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Le Ponant will sail through Arabia, around the Maldives and India
and on to Southeast Asia this winter and spring. From Dec. 4 to April 4,
Compagnie du Ponant’s 64-passenger sailing yacht will offer 17 voyages calling
at ports such as Aqaba, Sharm el Sheikh, Muscat, Khasab, Doha, Abu Dhabi,
Mumbai, Kochi, Malé, Phuket and Penang.
Kicking off the season is the six-night 'Jordan & Egypt: Sacred Lands of the Red
Sea,' starting from Alexandria and transiting the Suez Canal on its way to
Aqaba. Highlights include Ain Soukhna, known for its beaches, coral reefs and
hot springs, and Sharm el Sheikh, a diving mecca and jumping off point for Saint
Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai.
Six days of relaxation are sea are offered during 'Ocean Voyage,' four voyages
from Muscat to Kochi (Dec. 23, Jan. 18, Feb. 18, March 24). The 'India and the
Maldives: Spices and Silver Sand' cruise (Dec. 28 and March 10) calls at two
ports in India and four islands in the 'Pearl of the Indian Ocean' archipelago.
Four seven-night Malé to Malé voyages, 'Atolls of the Maldives: Natural
Aquariums and Blue Lagoons' (Jan. 4 and 11, Feb. 24 and March 3) explore seven
atolls. Optional dive packages featuring eight to 10 dives are available for
PADI certified divers.
Beaches and seascapes are highlights of 'Thailand and Malaysia: Islands and
Marine Treasures.' On these eight-night Phuket-to-Phuket itineraries (Jan. 25,
Feb. 2 and 10), Le Ponant sails the Andaman Sea visiting Thailand’s Butang,
Similian and Ko Phi Phi Islands. Koh Lanta, a national park the Thais call 'the
land where time stood still'; Phang Nga Bay, a cove with 40 towering limestone
pitons; and visits to Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago and Penang are included.
Among the high points of the seven-night 'Saris, Temples and Lagoons' (March 17)
are Kochi, Trivandrum and New Mangalore with the St. Aloysius chapel and a
number of temples. The cruise continues to Goa with its ensemble of 16th- and
17th-century colonial churches (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and ends in
Mumbai.
In making its way back to the Mediterranean, Le Ponant follows the old Arab
trading route. The seven-night Muscat to Dubai 'Lands of Honey and Incense'
itinerary (March 28 and April 4) calls at Fujairah, the fishing village of
Khasab in the Musandam Fjords and Bahrain’s capital, Al Manama. Doha, Qatar’s
capital, and Abu Dhabi are also visited.
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Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc.
150 S. University Dr. Ste E,
Plantation, FL 33324 - USA
Tel: +1 954 452 8800 Fax: +1 954
252 3945
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