Seychelles

[highplanesdrifters]

Hey Seychelles regulars, what do you think of this itinerary?  I'm a newbie in this region. Any comments much appreciated.

 

https://us.ponant.com/africa-middle-east-indian-ocean-seychelles-to-sri-lanka-expedition-ex040124-12#modal_itineraire

[AussieBoyTX]

It looks like it offers a lot of variety, but I’d want to understand what you’re looking for. For me, here are some questions:

 

 - There are four sea days, which seems like a lot

 - You’ll miss the giant tortoises (though you’ll see some pet giant tortoises in la Digue. 
 - It may be the wrong season for manta rays at Baa Atoll. If it’s the right season, that is spectacular. 
 - Will Sri Lanka be safe to visit? There was unrest earlier this year. 
 - If you dive, Seychelles and Maldives are spectacular, but you’ll miss diving at Aldabra. (Same place as the giant tortoises)

[highplanesdrifters]

@AussieBoyTX Thank you for your thorough reply, very helpful. I figured I could count on you!

Not divers, but big snorkelers. The 4 sea days caught my eye, and might be the one things that boots this trip.  The trip is in 2024 so hopefully Sri Lanka will be calm by then.  Our May trip there was canceled. On the trip under consideration, we may spend more time in Sri Lanka, or B2B on to India and hook up with friends.  I've missed Manta Ray's twice this year due to canceled trips. I figure it will happen when it supposed to happen.😀

We are looking for a trip in January of 2024, preferably warm, so this migh fit the bill. If we miss something and like the area we can always pop back and do a more extensive trip. We are in the 2-4 international trips a year phase with domestic fillers. The other trip under consideration, which is not warm, Dunedin to Dunedin hits the sub artic islands. We've been in southern NZ before and happy to go back.

Thanks again! Hope it wasn't TMI.

[AussieBoyTX]

Manta rays by the hundreds are basically guaranteed at Hanifaru Bay at Baa June-November. My understanding is they move to the western side of the atoll in the off-season and I’d hope that Ponant would know where those places are. 
 

The snorkeling they organized on our cruise was very good, though perhaps exceptionally safe. We had wished they had one Zodiac for strong swimmers. The selected locations had great reef life at a shallow depth. 
 

As divers, we were exempt from that so long as the monitors didn’t see us. On one occasion. We appealed to the officer-on-deck by radio to let us snorkel after our dive in a location we chose. We were successful. We transited Sri Lanka in 2021 and had conversations about the upcoming unrest. Seemed unstoppable, but yes, let’s hope it clears soon. 

[highplanesdrifters]

19 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

Manta rays by the hundreds are basically guaranteed at Hanifaru Bay at Baa June-November. My understanding is they move to the western side of the atoll in the off-season and I’d hope that Ponant would know where those places are. 
 

The snorkeling they organized on our cruise was very good, though perhaps exceptionally safe. We had wished they had one Zodiac for strong swimmers. The selected locations had great reef life at a shallow depth. 
 

As divers, we were exempt from that so long as the monitors didn’t see us. On one occasion. We appealed to the officer-on-deck by radio to let us snorkel after our dive in a location we chose. We were successful. We transited Sri Lanka in 2021 and had conversations about the upcoming unrest. Seemed unstoppable, but yes, let’s hope it clears soon. 

Your information is so very helpful and has given me a lot to ponder. Many thanks for taking the time.

A zodiac for strong swimmers....sign me up!  Had a few trips moved to calmer waters because a few people were uncomfortable. Drift snorkel on the outer reef, yes there will be current. 😃  In the end I was pleased everyone got a safe experience.