South Africa & the Indian Ocean | Cape Town to Colombo

JANUARY 16, 2016

SOUTH AFRICA & THE

INDIAN OCEAN SAIL FROM CAPE TOWN TO COLOMBO THROUGH THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL OCEAN

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26-days departing January 16, 2016

A voyage

your itinerary DATE

PORT

ARRIVE

DEPART

JAN 16

Depart UK

JAN 17

Arrive CAPE TOWN South Africa Embark Aegean Odyssey

overnight

JAN 18

CAPE TOWN South Africa

overnight

JAN 19

CAPE TOWN South Africa

7.00pm

JAN 20

At Sea

JAN 21

PORT ELIZABETH South Africa 8.00am (Addo Elephant Park)

JAN 22

At Sea

JAN 23

RICHARDS BAY South Africa (Hluhluwe Game Reserve)

JAN 24

RICHARDS BAY South Africa (St Lucia Nature Reserve)

2.00pm

5.00am overnight 2.00pm

JAN 25-27 At Sea JAN 28

MAYOTTE Comoros

2.00pm

6.00pm

JAN 29/30 At Sea JAN 31

MAHE Seychelles

2.00pm

overnight

FEB 1

MAHE Seychelles

6.00pm

FEB 2

PRASLIN/LA DIGUE Seychelles 8.00am

6.00pm

FEB 3-5

At Sea

FEB 6

KUDA BANDOS Maldives

FEB 7

At Sea

FEB 8

COLOMBO Sri Lanka 8.00am Disembark and transfer to hotel overnight hotel

FEB 9

COLOMBO (Kandy) Sri Lanka

FEB 10

COLOMBO Sri Lanka Transfer to Colombo Airport for flight home

1.00pm

10.00pm

overnight hotel

AEG160117

Colombo, Sri Lanka

across the indian ocean

Colombo

Sri Lanka

Kuda Bandos

Maldives

South African game parks give way to tropical islands,

Praslin/La Digue Mahe Comoros Seychelles Mayotte

jungle landscapes and Buddhist temples.

Combine Cape Town and South Africa’s natural wonders with the incredible beauty of the islands of the Indian Ocean to the exotic temples and colonial legacy of Sri Lanka.

Cruise features include: • 3 days on board in Cape Town • 3 Safaris - Addo Elephant Park/Hluhluwe Game Reserve/ St Lucia Nature Reserve • Beach barbecue in the Maldives • Two-night hotel stay in Colombo • Visit to Kandy and the Temple of the Tooth SPECIAL EARLY BOOKING SAVINGS

Indian Ocean South Africa

Richards Bay

Cape Town Port Elizabeth

Res er v e you r ca bin n ow – call 0845 437 9737 or vis it www. voyages toa n tiqu ity. com

cruise from africa to asia across the glorious indian ocean january 16, 2016

YOUR JOURNEY

Day 1 London to Cape Town Overnight flight to South Africa.

Day 2 Cape Town South Africa Arrive Cape Town Airport and transfer to Aegean Odyssey.

Day 3 Cape Town Your included morning sightseeing tour includes an unforgettable trip up Table Mountain by cable car. Table Mountain gets its name from the flat topped central massif of the mountain, which viewed from the city, is surrounded by Devil’s Peak on the left, Lion’s Head on the right, and Signal Hill in the foreground. On your way back to the ship, you’ll enjoy an orientation tour of the city.

After lunch on board Aegean Odyssey, there’s an optional excursion by boat to Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1960, it has become synonymous with the political struggle against apartheid in South Africa and past political prisoners have included Nelson Mandela and poet Dennis Brutus.

Idyllic islands of the Indian Ocean

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Cape Town’s lively Victoria & Albert waterfront

Day 4 Cape Town A free day in Cape Town with time to do some shopping or perhaps head out of town. There’s a choice of full day optionals available – the Cape Peninsula tour or the Cape Winelands tour. The Cape Winelands region is the source of many legendary Cape wines, the produce of row-upon-row of grapevines, many of which were first planted hundreds of years ago. You’ll visit the towns of Paarl and Stellenbosch and enjoy tastings and cellar tours at two wellknown wine estates. The Cape Peninsula tour takes you on one of South Africa's most scenic routes to Cape Point, the most south-westerly tip of Africa and features

Hluhluwe Game Reserve

Camps Bay, the Twelve Apostles and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In the afternoon, pay a visit to the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. In the evening, we set sail for Port Elizabeth.

Day 5 At sea Enjoy a leisure day on board Aegean Odyssey.

Day 6 Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth is South Africa’s fifth largest city and is located on the Indian Ocean coast half-way between Cape Town and Durban. Also known as the friendly city and the windy city, it tends to live up to both names. Today, we visit the Addo

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Elephant Park, which consists of over 51,000 hectacres of bush country and is home to over 450 elephants. Although it belongs to the same species as the African Elephant, the reddish Addo Elephant is smaller with more rounded ears, while the females generally have no tusks. On a game drive through the park by coach, you will hopefully be able to encounter this rare animal, as well as a variety of other game, which was recently introduced to the reserve. This includes lion, hyena, cheetah, zebra, eland, kudu, red hartebeest and wild dogs.

Day 7 At sea Perhaps take in a lecture today, visit the gym or just laze by the pool.

Day 8 Richards Bay The town of Richards Bay lies at the sea edge of an ancient floodplain, almost halfway between Durban and Kosi Bay and it acts as a gateway to Zululand and Maputaland. Here, we enjoy an included drive to Hluhluwe Game Reserve.

Proclaimed a game reserve in 1895, Hluhluwe has since become well known for its small population of the rare white rhino.

In addition to rhino, the reserve has a spectacular variety of bird and animal life, including elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, blue wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, cheetah, mountain reedbuck, kudu and warthog.

Enjoy your buffet lunch at the Hilltop Restaurant, surrounded by beautiful scenery. After lunch, depart on another exciting game drive before returning to the ship.

Day 9 Richards Bay Today you’ll discover the wildlife from the water as you visit the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and enjoy a cruise on beautiful Lake St Lucia.

Your boat affords the best views of the nesting sites of crocodiles and hippos that make their home in the estuary. This is also home to 526 different kinds of bird species, favourites of which are the African Fish Eagle and the Mangrove Kingfisher.

Enjoy time ashore in Richards Bay before a late evening departure.

Days 10-12 At sea Three whole days to enjoy life on board Aegean Odyssey.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park

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Mayotte Botanical Gardens

Day 13 Mayotte Comoros Islands The Comoros Islands are rich in natural beauty and colonial heritage and in March 2009 the islands voted to become France’s 101st department. Today there is a choice of tours. Take the pedestrian ferry to visit La Petite Terre for a feel of the island’s colonial past then head to a viewpoint for views of the stunning Mayotte Lagoon.

Or discover the eastern coast of Mayotte with its tropical flora and local culture where you’ll visit a wonderful garden full of the scent of local plants and spices, relax on the pristine Musical Beach and visit the Botanical Gardens.

Praslin from the island of La Digue

Day 16 Mahe Seychelles This afternoon discover Mahe, the largest island in the Seychelles, measuring 28km by 8km. The focus of your tour is the capital Victoria where you’ll see the bustling market and stroll through the magical Botanical Garden. Then drive to San Soucis Mountain and the Mission Lodge, where liberated slave children were once educated.

Day 17 Mahe Today you can explore the charms of the island for yourself – with a backdrop of towering granite peaks and its treasure trove of flora, it’s a wonderful place to

Days 14/15 At sea

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spend a day. Or opt for a Coral Cruise to the reef barrier and view the underwater world from a glass-bottomed boat – you can also enjoy some hand fish feeding and snorkelling.

Day 18 Praslin and La Digue Blessed with warm azure waters and fringed by teaming coral reefs, La Digue is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Victoria. It boasts beautiful beaches and a very relaxing atmosphere. Alternatively, you can tender across to the second largest of the Seychelles and spend some time on Praslin. Basking in tranquillity, it seems unchanged since the earliest settlers stumbled across it.

EXPERT GUEST SPEAKERS

The beautiful Maldives

Temple of the Tooth, Kandy

Days 19-21 At sea Day 22 Kuda Bandos Maldives Imagine yourself as Robinson Crusoe on this visit to an uninhabited island with sugar-white sands, crystal-clear waters and brilliant coral reefs. Tender ashore to relax, swim, explore and enjoy a beach party on this 15-acre private island.

Day 23 At sea Day 24 Colombo Sri Lanka Disembark for a 2-night hotel-stay and sightseeing of this city with its astonishing blend of the modern and exotic. Drive past Dutch and British colonial-era architecture, and admire the colorful murals and statues of the Lord Buddha at the Asokaramaya Temple, built over a century ago.

Day 25 Colombo (Kandy) On your last day, you’ll journey to the sacred city of Kandy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of unusual beauty and the location of the temple containing a tooth of Buddha. The scenic drive takes us into Sri Lanka’s stunning hill country to Peradeniya and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Continue on to Kandy, founded in the 14th century and the last capital of Sri Lanka’s kings. After lunch, take a guided tour of the monumental Temple of the Tooth where the sacred relic is enshrined.

Day 25 Colombo Transfer to Colombo Airport for flight home.

Peter Mawby ornithologist and research ecologist, has travelled widely and is a regular and successful lecturer. Whilst at school he was part of one of the first expeditions to visit SouthEast Iceland to study the breeding distribution of the Great Skua and subsequently organised his own expeditions to the Shetland and Faeroe Islands as an undergraduate at Cambridge University. Such was his skill and expertise that he received his licence and has been ringing birds for well over fifty years. He is now in great demand to speak to enthusiasts from the RSPB. When not lecturing Peter welcomes the opportunity to enhance passengers’ experiences of the wildlife around them out on deck, with onboard commentaries and on tour from the ship.

Lecture topics A LETTER TO MR DARWIN – Alfred Wallace described himself as “a young man in a hurry”.

By comparison, Charles Darwin was a reluctant advocate of evolution by natural selection. It was a letter from Wallace, written from S.E. Asia which finally forced Darwin’s hand.

ISLAND WILDLIFE – From Madagascar to the Maldives – The volcanic islands of the Indian Ocean, geologically relatively young, tend to have fewer endemic species than islands, such as Madagascar, which separated from ancient continents millions of years ago. Both have numerous species “at risk”.

Meet our guest speakers who will be accompanying you on this voyage. Here is a taste of what to expect...

Dr Richard Thomas has had a career in

International Development working as an academic, a consultant and as a long term staff member of the UK’s Department for International Development.

He has worked in all of Anglophone Africa, and much of North Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South and South East Asia. He was, in the late 1980s, responsible for a series of programmes in the ASEAN region which involved extensive travel to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. He subsequently ran training programmes in Singapore, Malacca, Kuching and Port Klang.

Lecture topics CEYLON/SRI LANKA: Paradise delayed – This country has a long history but it has been shaped by 450 years of Colonial Rule (by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British). The British imported a million Tamils from India who worked largely on the tea plantations –and unbalanced the demography of the country. Although the Civil War has ended (in 2009) tensions remain.

Simone Schofield specialises in teaching patchwork and quilting to all ages. She was born in Cape Town in 1955 and co-owns a patchwork shop called STITCH 'N STUFF in a suburb of Cape Town. Simone has also branched out into embroidery, bead making and quick, fun things to sew which give the maker instant pleasure.

Her patchwork classes now include beginners, intermediate and advanced students and the techniques will satisfy the traditional and innovative quilter.

Lecture topics CRAFT CLASSES – Simone makes the classes revolve around the area past which the ship is sailing ie.

African embroidery, African Mama doll, African bead work and many others. She prepares a variety of kits for the cruising students and supplies everything needed to finish the article.

Andrew Schofield is an ecologist who was born in Farnborough England 1956. He has lived in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania and now lives in Cape Town, South Africa. Conservation has been the theme of his life with influences by many people, starting with his Godfather who was the National Parks field officer for Nigeria and who took him as a young boy to see the herds of Elephants in the bush to the turtles nesting on the beaches. Andrew has created wildlife reserves in areas that have not had game on them for hundreds of years. He has collected and translocated species like Elephant, Rhino, Cheetah and Lion and successfully habituated them to the new reserves and was the first person in the world to release White Lions back into the wild.

Lecture topics THE SAVANNAHS OF AFRICA – This is a two part talk which takes us on a journey across the Savannah from East to West. In the talk, we discuss the relationship between the ants and elephants and how each animal and insect has a direct influence on the survival and wellbeing of themselves and their environment.

THE CUP THAT CHEERS: The importance of the Tea Trade to the expansion of the British Empire.

– A history of the development of tea production (from China Tea to Tea Bags) and of the Tea Trade (Clipper Races) from Asia to Europe. Will Tea remain the drink of choice in the West?

Please note these lecturers and their chosen topics are subject to change.

WHITE LION – This talk is about how the genes of the White Lion were returned to the wild. White Lions have been removed from the wild since the 1920s because it was thought that they could not survive. We discuss how the team did the re-introduction, in such a way that it has now given us the opportunity of seeing the White Lion in the wild again.

V isit w w w. voyagestoa n ti qui ty. c om/s peaker f or more in f orma tion

HOLIDAY READING IDEAS There’s nothing like a good book to accompany you on your travels.

Our associates at Blackwell’s of Oxford have put together a selection of books that we feel would provide the perfect accompaniment for this magnificent voyage.

Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence

Leonard Woolf

THE LAST RHINOS ISBN: 9781447203803

THE VILLAGE IN THE JUNGLE

Lawrence Anthony's South African game reserve is home to many animals he has saved, from a remarkable herd of elephants to a badly behaved bushbaby called George. Described as 'the Indiana Jones of conservation', when one of his rhinos was brutally slaughtered for her horn, he didn't hesitate to lead an armed response against the poachers.

This classic novel of colonial Ceylon (Sri Lanka), was first published in 1913 and is written by a prominent member of the Bloomsbury group, husband of Virginia Woolf. It reads as if Thomas Hardy had been born among the heat, scent, sensuality and pungent mystery of the tropics.

Suqata Bose

THE CONSERVATIONIST

A HUNDRED HORIZONS

ISBN: 9780907871293

Nadine Gordimer ISBN: 9780747578246

On December 26, 2004, giant tsunami waves destroyed communities around the Indian Ocean, from Indonesia to Kenya. Beyond the horrific death toll, this wall of water brought a telling reminder of the interconnectedness of the many countries on the ocean rim, and the insignificance of national boundaries. "A Hundred Horizons" takes us to these shores, in a brilliant reinterpretation of how culture developed and history was made at the height of the British raj.

Mehring is rich. He has all the privileges and possessions that South Africa has to offer, but his possessions refuse to remain objects. His wife, son and mistress leave him; his foreman and workers become increasingly indifferent to his stewardship; even the land rises up, as drought, then flood, destroy his farm. As the upheaval in Mehring's world increasingly resembles that in the country as a whole, it becomes clear that only a seismic shift in ideas and concrete action can avert annihilation.

Aubrey Brooks

Michael Ondaatje

ISBN: 9780674032194

DEATH ROW IN PARADISE

ISBN: 9781909982048

This is the story of an attempted coup d'etat more than twenty years ago on the Seychelles, an idyllic but obscure group of islands in the Indian Ocean. At the time, the attempt made headlines across the world for many reasons.

RUNNING IN THE FAMILY

ISBN: 9781408801451

The much-loved, critically-acclaimed memoir from the Booker Prize-winning author of The English Patient.

Exceptional value fares

CAPE TOWN TO COLOMBO

THese prices include

DOUBLE ACCOMMODATIONS

FULL FARE

SAVER FARE

M

Inside cabins with shower Standard Inside

£4,895

£4,395

L

Premium Inside

5,195

4,695

Premium Inside

5,495

4,945

• 8 INCLUDED SHORE EXCURSIONS as described with specialist-guide • Scheduled economy class AIR FARE

K

• 23-DAY CRUISE aboard Aegean Odyssey

Outside cabins with shower

• 2-NIGHT HOTEL STAY in Colombo

J

Standard Outside

5,875

5,275

I*

Premium Outside

6,250

5,650

H

Premium Outside

6,595

5,945

G

Premium Outside

6,950

6,250

Deluxe Stateroom, Outside

7,395

6,645

Deluxe Stateroom, Outside

7,695

6,945

• COMPLIMENTARY WINE (or beer/soft drinks) with dinner on board

Deluxe Stateroom, Balcony

8,350

7,500

• GRATUITIES for on-board restaurant staff and your cabin steward

• EXPERT guest speaker programme on board • ALL MEALS on board Aegean Odyssey

Deluxe outside staterooms F E

Deluxe balcony suites and staterooms D C

Deluxe Stateroom, Balcony

8,795

7,945

B

Junior Suite, Balcony

9,750

8,750

A

Owner’s Suite, Balcony

10,595

9,595

• TRANSFERS & BAGGAGE handling on arrival and departure overseas

SINGLE ACCOMMODATIONS

Category C: Deluxe Stateroom with balcony

MM

Standard Inside

5,550

5,050

JJ II*

Standard Outside

6,650

6,050

Premium Outside

6,995

6,395

HH*

Premium Outside

7,495

6,845

GG*

Premium Outside

7,895

7,195

EE

Deluxe Stateroom, Outside

8,750

8,000

CC

Deluxe Stateroom, Balcony

9,950

9,100

Air Credit (when making your own arrangements)

1,150

Cruise Only Credit (no air or land included)

1,375

SPECIAL EARLY BOOKING FARES

Save up to £2,000 per cabin

†

PLUS LOW FARES FOR SINGLE TRAVELLERS

Reserve your cabin now

Call 0845 437 9737 AEG160117

Prices are per person based on double occupancy and include all discounts. †Saver fares vary per cabin category and are valid until 31/7/15. *Please note: Category GG, I, II and some HH cabins have restricted view. For full terms and conditions, please refer to our brochure or website. Ship’s Registry: Malta.

or visit www.voyagestoantiquity.com

winter 2015/16 Cruise portfolio: NOVEMBER 19, 2015

DECEMBER 18, 2015

VOYAGE TO

JANUARY 4, 2016

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

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BE S T

BURMA &

THE MALAY PENINSULA

S M A L L - S H I P

ON AN EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGE

C RU I S I NG

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SAIL FROM CAPE TOWN TO COLOMBO THROUGH THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL OCEAN

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S M A L L - S H I P

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B E S T

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CRUISE THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL ON A JOURNEY TO ANCIENT SITES OF THE AEGEAN SEA

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CLASSICAL GREECE

A MAGICAL 26-DAY JOURNEY FROM DELHI TO JORDAN

SAIL FROM THE MYSTERIES OF MALAYSIA TO THE TREASURES OF INDIA’S GOLDEN TRIANGLE

CRU I S I NG

ANCIENT JORDAN TO

THE RED SEA

SRI LANKA & INDIA

CRU I S I NG

S M A L L - S H I P

MARCH 19, 2016

INDIA & THE WONDERS OF

PASSAGE TO

S M A L L - S H I P

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MARCH 2, 2016

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

SAIL INTO THE HEART OF BURMA

CRU I S I NG

INDIAN OCEAN

A 2-WEEK ADVENTURE TO THE NATURAL WONDERS AND VIBRANT CITIES OF SOUTH AFRICA

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SOUTH AFRICA & THE

SOUTH AFRICA

THE BEST OF SOUTH AFRICA ON A 19-DAY CELEBRATION VOYAGE

AN EXTRAORDINARY 31-DAY JOURNEY FROM MALAGA TO CAPE TOWN

JANUARY 16, 2016

GAME PARKS OF

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR IN

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AWARDS

To find out more, watch our inspiring videos online or request cruise portfolio booklets at

www.voyagestoantiquity.com/cruisebooks For all enquiries call 0845 437 9737

VOYAGES TO ANTIQUITY BEST FOR ADVENTURE

2016/06.15 10093

ABTA No.Y2206