Description
Start the New Year with an expedition aboard the MS Caledonian Sky that combines discovering beautiful, tropical islands, some of which are a mere dot in the Indian Ocean with the natural wonders of Madagascar. Our voyage begins with five days in the Seychelles including the magnificent Aldabra islands before we sail to the world’s ‘eighth continent’.
The term ‘unique’ is often an overused description in the travel world but certainly applies to the island of Madagascar. The animals, plants, landscapes and people that make up this thousand mile long island are unlike anywhere else in the world. This extraordinary country long remained obscure as a destination and is still relatively unknown amongst even the most serious of travellers. There is minimal infrastructure in many parts of the island and for those wishing to explore the island in some depth, doing so by small ship, especially one as wellsuited as the MS Caledonian Sky is far more preferable than by any other means. After a day exploring, often along untarred roads with basic transportation you can return to the comfort of the MS Caledonian Sky to recharge before the next adventure. With the vessel’s fleet of Zodiacs for forays ashore, allowing access to the wonderful places denied to larger ships and, accompanied by our onboard experts you can learn and enjoy encounters with fabulous endemic wildlife in this immensely rich and timeless corner of the Indian Ocean.
In addition to the breathtaking scenery, the region abounds with strange and wonderful plants and trees, countless varieties of birds and abundant wildlife including the iconic lemur. The long separation from the African mainland has given rise to its amazing number of endemic species of flora and fauna and its people are also unique having descended from Malay – Polynesian mariners who sailed from South East Asia between 1500 to 2000 years ago. Later arrivals included slaves from Africa, traders from Arabia, India and Portugal and more latterly French colonials.