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Seychelles an Expedition Through the Beautiful Seychelles to Tanzania Aboard the MS Serenissima 7 Th to 23Rd December 2019 Giant Tortoise, Aldabra

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Seychelles an Expedition Through the Beautiful Seychelles to Tanzania Aboard the MS Serenissima 7 Th to 23Rd December 2019 Giant Tortoise, Aldabra SPECIAL OFFER - SAVE UP TO £1500 PER PERSON ISLAND HOPPING IN THE SEYCHELLES AN EXPEDITION THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL SEYCHELLES TO TaNZANIA ABOARD THE MS SERENISSIMA 7 TH TO 23RD DECEMBER 2019 Giant Tortoise, Aldabra Exploring Aldabra by Zodiac oin us aboard the delightful MS Serenissima as we explore the bountiful islands of the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles offers the visitor a tropical SEYCHELLES J TANZANIA INDIAN OCEAN Praslin, La Digue, beauty that is difficult, if not impossible to match anywhere else in the world. Aride & Curieuse Amirante Islands Spread out over a vast area of the Indian Ocean, they offer everything from Zanzibar Mahe quiet sophistication and enchanting scenery to wild and uninhabited nature Dar es Salaam Mafia Island reserves, where the very remoteness of the islands has protected them from the Aldabra Alphonse worst excesses of mankind. We know the region well having operated vessels Kilwa Kisiwani Farquhar 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 and venturing ashore by Zodiac, landing on a deserted beach to discover the rich bird and marine life, the exotic flora, nature reserves and working estates. If ever there was a region perfect for expedition cruising it is here and the MS Serenissima is the perfect size and equipped vessel for our voyage. Our journey will include all aspects of this extraordinary island nation from the developed Inner Seychelles with staggeringly beautiful islands such as Praslin and La Digue to the less known and rarely visited Outer Seychelles. Here we will sail all the way to Aldabra, the world’s largest coral atoll and a World Heritage Site. Being one of the most difficult places in the world to access and having a lack of freshwater has savedAldabra from any tourism development and only small vessels like the MS Serenissima are allowed to visit. It is therefore 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. What to Expect Flexibility is the key to an expedition cruise; their time passing up the shore, allowing plenty waiting for their feathers to grow so that they sometimes the whole day’s schedule will of bird photos to be taken. We then found could fly. Seychelles fodies were everywhere be changed to maximise your experience, little patches of beach to land on and to have a while common moorhens ran around in something that would not be possible on a small walk about or a little swim or paddle. All the undergrowth, far away from water. This large cruise ship. Each day holds something the while the tide was quickly dropping and the afternoon we were back in our trusty Zodiacs new and below are some extracts from recent beaches were becoming larger and larger. Soon for a short ride to a very civilised landing ship logs to provide you with an understanding it was time to head back to the ship and set sail on a floating pontoon inside the busy little of what you can expect from such an for the Farquhar Group of islands. Once back harbour at La Digue. Here we boarded our expedition: aboard we enjoyed lunch, followed by great camionettes, converted trucks with seats in talk all about the biology of coral reefs. the back, for our tour of the island. The more Cosmoledo: Today we had another day in adventurous among us boarded bicycles and the Aldabra group this time to the island Aride & La Digue: Aride is a nature reserve headed off to explore independently. We of Cosmoledo. Like the other islands of the famed for its birdlife. The intrepid birders set drove through the little village of La Passe, Aldabra group this is an uplifted coral island. It out early and were rewarded with the sight of full of weaving bicycles, to the l’Union Estate was an early start due to the tide times and at birds that were totally unafraid of man, many where we were shown all the processes used 7:30am the flotilla of Zodiacs made the journey of them at very close range. The birds were in exploiting the coconuts, from dehusking into the mouth of the atoll, across the lagoon to certainly friendly as were the two species to the copra kiln and the coconut oil mill, the eastern shore. Once we arrived the site was of skink. White-tailed tropicbirds swooped powered by a very patient and placid bull. We wondrous. Thousands of nesting birds sitting through the woodland and crash landed in were also taken to the original old plantation on the coral rock. They were mostly boobies, the shrubbery on their way to their nests, their house. We clambered back aboard our both red footed and masked, but there were landing technique a stark contrast to their camionettes for a short ride to the beach at also species of herons, terns, noddies, frigate grace in flight. The fairy terns sat on their L’Anse Source d’Argent for a swim. The beach birds and tropic birds. The sea was also full of branches and met us eye to eye. Most people is famous, much photographed because turtles. There seemed to be hundreds darting got to see the fluffy little chicks, hatched of the dramatic contrast of rugged granite about in the shallow water. The Zodiacs took on a bare branch and now moving around, boulders, white sand and clear blue sea. www.noble-caledonia.co.uk Fairy Tern Whale shark, Mafia Island Aldabra Castle ruin, Kilwa Kisiwani The Itinerary Day 1 London to Mahe, restored 19th century colonial house. Days 8 to 10 Aldabra Islands. We Day 11 At Sea. Our lecture Seychelles. Fly by scheduled Rent a bicycle, relax or swim from have two and a half days to enjoy programme continues as we spend indirect flight. one of the beaches. the Aldabra group of islands the day at sea sailing towards and our itinerary will be in the Tanzania. Day 2 Mahe. Arrive today and Day 5 Amirante Islands. The 28 hands of our Expedition Leader transfer to the MS Serenissima for islands in the Amirante Group and Captain who will monitor Day 12 Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania. embarkation. Enjoy welcome drinks of islands were discovered by the local conditions to ensure we Our first call in Tanzania will be at and dinner as we remain moored Vasco de Gama in 1501 and are maximise our time here. Whilst Kilwa Kisiwani, a site of exceptional overnight. considered to be some of the most our itinerary is flexible we hope historical interest, where the pristine and untouched islands to reach Cosmoledo where a atmospheric ruins represent Day 3 Aride & Curieuse. Sail in in the world. We hope to spend huge ring of twelve islands circle a wide sweep of East African the early morning to Aride one time on Desroches, the largest a lagoon. Many of the atolls coastal history, from the heights of the finest and most important of the islands, although still only are still to be surveyed and we of the Swahili and Shirazi trading seabird islands in the Indian Ocean. measuring six kilometres by 1.5 will explore some of them by civilisation to the darker days of Over one million seabirds breed kilometres. Enjoy nature walks Zodiac. This is an Important Bird slavery and the uprisings against on the island including tropical with our onboard naturalists and and Biodiversity Area with all German rule. Once one of Africa’s shearwater, lesser noddy, frigate the island’s conservation team three species of booby found wealthiest towns, Kilwa Kisiwani is birds and roseate tern in addition observing the flora and fauna and in the Seychelles including the now a UNESCO World Heritage to five species unique to the in particular the giant tortoises and last breeding site for the brown Site and contains the world’s most Seychelles such as the Seychelles nesting turtles. Keen snorkellers booby. Also spot sooty terns extensive and best preserved warbler and Seychelles magpie will have the chance to swim over and great frigate birds. We will Swahili ruins. On a morning walking robin. The island is largely covered the outlying coral. also spend time on Aldabra, the tour we will see the prominent in native woodland, including the island referred to by Sir Julian fort and the Great Mosque which endemic Wright’s gardenia, a shrub Day 6 Alphonse Islands. There are Huxley as “One of nature’s stood at the heart of the ancient with beautifully scented flowers three islands in the Alphonse group treasures and should belong city and was once the largest in found nowhere else in the world. which is located directly south of to the whole world”. Aldabra is East Africa. Return to the ship for We will sail over lunch to Curieuse, the Amirantes. As we approach unique and every time we call at lunch and spend the afternoon a rugged island which was once the islands over lunch you will what is believed to be the world’s at leisure or join members of the home to a leper colony and now understand why they are regarded largest atoll we find something expedition team on one of the houses an eco-museum and visitor by many to be the most beautiful new of interest.
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