25-night Africa, Seychelles & Asia Cruise

Mombasa, also called Gateway to Kenya, is the country’s most historic city and largest port on Africa’s Coral Coast. Today impressive Fort Jesus still dominates the entrance to the old harbor and serves as a museum about Mombasa’s colorful past. The most exotic part of Mombasa is Old Town. Here, narrow alleys lined by mosques and cramped old houses slope down to bustling dhow harbor where pier vendors offer arts and crafts. Local cuisine includes spicy stews and game such as eland, gazelle and impala. One of the best-known restaurants is the Tamarind; it is regarded as the best in East Africa. Old Dhow Harbor is where traditional boats (dhows) load and unload goods from faraway places and nearby islands. Nyali Resort Area is a coastal stretch with white sand beaches and hotels offering resort facilities. Mamba Village is a crocodile farm where more than 10,000 crocodiles live in their natural habitat. Shimba Hills National Reserve is Kenya’s most underrated wildlife refuge.

For many centuries, traders from Europe, India, the Orient and Arabia were lured to these shores. It was from here explorer David Livingstone set off on his last expedition into the heart of the continent. Today, as you walk along the winding streets of the old Stone Town, lined with whitewashed coral rag houses, you can see reminders of this rich history all around you. Visit the Palace museum, former residence of the Omani Sultans, and the cathedral that now stands on the site of the notorious slave market.

Dar es Salaam in east Tanzania is located on an arm of the Indian Ocean. It is the country's largest city and former capital, chief seaport, and principal commercial, manufacturing, and educational centre. Rail links extend inland to Arusha in the north, to Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria, and to Zambia. Dar es Salaam's exports include coffee, sisal, cotton, and copper (from landlocked Zambia). Places of interest include Kariakoo market, the Botanical Gardens, National Central Library and the National Museum of Tanzania which has notable collections dealing with east African ethnography, archaeology, and history.

Mahajanga, also known as Majunga, shows strong Arab and Indian influences, reflecting its importance as a center of maritime trade in Madagascar since the mid-18th century. There are more than a dozen mosques in town and countless Indian- and Pakistani-owned shops. There's also an enormous baobab tree by the sea. The coastline of the city is very pleasant, and the beaches become more beautiful as you move away from the center.

Every year in July the Fanompoa Be is celebrated, washing the royal relics of the Sakalava people, which begins a week of festivities.

Plan two days in the area, which is located 240 mi/385 km northwest of Antananarivo, to visit nearby beaches, the grottoes of Androhibe (about 53 mi/85 km from town) and the Ankarafantsika National Park and Ampijoroa Forestry Reserve (both about 60 mi/95 km from town), which offer opportunities to see lemurs, waterbirds and a breeding center for two threatened species of tortoise.

The holiday resort of Nosy Be has colonial French atmosphere galore. Nearby is the island of Nosy Komba and its free-spirited lemurs.

The white, sandy beaches of Praslin is lined with beautiful palm trees, some reaching 100 feet. Three of the rarest birds in the world are found here: the Seychelles Black Parrot, Blue Pigeon and Bulbul. It is also home to the Coco-de-Mer, a unique and stranger-than-fiction coconut.

La Digue is a delightful island oozing with refreshing old world charm. Transportation by bicycles and ox-carts preserves peace and tranquility. For nature lovers, the gigantic granite boulders or the near extinct Black Paradise Flycatcher is reason enough to explore this fascinating island.

Mahé, being the largest of the Seychelles islands, beckons with Creole restaurants, craft shops and art galleries. The nearby waters surrounding Mahé are perfect for swimming, body surfing and snorkeling.

Mahé, being the largest of the Seychelles islands, beckons with Creole restaurants, craft shops and art galleries. The nearby waters surrounding Mahé are perfect for swimming, body surfing and snorkeling.

The Maldives boast some of the finest tropical beaches in the world. The very name, Maldives, arouses visions of exotic tropical beach sun and barbeques on luxury island hotel resorts surrounded by clear calm coral reef fringed warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Visitors to the Maldives, blessed by superb underwater visibility and abundant coral life, are treated to breathtaking sights of underwater marine life. The Maldives offer the best diving spots in Asia, with most resorts having experienced diving instructors. With only 200 islands inhabited, over 75 islands have been reserved for development of tourist resorts which are among the most luxurious in the Indian Ocean. Male, the capital of the Maldives sits on a 1-sq-mi/2-sq-km island—the whole place can be seen on foot in about an hour.

The Maldives boast some of the finest tropical beaches in the world. The very name, Maldives, arouses visions of exotic tropical beach sun and barbeques on luxury island hotel resorts surrounded by clear calm coral reef fringed warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Visitors to the Maldives, blessed by superb underwater visibility and abundant coral life, are treated to breathtaking sights of underwater marine life. The Maldives offer the best diving spots in Asia, with most resorts having experienced diving instructors. With only 200 islands inhabited, over 75 islands have been reserved for development of tourist resorts which are among the most luxurious in the Indian Ocean. Male, the capital of the Maldives sits on a 1-sq-mi/2-sq-km island—the whole place can be seen on foot in about an hour.

Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte is the capital of Sri Lanka, with the newly built parliament situated in picturesque surroundings, while Colombo is the main commercial capital city, where almost all the business transactions take place. Studded with high-rise buildings, modern five star hotels, modern convention centers and a Stock Exchange Centre, Colombo continues to be the hub of commercial activities.

Trincomalee is a tropical city on the east coast of Sri Lanka. With one of the finest harbors in the world, Trinco enjoys warm weather all year round and beautiful beaches. It also hosts a famous Hindu temple, as well as great hotels.

These islands lie on the trade routes between India and China, and merchants have called here for centuries. Port Blair is surrounded by rolling hills of lush Andaman redwood and has the air of a lively Indian market town. A number of museums offer interesting exhibits on the marine life, rare species of animals living in the Andaman Islands and the way of life of the indigenous tribes. A major tourist attraction is the Cellular Jail built by the British at the beginning of this century and regarded today as a shrine to India's freedom fighters.

Known as the "Pearl of Thailand," Phuket offers pristine beaches, lush vegetation, traditional villages and seascapes of huge limestone pillars that rise above the turquoise waters of Phang-Nga Bay. With a culture all its own, it combines Chinese and Portuguese influences with that of indigenous ocean-going people. Phuket Town is the island’s capital located in the southeast. The architecture features the attractive Sino-Portuguese style which is reflected in the spacious residences built by wealthy Chinese tin barons as testimony to their success. Visitors come because of the glorious beaches, especially those on the west coast. Patong Beach is about a 45-minute drive from the port and offers a wide selection of watersports. Phuket still casts its spell on all who come to its shores.

Penang, or more properly Pulau Pinang, is the northern gateway to Malaysia and also the country’s oldest British settlement. To the tourist industry, Penang has been marketed for a long time as the Pearl of the Orient. Although Penang is best known for its beaches, there is much more here than just sand and sea. The island is considered a cultural and architectural gem with Chinese, Malay and Indian influences. Other sights include St. George’s Church - built in 1818 of classic Georgian architecture; Penang Hill - a 2,500-foot hill with a splendid view over Georgetown; Botanical Gardens - the 74-acre landscaped gardens featuring many indigenous and exotic plant species, a waterfall, jungle-clad hills and two species of monkeys, the macaque and dusky leaf monkeys; Golf Courses - The Bukit Jambul Golf & Country Club is located on Penang Island, and other golf courses in Province Wellesley on the mainland are the Penang Golf Resort and Bukit Jawi Golf Resort.

Malacca City, also known as Melaka, is situated 95 miles south of Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur, in Malacca state. In the days of the great sailing ships, the port was one of the busiest on the peninsula. Shipping now is confined to coastal trade, because the harbour is inaccessible to ocean-going vessels. A large number of Chinese settled here, followed by masses of European colonizers, including the Portuguese, British and Dutch. Today evidence of all these colonies remain, both in the culture and architecture.

One of Asia's great economic successes, Singapore has fused diverse cultures into one dynamic nation. Behind high-tech industries and high-rise buildings lives a society with an ingrained sense of conservative Confucian values. Beneath the westernized modernity beats a totally Asian heart. Strong beliefs center around extended families, filial piety, discipline, respect and Asian work ethics. Singapore’s name, meaning "Lion City," can be traced to the 13th century, and today there is the mythical Merlion, half-lion, half-fish, standing guard at the mouth of the Singapore River as the symbol of Singapore. A recent advertising campaign billed Singapore as "A Fine City."