The solar-electric trimaran houseboat, operating from the Namibian side of the Chobe River, has won both the global and African titles at the sixth annual World Cruise Awards.

Pangolin Photo Safaris is proud to announce that the Pangolin Voyager has been named World’s Best River Cruise Ship 2026 and Africa’s Best River Cruise Ship 2026 at the sixth annual World Cruise Awards on 12 October.

Built in Windhoek, Namibia, by Edelstahlbau CC (ESB Boats), the Voyager is an all-aluminium trimaran houseboat driven by four electric drives from UK specialist RAD Propulsion. Roof-mounted solar panels generate the electricity needed to run the boat and feed the drives directly during the day. Pangolin describes it as the first solar-powered all-aluminium houseboat on the continent.

The Voyager accommodates up to 10 guests in five en suite cabins with air conditioning and floor-to-ceiling mosquito-netted windows. The upper level has lounge and dining areas, a bar and a darkened photo-editing suite. A companion eight-seat photo boat, fitted with articulated arms and 360-degree camera gimbals, heads out at first light and again before sunset.

The Voyager is moored on the Namibian side of the Chobe River and is operated by Pangolin Photo Safaris.

Guest feedback has consistently highlighted the Voyager’s silent electric cruising, the specially designed photographic boat, and the food and service aboard.

“Winning both World’s Best and Africa’s Best River Cruise Ship is a proud moment for everyone who had a hand in the Voyager, and our guests tell us she offers a unique experience on the river. To see her recognised alongside river cruise ships from around the world means a great deal to all of us, and it comes hot on the heels of winning, for the fourth year in a row, Botswana’s Leading Hotel,” says Toby Jermyn, Director and Co-Owner of Pangolin Photo Safaris.

“The Voyager was built in Windhoek, assembled on the banks of the Zambezi, and nearly two years of work went into her. The Chobe is one of the great wildlife rivers of Africa, and we wanted a boat that let photographers experience it quietly and with as little disturbance as possible. Electric drives and solar power do exactly that, and it is wonderful to see that idea recognised,” adds Gerhard “Guts” Swanepoel, Co-founder of Pangolin Photo Safaris.