Wednesday, January 15 – Friday, January 31 – Madagascar to Mauritius
This is an extraordinary cruise for those who love the natural world and all its wonders. The star is Madagascar, a thousand-mile island boasting an impressive variety of spectacular landscapes from pristine coral reefs and coastal mangroves to virgin rain forests and native groves of Baobab trees. Geographically isolated for millions of years, nearly all of Madagascar’s intriguing animals and plants are found nowhere else on Earth, including nearly 100 varieties of lemurs. Madagascar’s people are also unique, having descended from Malay-Polynesian mariners, slaves from Africa, as well as traders from Arabia, India, and Portugal. To maximize the time in Madagascar, this expedition begins with a private charter flight from Johannesburg to Tulear, Madagascar, thus avoiding the two-day crossing of the rough Mozambique Channel by ship.
Led by a team of expert naturalists, including Former US Ambassador Peter W. Galbraith, enjoy 10 full days of exploring Madagascar’s numerous marine reserves and national parks from the comfort of the newly refurbished, 95-passenger MS Serenissima. Leaving the wonders of Madagascar behind, arrive at Reunion Island, a paradisiacal French outpost, to explore its white-sand beaches, spectacular dormant volcanoes, and Creole character. Disembark on the island of Mauritius, the perfect ending to your voyage, taking in this island’s cultural riches or geologic wonders before transferring to the airport for flights to the U.S. The trip is co-sponsored by Harvard Alumni Travels, the Archaeological Association of America, Dartmouth Alumni Travel, and National Trust Tours. For complete information visit https://alumni.harvard.edu/travel/trips/madagascar-cruise-2020
