UK OFFICE
West Nautical18A Osborne RoadJesmondNewcastle upon TyneNE2 2ADUnited Kingdom
Tel: +44 191 478 9920
CYPRUS OFFICE
Limassol Marina,Nireas Building,Office 3,3601 Limassol,Cyprus
Tel: +3 572 505 1423
MIDDLE EAST OFFICE
The Binary Tower By Omniyat,8th Floor,Office 808,32 Marasi Drive Street,Business Bay,Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Tel: +1 646 207 7545
Welcome to India and Sri Lanka – prepare for fascinating culture, spectacular sunsets and world-renowned wildlife expeditions, not forgetting world class diving sites and jaw-dropping scenery.
Welcome to India! You will fly into Kochi and embark in Kochi International Marina. Settle in on board before heading out to explore the local area.
Fort Cochin is the home to some of the oldest European architecture in India and has been a significant settlement ever since Cochin Harbour was discovered. There are a number of brilliant restaurants and shops to explore.
Experience a traditional Keralan meal ashore before heading back to the yacht for a good night’s rest before your first full day of exploration tomorrow.
This morning, take a trip by car to Munnar, the landscape changing as you leave the coastal area and head up to the hill plantations, passing rubber, pineapple and coconut plantations on route.
Take a walk through the tea plantations, the route is very flexible and can be tailor-made to suit your fitness level. Taste some tea this afternoon at a local factory where you can learn about the tea picking process.
In the evening return to Kochi for dinner and drinks on board, a traditional dance show can be arranged if organised in advance.
Today you will discover the Periyar National Park. It’s approximately a four hour drive to the region so the trip requires an early start. The park is renowned as an elephant and tiger reserve. This park covers 357 square miles of land and incorporates two main rivers, the Pamba and Periyar, which run through the park, helping the flora and fauna to thrive in this region.
Enjoy a guided walk, keeping your eyes peeled for some of the illusive wildlife. Alternatively, safaris can be booked to cover more land by car. In the afternoon you will visit a spice plantation which is always an interesting and educational experience.
After an action packed day make your way back on board the yacht in Kochi after the return drive for dinner and drinks under the stars.
Awake in Kanyakumari after cruising the passage overnight.
Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of peninsular India and the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Besides its importance as a Hindu pilgrim centre, it is famous for its beautiful views of sunrise and sunset over the waters.
Spend the morning relaxing on board and making the most of the yacht’s amenities. In the afternoon, head out and explore the local markets and sites. There is much to see, from the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, where revered Indian poet and Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda visited in 1892, to the 3,000 year old Kumari Amman Temple, where you can pay your respects to Goddess Kanya Kumar.
In the evening head back on board and settle in for the evening, ready to experience one of Kanyakumari’s spectacular sunsets.
Sunsets are particularly special on full moon nights, when the moon rises from the sea opposite the setting sun at about the same time.
This morning you will arrive in Colombo after making another overnight passage from Kanyakumari.
Whether or not this bustling, surprising, cosmopolitan city was named from the Sinhala Kola-amba-thota – “Harbour with leafy mango trees” – it is apt. Strategically-placed in the Indian Ocean, this port has been a wide open door to visitors for centuries.
From the early Arab traders to the 21st century Western fashion manufacturers – Colombo re-invents herself, rising like a victorious phoenix from the ashes of colonisation.
This chameleon city absorbs new influences, while still retaining her own unique Sri Lankan character.
Enjoy a half or full day tour of the city. The tour covers the main sights of Colombo: the Pettah district and the harbour, the grand old colonial buildings in York Street and St. Peter’s Church, which was where the Dutch Governor had his quarters, and the Gangaramaya temple. The day can begin or end at Geoffrey Bawa’s former studio, now the Gallery Café.s.
Today is dedicated to diving. Bathed in warm Indian Ocean currents, and with nearly 1600 kilometres/1000 miles of palm-fringed coastline, Sri Lanka is an amazing dive destination. This island nation has, for millennia, been a crossroads of historic shipping lanes, the Silk Road and other trade routes have shaped its unique culture.
The waters of Sri Lanka are home to an incredible range of marine creatures from massive blue whales all the way through to tiny gloomy nudibranch. There is an abundance of great sites to discover including great wreck dives which are scattered off the coast.
Local divers are still discovering new wrecks as they explore the waters of this island nation. Many of the wrecks are covered in marine life; soft corals, macro critters and large aggregations of schooling fish.
You will also have the opportunity to discover life beneath the waves from the comfort of the on board submersible, which gives a different but equally awe-inspiring perspective of this marine environment.
This morning, after breakfast, you will head out to discover Kandy. The Sinhala word for hill, Kandy was an impenetrable fortress for the Sinhala monarchs buried deep in jungle. It withstood the onslaught of three colonial powers long after the rest of the island had been ransacked for cinnamon, sapphires and other spoils.
The Kandyans are a proud race, possessive about culinary finesse. They are incredible hosts, which is why many hotels are still family owned. Travelling up along hairpin bends you soon realise why the Brits needed to build trains to ease the strain!
Enjoy a helicopter tour of the region, it is a great way to get a sense of the landscape from above. Make a stop at the Botanical Gardens with an expert and have lunch in the gardens.
In the afternoon, if time allows, you can travel into Kandy to visit the Temple of the Tooth and explore the city before returning to Colombo in the evening.
You will wake this morning in Galle after an overnight passage.
Old Galle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Galle Fort itself is still a living monument with a bustling community within the great ramparts, massive bastions and pepper pot towers, while narrow streets display its Dutch heritage with pillared verandas and fretwork facades.
Walking around is best so you can peep through frangipani filled courtyards at houses, galleries or shops selling antiques, spices, pictures, nouveau-boule and hand-woven sarongs.
Boutique hotels in Galle sit alongside postage-stamp size cafes, so you are never far from a perfect sun-downer. Step outside the citadel, and ‘New Galle’ is a different city with a different agenda, tussling with bustle, noise and chaotic traffic coming in every direction.
After a day of exploration head back to the yacht and enjoy views of this spectacular city with cocktails in hand.
Wake at anchor in Galle. You will spend today at the Yala National Park and Safari.
Sri Lanka is a tropical country with diverse ecological conditions that provoke an equally diverse range of wildlife. With many flora and fauna being endemic or indigenous to the island, Sri Lanka boasts a biota that is as unique and varied as it is abundant.
Sri Lanka’s two main national parks – Yala and Wilpattu - offer a total protected area of more than 2300 sq km (230000 hectares) and boast a stunning array of wildlife. Yala has become recognised for having one of the highest densities of leopards in the world.
Sri Lanka’s nature reserves are also home to a varied birdlife of over 400 recorded species, including 33 endemic birds. The many lakes and rivers that bring life to the parks are also home to mugger and saltwater crocodiles. The coastline brings in endangered sea turtles; and the grasses, dry open plains, and dense jungle hide a mixture of tropical lizards, snakes, frogs, and insects.
Explore the park from the comfort of a custom built Toyota jeep. You will experience the unique thrill of interacting with Sri Lanka’s beautiful wildlife, up close and personal!
You will make an overnight passage back to Colombo from which today you will discover Sigiriya.
A Palace. A Rock Fortress. King Kassyapa’s castle hide-out. A Buddhist monastery from the 3rd until the 14th century. The cosmic mountain-Meru itself? The Eighth Wonder of the World?
Nowhere in Sri Lanka do so many melodramatic theories and legends contrast as over the inaccessible monolith rising 600 feet out of an awe inspiring landscape. Of the most recent theories, the eminent Sinhala scholar Paranvitana claims that Sigiriya was a deliberate attempt to emulate Alakamanda, the mythical Himalayan mountain paradise of Kuvera - God of Riches who had long associations with Anuradapura Kings.
A full day helicopter tour of this phenomenal site can be arranged. A local expert guide can also be arranged to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress, followed by lunch at Vil Uyana. Time permitting you can also visit the Dambulla Cave Temples.
Spend the morning on board relaxing or exploring the harbour one more time before disembarking at 1200.
