Seychelles Odyssey a Voyage to the Inner & Outer Seychelles Aboard the Silver Discoverer 7 Th to 19Th January 2018 Aldabra Traditional Dhows
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SPECIAL Offer - SA VE £500 PER P ERSON SEYCHELLES ODYSSEY A voyage to the Inner & Outer Seychelles aboard the silver Discoverer 7 th to 19th January 2018 Aldabra Traditional Dhows oin us aboard the luxurious Silver Discoverer as we explore the bountiful islands of the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles islands are some of the most captivating tropical islands in the world; spread out over a vastJ area of the Indian Ocean they offer everything from quiet sophistication and enchanting scenery to wild, remote and uninhabited nature reserves. From the little-visited Aldabra and Amirantes group to the relative sophistication of Praslin and Mahe, these islands offer the visitor a tropical beauty that is difficult, if not impossible to match anywhere else in the world. Few ships in the world are allowed to visit the remote and environmentally fragile islands of the Outer Seychelles Group and we are fortunate that the Silver Discoverer is one of them. It is a great privilege to be able to land on the untouched beaches of Aldabra, the breeding ground for thousands of giant tortoise and home to some of the rarest birds in the Indian Ocean. To explore the abundant crystal clear waters of the vast lagoon and to set foot on atolls which have never been exploited by the hand of man is a rare experience. We know the region well having operated vessels here for the past twenty five years and those who have sailed with us through these extraordinary waters have experienced the magic of dropping anchor off a remote atoll at first light to watch the dawn illuminate the watery horizon. Then, as the sun rises, we have ventured ashore by Zodiac, landing on a deserted beach to discover the rich bird and marine life, the exotic flora, nature reserves and working estates of cinnamon and coconuts, breadfruit and bananas and all wonder of strange tropical fruits. If ever there was a region perfect for expedition cruising it is here and the Silver Discoverer, which we have chartered for this expedition, is the perfect size and equipped vessel for our voyage. The Itinerary SEYCHELLES Day 1 London to Dar es Salaam, chambers. Our next stop will be a TANZANIA INDIAN OCEAN Praslin, La Digue, Aride & Curieuse Tanzania. Fly by scheduled indirect spice farm in the countryside. We Amirante Islands Zanzibar flight. will drive past the Old Arab Fort Mahe and Dr Livingstone’s house en- Dar es Salaam Aldabra Alphonse Day 2 Dar es Salaam. Arrive today route and at the spice farm enjoy a and transfer to the Silver Discoverer guided tour and taste some of the Farquhar Cosmoledo in the early afternoon. Enjoy dinner exotic spices and fruits grown here. on board as we sail to Zanzibar. The different plants are grown for food flavouring, for cosmetics, as Day 3 Zanzibar. Today we will visit dyes and for traditional medicine. the first UNESCO World Heritage Alternatively, you might want to Expedition Highlights Site of our voyage, Stone Town, go swimming and snorkelling at a which is a fine example of a Swahili sandbank. To get there you will be • Visit Zanzibar’s Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site coastal trading town. At the City taken by traditional dhow and the • Swim and snorkel with rays and turtles Market we can see and smell the crystal clear waters will invite you • Look for the Indian Ocean’s largest red-footed booby colony on tropical fruits that are on offer as to explore the underwater world, Cosmoledo well as the freshly ground spices. looking for coral and fishes. Within walking distance is the • Walk legendary “Source d’Argent” beach on La Digue Anglican Church, built over the old Day 4 At Sea. Make full use of our • Visit Aldabra and Vallee du Mai, the two UNESCO World Heritage Great Slave Market where slaves small, manoeuvrable ship while we Sites in the Seychelles from all over East Africa were start covering the vast expanse of brought and kept in underground the Indian Ocean. Our lecturers will www.noble-caledonia.co.uk La Digue Eagle ray Zanzibar Red-footed booby offer talks preparing you for our visit tortoises living on this isolated seven square miles Alphonse Atoll. and another UNESCO World to the Seychelles, be it about its island that few travellers have the Alphonse Atoll has one island – Heritage Site. historical aspects or natural history. privilege to see. Alphonse Island – which in turn In addition, you can unwind, relax, has one small airfield. There is a Day 11 Aride & Curieuse. Aride and make use of the gym or Spa, or Day 7 Cosmoledo. Cosmoledo is population of less than 100 who is the northernmost island of the any of the other amenities aboard an atoll about 85 miles almost due work primarily in the small resort, granitic Seychelles. The island hosts the Silver Discoverer. east of Aldabra. The atoll has more fish or farm. Despite the presence of one of the most important seabird than 20 small islands and islets people, wedge-tailed shearwaters populations in the Indian Ocean Days 5 & 6 Aldabra Islands, and has been repeatedly used by breed on Alphonse and hawksbill with more breeding species Seychelles. During these two days humans for guano exploitation, and green sea turtles nest here. than any other island in the we have the opportunity to visit harvesting of local resources and More than 100 bird species have Seychelles. Eighteen species part of the Outer Islands of the fishing. Abandoned in 1992, the been recorded and (pending of native birds -with over one Seychelles. Aldabra is reputedly islands not only have recovered permission) we will visit nearby million seabirds- breed on Aride. the world’s second-largest atoll naturally, but a conservation Bijoutier and Saint Francois, true This includes the world’s largest and has been described as “one of organization has tried to eradicate uninhabited paradises for birding, colonies of lesser noddy and nature’s treasures” and it will truly introduced species. Cosmoledo swimming, snorkelling and diving. tropical shearwater, the world’s be a privilege to be able to visit is an Important Bird Area and we only hilltop colony of sooty terns this UNESCO World Heritage Site. will see the Indian Ocean’s largest Coconut crab and the western Indian Ocean’s Because of its extreme isolation, colony of red-footed boobies, largest colony of roseate tern. Aldabra is virtually untouched the Seychelles’ largest colony of The island has the only breeding by humans. Its distinctive island sooty terns, as well as black-naped colony of red-tailed tropicbird east fauna includes the Aldabra giant terns, crested terns and red-tailed of Aldabra and huge numbers tortoise and about two thirds of the tropicbirds. Two passes on the of brown noddy, white tern world population of giant tortoises southern side permit Zodiacs and wedge-tailed shearwater. live on Aldabra. As Aldabra lacks to enter the lagoon and several Thousands of great frigatebirds freshwater and is difficult to access, beaches wait to be explored, while and lesser frigatebirds soar over the island has not been developed snorkellers will find an interesting the northern cliffs. The island for tourism. No airport has been underwater world to keep them is largely covered in native built, and only a handful of smaller busy. woodland, including the endemic ships (with special permits) are wright’s gardenia, a shrub with allowed to call at this unique atoll. Day 8 Farquhar. The Farquhar beautifully scented flowers found We will anchor off Aldabra for Group is some 400 miles southwest Day 10 Amirante Islands. nowhere else in the world. During two days and enjoy exhilarating of Mahe and of this group, Farquhar Desroches Island is one of the lunch the Silver Discoverer drift snorkels as the incoming tide Atoll is the southernmost. The two Outer Islands of the Seychelles and repositions to Curieuse Island. whisks us into a lagoon populated main islands of the atoll (Farquhar the main island of the Amirante Curieuse has had a very checkered with eagle rays, turtles, and coral North and Farquhar South) look Islands. Located 230 kilometres and tragic history; it was used as gardens teeming with marine life. somewhat like a reined in seahorse, southwest of Mahe, it has a land a leper colony and remained so Time and tides permitting, we with the roads and an airstrip on area of only 3.24 kilometres until 1965. The doctor’s residence, cruise via Zodiac through narrow North Island being the reins. North squared, but 15 kilometres of fine which dates from the 1870s, is channels between fossilised coral Island has a small settlement. We sand beaches. The northern part now a museum and educational islands, and between mangrove- plan to go ashore by Zodiac to of the island is run as a coconut centre. There are also more than covered islands to observe large the make use of North Island’s plantation and farm and there is a 500 tortoises walking around the colonies of nesting boobies and beaches and to meet some of the settlement on the northern shore. island and eight different species Great frigatebirds soaring overhead. rarely visited inhabitants. Hawksbill The first coconut plantations were of mangrove trees. Birders will be As the tides pump water in and out and green sea turtles come to the started in 1875 and copra is still on the lookout for the Seychelles of the lagoon, massive numbers of atoll for nesting, and several of processed on the island before black parrot. The islands of fish come and go through channels the Farquhar Group’s islands are being transported to Mahe.