DREAM ADVENTURE 28: Sail the Indian Ocean/Visit Madagascar
excerpt from National Geographic "25 Best New Trips for 2010"
Known for its 70-plus species of lemurs, Madagascar has the market cornered in trips focused on exotic leaping animals. But few travelers are aware of the country’s marine life. Enter Kumuka Worldwide, whose first-of-its-kind sailing trip plunges into the coral-filled Indian Ocean while hitting a cluster of little-visited islets just off the main island. Starting on Nosy Be, the largest of Madagascar’s outer islands, you’ll travel by dhow—the traditional sailboat used by African and Arabian traders for millennia—from one deserted beach to the next, camping on white sand by night, and kayaking, snorkeling, and fishing by day. The first port of call is Ambavatoby Bay, where your chances of seeing a whale shark (massive, spotted, and up to 60 feet long) are unusually high. Nosy Iranja is up next, a hawksbill turtle breeding reserve prime for sea kayaking. Then it’s on to Nosy Tanihely, whose soft corals, lobsters, and eels make for prize snorkeling sights. Of course, you wouldn’t want to leave without at least glimpsing a lemur; Nosy Komba, or Lemur Island, is one of the last stops. In the wake of the political unrest here last spring, animal poaching—specifically lemur poaching—has become a growing problem. But Kumuka is keeping close tabs on security (at press time, the U.S. State Department had lifted its travel warning) and knows tourism is one of the best ways to help protect wildlife. “By seeing lemurs, clients learn firsthand that they’re a more valuable commodity alive than dead,” says Kumuka’s Steve Murphy.
Outfitter: Kumuka Worldwide; kumuka.com
Price: $805 ($)
Length: 8 days
Departs: April–December
Showing posts with label boat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boat. Show all posts
Friday, September 24, 2010
Monday, October 26, 2009
Boat the Nile
DREAM ADVENTURE NUMBER 15: BOAT UP THE NILE
November to April
5 days approx time
One of the most popular cruises is from Luxor to Awan. You can take a cabin cruise which is basically a floating hotel or if you want a real experience sail in a felucca (traditional wooden sailboats) which would enable you to sightsee at a whim rather than being constrictied to travel intenerary.
I just think it would be cool to sightsee around one of the oldest civilizations of the world and the longest river in the world. Ancient Egypt always fascinated me from learning about it in sixth grade.
Some sights to see along the way include: "Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes, [is] the world's greatest open air musuem; a stunning ancient Egyptian art collection. There is the stupdeneous Karnak Temple, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon; with statues more than 50 feet high. At the great lock at the Esna, the Nile is trasnformed to chaotic water bazaar as the garrulous traders in rickety boats besiege the river traffic, proffering scarves, trinkets and souvenirs. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best preserved temple in Egypt, and on the riverbank at Kom Ombu a temple with beautiful relief carving stands as wonderrous reminder of the antiquity of this land. The charming southern city of Aswan is a riot of new impressions -- the vivid colours and smells of the souks, the tall graceful Nubian townspeople, the Nile at its most picturesque -- all swaying palm trees, golden dunes and white-sailed fellucas. Here the river is studded with numerous beauitiful islands. Elephantine, the largest, is one of the most ancient sites in Egypt. Just upstream is the first of the NIle's six huge rapids, the High Dam and Lake Nasser..."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.
November to April
5 days approx time
One of the most popular cruises is from Luxor to Awan. You can take a cabin cruise which is basically a floating hotel or if you want a real experience sail in a felucca (traditional wooden sailboats) which would enable you to sightsee at a whim rather than being constrictied to travel intenerary.
I just think it would be cool to sightsee around one of the oldest civilizations of the world and the longest river in the world. Ancient Egypt always fascinated me from learning about it in sixth grade.
Some sights to see along the way include: "Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes, [is] the world's greatest open air musuem; a stunning ancient Egyptian art collection. There is the stupdeneous Karnak Temple, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon; with statues more than 50 feet high. At the great lock at the Esna, the Nile is trasnformed to chaotic water bazaar as the garrulous traders in rickety boats besiege the river traffic, proffering scarves, trinkets and souvenirs. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best preserved temple in Egypt, and on the riverbank at Kom Ombu a temple with beautiful relief carving stands as wonderrous reminder of the antiquity of this land. The charming southern city of Aswan is a riot of new impressions -- the vivid colours and smells of the souks, the tall graceful Nubian townspeople, the Nile at its most picturesque -- all swaying palm trees, golden dunes and white-sailed fellucas. Here the river is studded with numerous beauitiful islands. Elephantine, the largest, is one of the most ancient sites in Egypt. Just upstream is the first of the NIle's six huge rapids, the High Dam and Lake Nasser..."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Timbuktu
DREAM ADVENTURE NUMBER ELEVEN: Boat up the Niger River to visit Timbuktu
In this 2 to 4 day journey along Africa's third longest river, the Niger, you will set out from Mopti in Mali and take a pinasse; motorized canoe with a domed grass canopy.
"The flood plains around Mopti provide a wonderful habitat for birds of all sorts, inccluding many migratory species, and the river itself is home to many fish and the occasional manatee. You may well see hippos too -- their large, irascible presence alerting you to the fragility of your craft. The river is full of activity: local boats carry goods and livestock, fast boats speed tourists to Timbuktu, men fish, women wash clothes at the river's edge or pound millet in a time-honoured fasion. This journey is fun: from time to time the pinasse stops at a village, which you can explore while provisions are bought, appreciating the Moorish mud brick architecture and meeting tribal people such as Fulani and Bozo. Lunch is cooked on board and at night, tents are pitched on the riverbank and dinner is cooked by the fire. Gradually scenery changes: marshlands give way to grasslands and finally, the desert. The trip ends at Korioume, just 6 miles along a paved road from Timbuktu."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.
In this 2 to 4 day journey along Africa's third longest river, the Niger, you will set out from Mopti in Mali and take a pinasse; motorized canoe with a domed grass canopy.
"The flood plains around Mopti provide a wonderful habitat for birds of all sorts, inccluding many migratory species, and the river itself is home to many fish and the occasional manatee. You may well see hippos too -- their large, irascible presence alerting you to the fragility of your craft. The river is full of activity: local boats carry goods and livestock, fast boats speed tourists to Timbuktu, men fish, women wash clothes at the river's edge or pound millet in a time-honoured fasion. This journey is fun: from time to time the pinasse stops at a village, which you can explore while provisions are bought, appreciating the Moorish mud brick architecture and meeting tribal people such as Fulani and Bozo. Lunch is cooked on board and at night, tents are pitched on the riverbank and dinner is cooked by the fire. Gradually scenery changes: marshlands give way to grasslands and finally, the desert. The trip ends at Korioume, just 6 miles along a paved road from Timbuktu."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.
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