Cruises to Africa from Southampton: Routes & Transfer Guide

Southampton is the departure point for some of the UK's most popular cruises to Africa — from Cunard's grand world voyages calling at Cape Town and Durban, to P&O Cruises' shorter winter-sun sailings to the Canary Islands and Madeira, just off the African coast. This guide covers the real routes, the cruise lines that sail them, and how to reach your Southampton cruise terminal without the stress.

The quick answer: yes, cruises to Africa do sail from Southampton. Cunard offers South Africa and Indian Ocean voyages (Cape Town and Durban) as part of its world cruise programme, and P&O Cruises runs regular winter-sun sailings to the Canary Islands and Madeira — both just off the West African coast. viaUNO provides fixed-price transfers to every Southampton cruise terminal these sailings depart from, with ship tracking and meet and greet included.

Africa cruise routes from Southampton

"Cruises to Africa from Southampton" covers a few genuinely distinct itineraries, each suited to a different kind of trip. Here is what actually sails:

Route	Cruise line / type	What to expect
South Africa & Indian Ocean	Cunard world-voyage segments	Departs Southampton and calls at Cape Town and Durban as part of longer segments — typically 3 to 6+ weeks. Full Atlantic crossings, not short hops.
Canary Islands	P&O Cruises winter sun	Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura sit roughly 60 miles off Morocco and Western Sahara. P&O runs these as 1 to 2 week winter and spring sailings.
Madeira	P&O Cruises & Cunard calls	A Portuguese archipelago around 400 miles off Morocco, frequently combined with the Canary Islands as a single winter-sun sailing.
West Africa & Cape Verde	Occasional world-cruise segments	Less frequent, but some Cunard and P&O world cruise itineraries include calls at Cape Verde and occasionally Senegal or Ghana on longer transatlantic voyages.

For terminal pickups tied to these sailings, see our Cunard cruise terminal transfers, P&O Cruises terminal transfers, or the full Southampton cruise port transfers page.

Which cruise lines sail to Africa from Southampton

Both cruise lines that sail to Africa-region destinations from Southampton are owned by the same parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, and are both headquartered at Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade, Southampton:

• Cunard (Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Anne) — its South Africa and Indian Ocean sailings are part of the annual world voyage programme: long, immersive itineraries calling at Cape Town and Durban, often combined with India, Australia or the Far East on the same voyage. These depart from Southampton's Eastern Docks terminals.
• P&O Cruises (Iona, Arvia, Britannia, Aurora, Arcadia) — Britain's most popular cruise line runs frequent Canary Islands and Madeira sailings from Southampton, particularly in winter and early spring as classic "winter sun" escapes. These are shorter, more accessible trips than Cunard's world-voyage segments — typically 7 to 14 nights.

Are the Canary Islands actually in Africa?

This is a genuinely common point of confusion, and worth clearing up: the Canary Islands are Spanish territory, politically and administratively part of the European Union. Geographically, however, they sit on the African continental shelf, roughly 60 to 100 miles off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara — making them, by strict geography, part of Africa, even though they are governed as an autonomous region of Spain.

This is why "Canary Islands cruise" and "cruises to Africa" overlap so often in search results — both are accurate descriptions of the same sailing. P&O Cruises markets these trips primarily as Canary Islands or "winter sun" cruises, but if you are specifically looking for a cruise with an African continental shelf destination from Southampton, this is the most accessible and frequently-sailed option.

Which Southampton terminal will you depart from?

Both Cunard and P&O Cruises use Southampton's Eastern and Western Docks, and the specific terminal depends on your ship and sailing date — always confirmed on your cruise documents:

• Cunard sailings typically depart from the Ocean Terminal or QEII Terminal, both in the Eastern Docks, accessed via Dock Gate 4.
• P&O Cruises sailings most often use the Ocean Terminal in the Eastern Docks; the line's largest ships, such as Iona and Arvia, may also use the Western Docks terminals. Always confirm the exact terminal on your booking.

For the full breakdown of every Southampton cruise terminal — exact addresses, dock gates and which ships use which terminal — see our guide to which Southampton cruise terminal your ship leaves from, or the cruise port transfers page for fixed prices to every terminal.

Transfer times to the cruise terminal

Africa and Canary Islands sailings tend to run longer than a typical Mediterranean cruise — which often means passengers travel further to reach Southampton, sometimes flying in the day before. Here are the key routes:

From	To Southampton cruise terminal	Approx. time
London Heathrow (LHR)	Southampton cruise terminal	~1 hr 20 min
London Gatwick (LGW)	Southampton cruise terminal	~1 hr 55 min
Southampton Airport (SOU)	Southampton cruise terminal	~20 min
Southampton Central station	Southampton cruise terminal	~10 min
Central London / hotels	Southampton cruise terminal	~1 hr 40 min
Winchester	Southampton cruise terminal	~30 min
Bournemouth	Southampton cruise terminal	~50 min

All fares are fixed — confirmed before you travel, regardless of dock-gate queues or traffic. For Cunard's longer South Africa and world-voyage segments, many long-haul passengers fly into Heathrow or Gatwick a day or more before departure and book a Southampton hotel overnight; we run airport-to-hotel and hotel-to-terminal legs as separate fixed-price transfers — see our Southampton hotel transfers page.

Preparing for an Africa cruise — what to know

A handful of practical points specific to South Africa and West Africa itineraries, distinct from a standard Mediterranean cruise:

• Check visa and health requirements for South Africa. UK passport holders typically do not need a visa for short tourist stays, but always confirm current requirements with your cruise line and the UK government's South Africa travel advice before departure.
• The Canary Islands and Madeira need no visa for UK passengers — both are EU/Spanish and Portuguese territory respectively, straightforward for British travellers.
• Pack for a longer voyage. South Africa and world-voyage segments run several weeks — significantly more luggage than a 7-night cruise. Book an estate car or MPV for your terminal transfer to accommodate it.
• Confirm your exact terminal closer to departure. Terminal assignments can occasionally shift between booking and sailing — always check your final cruise documents.

Frequently asked questions

Do any cruises to Africa actually leave from Southampton?

Yes. Cunard runs South Africa and Indian Ocean sailings (Cape Town, Durban) as part of its world voyage programme, and P&O Cruises runs regular Canary Islands and Madeira sailings — both regions sit on or near the African continental shelf, just off Morocco and Western Sahara.

Does Carnival Cruise Line sail to Africa from Southampton?

No. Carnival Cruise Line itself (the US fun-ship brand) does not sail from Southampton at all. The Carnival Corporation brands that do sail from Southampton to Africa-region destinations are Cunard and P&O Cruises, both headquartered at Carnival House in Southampton.

Are the Canary Islands in Africa or Europe?

Both, depending on how you define it. Geographically the Canary Islands sit on the African continental shelf, around 60 to 100 miles off Morocco. Politically they are an autonomous region of Spain and part of the European Union.

How do I get to my Southampton cruise terminal for an Africa cruise?

viaUNO provides fixed-price transfers from Heathrow, Gatwick, Southampton Airport, Southampton Central station and anywhere in Hampshire direct to your cruise terminal, with meet and greet and ship tracking included.

Book your Africa cruise terminal transfer

For Cunard and P&O Cruises sailings to South Africa, the Canary Islands and Madeira — fixed price, meet and greet, ship tracking, 24/7.

Related pages:

• Southampton cruise port transfers — all five terminals, fixed prices
• Cunard transfers — Southampton and P&O Cruises transfers — Southampton
• Which Southampton cruise terminal is my ship leaving from?
• Southampton cruise transfers for Americans