Dear Researcher this question is for an author for whom visual details
are also important.
The question has three parts.

A) I would like to know what the route of travel, preferably via the
Suez Canan, was from France to South Africa, specifically to
Namaqualand, or the closest town to this small town in South Africa.

B) Please supply name of ship and visual details of ship.

C) If possible, please give details of Namaqualand, specific details
of its climate, people and kind of food.
Many Thanks

I am not a specialist of 1900 cruises but I don’t think that the most
common way of going from Paris to Namaqualand would have been thru 'le
canal de suez'. Given that Namaqualand is on the atlantic coast, I
think the most common way would have been :
leaving from Nantes or Bordeaux, sailing down the African coast ...

A most certain call would have been 'Gabon' which was an important
point of trade (exporting Oukoumé : tropical wood), Ivory coast (a
French protectorate since 1889)

But if you want to use 'le canal de suez', I think a almost mandatory
call would have been Madagascar port called 'Tamatave' in French
('Toamasina' in Malagasy). May be the call could have been 'Diego
Suarez' (Antsiranana in Malagasy) which was an important naval base
for the French navy with public lighting, tap water and so on...
Madagascar became a French protectorate in 1896 and General Gallieni
was appointed commander and then governor (1896-1905) for Madagascar.


Hope this help ...

Dear Researcher:
Thanks for your comments. If the Suez Cananl is not the most common
route to Namaqualand, Bordeaux through Gabon is fine.  Please give me
more detail about where the ship will have to dock, what ports it will
sail past, and the name of the ship.  I would also appreciate details
about Namaqualand in the 1900--climate, people, kinds of food.
Many thanks

1/
I would say that such is trip should be complicated to organise at
that time
It seems quite impossible to have such a trip with one liner. France
had regular connections with its colonies, but had no commercial links
with the outside world: there was no point to have such a direct trip
on one single boat.
There should be at least one boat change in madagascar and reunion
island (still french) would make more sense as there are quite close
to South africa and had certainly neighbouring connections with south
Africa.
If you choose Gabon, the trip to south africa was certainly difficult
at that time.


I would say that Senegal (dakar & Saint louis du senegal might also be
stopovers)on the atlantic trip and Djibouti  on the suez canal one,


The departing port for the Suez Canal would be Marseilles in the
mediterranean sea

If your request is worth exploring the national archives, just know
that there is a french governmental entity that holds all passengers
getting off in colonial french ports (mainly used for genealogical
purposes)that might be a source to know the actual connections by boat
(you must come to France!)

http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caom/fr/caomgen.html