Aldabra
November 2009
Aldabra, Seychelles –
14 days – Guided by Dr. Peter C.H. Pritchard – Cost Approx $4500 + $500 guide
fee
Maximum 24
travelers. Confirmed = 20 Still open spaces = 4 (less space may actually be
available, inquire)
There will be 2 groups of 12
travelling back to back.
We will spend about 7 days exploring
different locations and the amazing animal and plant life of Aldabra.
Travel time will be about 3 to 4
days. We will fly to Mahe, the capital of the
Seychelles and then take a charter Propeller plane to
The flight to Assumption takes
about 3 hours. Then, we will board a yacht which will sail to Aldabra,
another 3 hours. The flight schedule getting there looks as follows:
leave lax 10pm friday arrive
fly from Mahe to Assumption 10am arrive Assumption 1pm sail 2pm to
arrive Aldabra 5pm Sunday (2 days travel)-subject to change
Upon
arrival, we will be greeted by the research station staff and scientists who
will show us our accommodations. We will sleep, and eat at the research
station. Daily, we will be taken to the major sites of the world’s
largest Coral atoll which hosts the largest colony of giant tortoises in the
world at 150,000!
We will
be able to dive and snorkel as well. At present, we are looking at
spending about 1 week on the Atoll. With travel time eating up 4 days and
7 days on the atoll, that will total 11 days. We may add another 3 days
before or after at another fascinating site such as Mauritius, Comoros,
Silhouette, or perhaps a few days in Europe.
We have
yet to finalize the last few days on the itinerary which will be based on costs.
Costs
will amount to about $1500 for airfare LAX to Mahe.
Airfare Mahe to Assumption is being negotiated.
It will
be between $1000 and $1500 which will include the boat ride over to Aldabra.
Daily rate per person
Staying
at the research station full board will be about $240. For 5 days, that
is $1200. I will always do my
Best to find the lowest fares for us all. As you can see, based upon these figures, we are
looking at from $3700
To $4200.
It is my hope to get the airfares to below $1500 each for LAX Mahe and $1200 each for Mahe to
Aldabra.
That would give a grand total of just over $3900 each! Plus, we may have
3 extra days to spend some
Additional
funds the Islands or Europe. Should average around $4500 if all goes well. This is EXTREMELY
Cheap for this type of trip. Similar trips offered by National Geographic
recently ran for $9000 plus air!
Anyhow,
this will be part 2 in the Giant Tortoise Tour as Part 1 was the Galapagos Trip
in 2006.
These
are the 2 gems on any turtle/tortoise lover’s list of places to see before you
die!
All
travelers will need to pack EXTREMELY light as there are strict weight limits
on the small plane.
Those
who wish to use frequent flyer miles will save the cost of airfare to Mahe of $1500, check your airline.
Inquiries
about joining this trip should be made to Michael Bargeron at mbargeron@roadrunner.com