Stage 4. The Chagos Archipelago. Gan - Mauritius (January 31 - February 14)
January 30, Saturday. Arrival in Malé and flight to the Gan Atoll via seaplane. Accommodation in a SPA-hotel in the island. Rest after the flight.
January 31, Sunday. Accommodation on board the Amazing Enterprise. Getting acquainted with the yacht and the crew. Taking to the sea after lunch and beginning a 48-hour passage to the Chagos Archipelago.
February 1, Monday. Sailing. Fishing, taking lectures on marine navigation.
February 2, Tuesday – February 7, Wednesday. Safari in the islands and shoals of the Chagos Archipelago, one of the most insufficiently explored, hard to reach and rarely visited places on Earth. In the Chagos Atoll, there is the world’s largest ecosystem untouched by man including a large number of endemics. All the islands of the archipelago are uninhabited, except for the Diago Garcia Atoll where the U.S. naval base is located. The indigenous population of the archipelago had been relocated to Mauritius by force and, at the present time, is fighting for their return to their historical homeland. Rules of visiting the Chagos Archipelago are strictly regulated and controlled by the local military administration. For 6 days the expedition participants will be diving in absolutely pure waters of the outer and inner atolls of the archipelago. There will be an opportunity to see various types of sharks, including hammer-headed sharks, tiger and whale sharks. Everyday fishing and landing on the islands.
February 8, Monday – February 12, Friday. Passage Chagos – Mauritius. The passage of 1,100 nautical miles takes 6 days. You will be given lectures on marine navigation, sailing and the Indian Ocean oceanography. All guests taking relevant yacht courses will be participating in night-watches.
February 13, Saturday. Arrival at Mauritius. Accommodation in a hotel in the capital Port Louis.
February 14, Sunday. Flight to Europe. You can optionally stay for a few days in Mauritius.
PROGRAM RATE: US$ 3500
Including: the Amazing Enterprise double cabin accommodation, meals and non-alcoholic beverages aboard, scuba diving according to the itinerary, fishing.
Excluding: flights to Malé, Gan and from Port Louis, accommodation in beachfront hotels of Malé, Gan and Mauritius, meals not included in the program, personal expenses (alcohol drinks, porter and laundry services, etc), insurance, tips to the crew (optional).
International flights: flights purchase is managed by Expedition Headquarters in Moscow according to client application (city of departure, service tariff, etc) or by the client himself. Flight cancellations and money refund operate according to any certain airlines policy.
Payment schedule: the booking is confirmed after making 25% payment of the program fare (non-refundable deposit). The rest of payment must be made not later than 30 days before the program starts. Payments for ashore program and flights must be made during the booking. If the trip cancellation comes after making 100% payment 75% will be returned after selling your accommodation to another customer.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Courses in yachting: During the passage, you’ll have the opportunity to take a number of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) courses. You need basic knowledge of English to take the courses. For further information please contact Boris Smirnov: boris@amazingplanet.ru.
Single accommodation: If you are traveling alone and want to stay in a single cabin, extra charge for single accommodation will be added.
Visas: citizens of Russian Federation and Ukraine don’t need visas for visiting the Maldives and Mauritius. The Chagos Atoll is one of the most closed and inaccessible places on Earth. The U.S. naval base in the Atoll Diego Garcia makes poor conditions for yachtsmen visiting. We issue all the passengers and the crew special permission for visiting the Atoll territory.
Baggage and excess weight: according to the rules of IATA, passengers of international flights are allowed the baggage up to 20 kg for economy tariff and up to 30 kg for business tariff.
Insurance policy: all voyage participants need to have active medical insurance policy covering evacuation from the yacht in case of accident. If you already have insurance policy please inform our manager about that. If you are going to dive you also need special dive insurance.
