was soon pointing out passerines.

Cape Bulbul © Paul Hill – OWE

Karoo Bush Robin © Paul Hill – OWE

We then drove to the West Coast National Park, adding new species as we went along with some minor detours. An immature Black Harrier made a fine sight against the blue skies in the park – something of a target for the day as they are a rare bird with a global population of less than 2,000 birds. Black-shouldered Kites were also a feature of the day with many seen perched on power poles or bushes.

Wetlands birds were to feature before lunch as we visited a roost site. Kittlitz, White-fronted and Grey Plovers, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and African Black Oystercatcher were all present. Greater and Lesser Flamingos were also seen, and Kelp Gulls seemed intent on disturbing the roosting terns.

Having a break for lunch during the heat of the day allowed us to recharge our batteries before heading to some saltpans, which Joel had access to. The saltpans were “alive” with waders; Black-winged Stilts, Chestnut-banded, Three-banded, Kittlitz’s, White-fronted and Ringed Plover, Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers. The pans also held quite a few Black-necked Grebes, still in full breeding plumage.

Smaller birds were very much in evidence as well, although not necessarily as photographable; Capped Wheatear and Pearl-breasted Swallow to name but two. Others were more obliging.

Our drive back to the port and the Bolette produced final “goodies” for the day. A Secretary Bird in the fields and a Martial Eagle perched on the Power Pylons.

Joel collected us (and our luggage) from the Bolette at just after 07:15 on our last day, finishing with Joel dropping us off at the airport for our flights home.

Our first stop was along the shore road just outside of the port. In short order we were stood watching Heaviside’s Dolphin amongst the early morning canoeists. Unfortunately, a sea mist was rolling in and any chances of seeing Southern Right Whales was out of the question.

We then headed to our destination for the morning, the Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens. Arriving almost as soon as the gardens opened and before the heat of the day paid dividends, with forest bird almost everywhere as soon as we’d gone through the entrance!!

After lunch we headed to our final birding destination before the airport, the False Bay Nature Reserve and more particularly the water treatment lakes of Strandfontein. A complex of water beds and settlements tanks that held thousands of wildfowl and long-legged waders. As was becoming the norm at such sites, birding was done from the car to avoid disturbing the birds. Wildfowl seen included Fulvous Whistling Duck, South African Shelduck, Spur-winged Goose, Cape Shoveler, Cape Teal, Yellow-billed Duck, Southern Pochard and Maccoa Duck. Parties of Little Grebe and Black-necked Grebe were present on most of the water bodies

And then, all too soon, it was time to bid farewell to Joel and South Africa and start our journey home.

Another amazing experience with Ocean Wildlife Encounters, but our duties are not complete. Although Paul, Peter and Dave were leaving the Bolette, Emma Neave-Webb, Russel Neave, James Philips and Jean Obray were taking over the reins for our final leg to Dakar.

Note: All the images used in this blog were taken during the cruise. Copyright to all images remains with the photographer and Ocean Wildlife Encounters. Passengers aboard the illustrated cruise are welcome to copy the images for personal use only.

Acknowledgments: Grateful thanks to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, the crew of MS Bolette and Peel Talent for enabling Ocean Wildlife Encounters to support this cruise.