Indian Ocean
A real feast for the senses, India is awash with colour, smells
and spices. Although there is still hustle and bustle of towns and
cities, the low rise buildings ooze authentic charm and culture so
different to anywhere else in the world.
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is the main cruise port, and is
memorable beyond imagination. Amongst it's chaos and excess, it's
landmarks include colour markets such as Mangaldas Market or
Crawford Market, world class restaurants to fill you up ready for
the next adventure, and stately architecture such as the High Court
or the University of Mumbai. Perhaps most breathtaking are
the rock cut temples on Elephanta Island, named after a large stone
elephant near the shore which collapsed in 1814 and now stands in
Mumbai's Victoria Gardens. Carved into basalt rock, this is
one of the most impressive collections of temple carvings in
India.
Cruising away from India and into the warm waters of the Indian
Ocean, idyllic islands await you, including Mauritius, the
Seychelles and Sri Lanka. Paradise at it's best.
Find your specialist
Mahe is the largest of the Seychelles Islands, with 68 beaches
for you to take your pick from, all with powdery white sands. From
it's peaks you can see the other islands, surrounded by coral
reefs, and the capital, Victoria, boasts Creole restaurants and
markets and galleries. Highlights include giant tortoises at the
Botanical Gardens.
Praslin provides a home for some of the world's rarest birds,
including the Black Parrot but is most famous for Vallee de Mai, a
forest of rare palms and flowers.
La Digue is rumoured to be one of the most beautiful islands in
the world. You can get about on bicycle or cart to see the giant
naturally sculptured boulders seen in most photos of the
Seychelles, and the bird sanctuary which is home to the last
remaining Paradise Flycatchers.
Mauritius is a mixture of old and new cultures, white sandy
beaches and tropical forests. Average daily temperature is 27
degrees Celsius and rarely below 20 at night time, although
November to April is the hottest time of year. The island's
history stems back to the sixteenth century when the Portuguese
visited as the first Europeans. It was the Dutch however who
settled on the island and named it after Prince Maurice of Nassau.
Years later the French occupied the island and this was when the
harbour 'Port Louis' was built. In the north, Grand Bay is sure to
provide a good night out after some shopping.
To the east of the island, Ile aux Cerfs is a must for water
sport lovers and has the most beautiful beach on the island. In the
south east, La Vanilla Reserve des Mascareigenes has giant
tortoises which roam free and Nile crocodiles to see. There are
20,000 species of insects including butterflies from all over the
world. The west provides opportunities to see dolphins playing in
the ocean. Finally, further inland, you can follow the Tea Route to
the tea factory and museum, and vanilla plantations.
For such a small island, Sri Lanka has just as much to offer as
some of the larger islands in this region. Waterfalls and ambling
rivers, blue lagoons and sandy beaches frame the ancient cities and
vibrant cultures of this island. But it's the people who really
make this island the welcoming, diverse paradise it is, many having
had to start again from scratch after the Tsunami in 2004. Shop
till you drop for trinkets and crafts in the morning before
mountain biking round the island in the afternoon