From Victoria on the island of Mahé, sail to Praslin. Visit the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve. There find sea coconuts, gigantic endemic fruits with a very evocative shape, nicknamed the “love nut”. Further on, the small islands of Alphonse and Astove will be an opportunity to snorkel and dive among brightly-colored sea life. Then reach the Glorioso Islands, part of the Scattered Islands. This beautiful archipelago with very few inhabitants is home to exceptional fauna and flora including, in particular, marine turtles. Finally, reach Madagascar, the island continent, and disembark in Nosy Be, known for its beautiful old-growth forests where rosewood, camphor, and ylang-ylang trees thrive.
Highlights
Discover the Seychelles, the Scattered Islands and Madagascar
Visit UNESCO World Heritage site - Vallée de Mai nature reserve in Praslin
Embark on the Le Bougainville at the port of Victoria, Mahé.
Discover Mahé, the main island of Seychelles and also the largest of the archipelago, home to the capital, Victoria. Mahé has almost 70 beaches of fine sand, framed by the emblematic granite rocks, and whose crystal clear waters are renowned for their rich underwater life. The island is also famous for its splendid mountain panoramas accessible on hikes, such as the Morne Seychellois, which is 905 meters high and overlooks the Indian Ocean. Mahé is also an island full of history where fine colonial properties rub shoulders with Creole houses - and don’t forget the marvelous Botanical Gardens in Victoria.
Situated some forty kilometers away from Victoria, Praslin is the second-largest island in Seychelles. Its idyllic beaches where granite rocks nestle in immaculate sand correspond perfectly to how we imagine Seychelles to be. They invite visitors to dive into the turquoise waters, which are ideal for snorkeling. In the center of the island, hidden in the heart of the stunning tropical rainforest, lies the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this veritable plant sanctuary, several endemic species of palm trees can be observed, as well as the famous sea coconut, which can weigh up to 20 kg and is sometimes called “coco fesse” because its shape calls to mind a pair of buttocks.
In the heart of Seychelles’ Outer Islands, the coral islands located more than 200 km south of Mahé, the Saint-Joseph Atoll is a magnificent ring of coral islets surrounding a splendid lagoon sparkling in turquoise and emerald green. Since 2014, it has been an integral part of the “D'Arros and St. Joseph Atoll Special Reserve”, a national park and protected a marine area that preserves the unique biodiversity of these sites. This veritable nursery for Hawksbill sea turtles, juvenile reef fish, including several species of ray and shark (blacktip reef shark, sickle in lemon shark) attracts big fish that swim up from the drop-off of the Amirantes plateau, located only two kilometers from the atoll.
Alphonse Island is located off the Seychelles archipelago. Discovered in 1730 by the Knight Alphonse de Pontevez, this island, specialized in coconut processing in the past, is now a veritable natural reserve, home to different species of marine mammals, sea turtles, and many birds. Alphonse Island is also renowned for its rich underwater life and coral, among the best preserved in the Indian Ocean. A marvelous spectacle that can be admired with just a mask!
The Cosmoledo Atoll owes its nickname, the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, to the beauty of its underwater world, which attracts the most experienced divers: parrotfish, giant rays, and clams inhabit the reefs of its crystal waters. The fascinating marine life comes alive as the multi-colored fish, making the most of the protection of the extraordinary coral reef, come together to feed in the currents formed by the sweeping movements of the tides. Exploited in the past for coconut and agave, the atoll is now uninhabited, apart from an eco-resort in the heart of the nature reserve, which shelters green turtles and significant colonies of sooty terns and red-footed boobies.
Assumption Island is part of the Aldabra group (Outer Islands), situated in the south-west of Seychelles. Discovered in the mid-18th century by the French captain Nicolas Morphey, this bean-shaped island covered in dunes and shrubs is relatively flat. A handful of people live there, in a small village on the island’s west. The island’s beaches are a major egg-laying and breeding site for sea turtles. The surrounding waters are ideal for scuba diving. This is where Jacques-Yves Cousteau filmed some of the scenes for his famous documentary film “The Silent World”, released in 1956.
Closer to Madagascar than to Victoria, Astove is the southernmost island in Seychelles. It is part of the Aldabra group, in the Outer Islands of Seychelles. Now uninhabited, this coral island covered in coconut trees was once home to the employees that worked on the coconut plantations. Renowned for the richness of its seabeds, Astove Atoll is now a top destination for fishing enthusiasts. It also attracts experienced divers, who visit the atoll to explore the “Astove Wall”, where the seafloor drops to a depth of about 40 meters. The wall is covered in coral and many fish and green sea turtles can be found there.
The Scattered Islands are like minuscule confetti sprinkled around Madagascar and form an archipelago of unrivaled beauty. Their geographical isolation and their very limited human settlement make them a true geological sanctuary, classed as a nature reserve since 1975. Regularly used as the “zero point” in scientific studies, they offer their rare visitors almost pristine vegetation composed mainly of mangrove, as well as long beaches of shimmering sand stretching out behind turquoise lagoons, and coral reefs that are home to the world’s highest concentration of sea turtles.
During your cruise, your ship will stop in Nosy Komba, otherwise known as “lemur island”. Not far from the Madagascar mainland, this volcanic island shaped like a gigantic turtle shell is covered in the dense tropical rainforest. This vegetation is home to amusing black lemurs – furry orange-brown and black creatures that are surprisingly agile and call to each other from amongst the trees. The many small beaches and the emerald-colored water make Nosy Komba a natural gem that only a select few visits.
In the heart of the Nosy Be archipelago, discover Nosy Tanikely, nicknamed the “island of little earth.” In addition to a magnificent white sand beach bordering a lagoon of crystal-clear waters, the uninhabited island has exceptional marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Thanks to this, the area has been classified as a “marine and coastal protected area” since 2010. It is a perfect spot for swimming and snorkeling. Hiking fans won’t be left out either: a stunning walk that climbs to the summit of the island will enable them to discover the old lighthouse built at the beginning of the 20th century and enjoy superb views over the ocean and surrounding islands.
Day 10: Nosy Be | Disembark | Flight to Mauritius
1 Breakfast
Nosy Be (from the Malagasy: Nosy meaning island and Be meaning large), in the Mozambique Channel, is located near the north-eastern coastlines of Madagascar. A former French protectorate, known under the promising name of “the scented island”, of volcanic origin, it is located on a maritime route with access to India and Asia. Cosmopolitan, a boulevard of encounters, its mixed-race and multicultural population still remembers its past as a significant trading post. Today, its 321 km² enchant lovers of nature and idyllic beaches. Its sumptuous primary forest is home to animals that are endemic to the island as well as surprising flora.
After breakfast aboard the ship, disembark in Nosy Be where you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Mauritius.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$5,910
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Deluxe Stateroom
Area: 19 m²
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
4m² Private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
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Prestige Stateroom Deck 4
Area: 19 m²
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
4m² private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
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Prestige Stateroom Deck 5
Area: 19 m²
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
4m² private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
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Prestige Stateroom Deck 6
Area: 19 m²
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
4m² private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
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Deluxe Suite
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
6m² private balcony
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Prestige Suite Deck 5
Area: 38 m²
8m² private balcony
King-size bed or twin beds
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Prestige Suite Deck 6
Area: 38 m²
8m² private balcony
King-size bed or twin beds
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Privilege Suite
Area: 32 m²
Capacity: up to 4 passengers per cabin
8m² private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
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Grand Deluxe Suite
Area: 45 m²
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
30m² private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
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Owner's Suite
Area: 45 m²
Capacity: up to 2 passengers per cabin
30m² private balcony; King-size bed or twin beds
Notes
*Rates are capacity controlled and are subject to change without notice.
Cruise fares are per person and include the following:
All meals while on board the ship
Captain’s welcome cocktail and gala dinner
Gratuities to onboard crew, local guides, and drivers
Evening entertainment and events
24h room service (special selection)
Highly experienced bilingual (French-English) Expedition team.
Water sports activities (except scuba diving) using the ship’s equipment, when permitted by local authorities and confirmed by ship Master according to safety and sea conditions onsite
Open Bar (pouring wines, house champagne, alcohol except premium brands...list available upon request)
Free and unlimited Wi-Fi (Internet access may be slower or in some situations interrupted, depending on certain geographic locations or other circumstances beyond our control).
Cruise, Flights, and Transfers program rates are per person and also include:
On disembarkation day, transfer from the port to Nosy Be airport, flight Nosy-Be/Mauritius
Meet and Greet by representatives at the destination airport
Cruise fares do not include:
Any ground services before and/or after the cruise other than the ones mentioned in each “Cruise, Flights & Transfers” package and for which details are available upon request
Optional pre and post cruise programs, overlands and excursions
Visa expenses (which may include additional administrative charges imposed by the authorities of a country) and/or immigration reciprocity taxes, if applicable
Luggage handling
Optional Spa package to be booked prior to your departure; please ask for more information
Beverages other than the ones mentioned
Laundry services, hair salon, and à la carte Spa treatments
Personal expenses, on board medical consultations, and drug prescriptions
Dives when authorized by local authorities and feasible with ship equipment and Zodiacs®. Rates: €70 per standard dive; €80 per dive when local equipment or staff must be used, €80 for a “discover scuba dive” course, on some cruises a dive package might be on offer. In order to participate to diving sessions, guests must have with them a medical certificate less than 1-year-old and their up to date dive book.
Please note:
These voyages include activities such as Zodiac® landings (sometimes wet landings), Zodiac® outings, moderate walks, to more active hikes. All this accompanied by your expedition team of naturalist guides. Considering the nature of the programs, a reasonable level of mobility is required to enjoy these expeditions.
Ports of call, visited sites, outings and landings will depend on weather conditions, position of ice, winds and the state of the sea. These can force a change of plans at any time. The Captain and the Expedition Leader may at any time cancel or stop any activity, or even modify the itinerary. The final itinerary will be confirmed by the Captain, who will take into account the touristic quality of the sites and above all, the safety of the passengers. His decision will be based on advice from experts and authorities.
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
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