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A New Itinerary Around The Maldives, Sri Lanka And India Makes The Indian Ocean Cruise Of Costa Cruises Unique

The new and exclusivetwo-week itinerary of Costa neoClassica to discover the colors of India and thebeaches of the Maldives, for a unique and intense experience of culture andrelaxation.
Departuresfrom December 15, 2016 to March 10, 2017 with flights to Male and Mumbai, andthe possibility of dividing the cruise into two distinct 7-day segments.


Genoa, May 12, 2016 – Costa Cruises sets its sights on the IndianOcean, announcing the arrival, in the 2016-2017 winter season, of a totallynew itinerary in the array of cruises and package tours involving thisdestination. From December 15, 2016 to March 10, 2017, Costa neoClassicawill depart from Male or Mumbai—easily reached via flights —on an exclusivetwo-week journey in the Indian Ocean, around the Maldives, Sri Lanka, andIndia.

Created for all thosetravelers who prefer exotic and fascinating destinations and who seek newworlds and cultures, the "Colors of India, between Yin and Yang"itinerary will provide a unique and intense experience to those who wishto rediscover a closeness with nature and with the spirituality of ancient anddifferent cultures, in the comfort and security of a cruise. Not just an escapefrom winter towards warm and sunny beaches, but an authentic culturalexperience.

The cruise offered onboard Costa neoClassica includes leisurely stops and overnight stays inorder to allow our guests to enjoy a complete and intense experience, with thepossibility of more than one excursion in the same location. It is the perfectcruise for discovering the fascinating contrasts of farawaydestinations, beautiful beaches, and unchecked nature in a land that isa crossroads of religions and spirituality.

The itinerary startsout in the Maldives, where the ship will remain for two days at Male,among the white atolls, shimmering beaches and blue waters of the coral reef.From Male, thanks to Costa excursions, guests will be able to sail to ParadiseIsland Resort, an island wholly dedicated to well-being, beauty andrelaxation.

The next stop will beSri Lanka, the island nation also known as Ceylon. Guests will go ashore at Colombo,where they will visit the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, one of thebest-known attractions of the island: a 25-hectare park that the government ofSri Lanka has set aside for the care of elephants abandoned in the forest, ofwhich there are more than 60 today.

From Colombo we headto India, with its thousand-year-old culture and its intense colors. Thefirst stop in India will be Goa, known worldwide for its spectacularbeaches and for its Portuguese colonial architecture. This territory, which isvisited every year by hundreds of thousands of Indian and foreign tourists, isconsidered one of the 21 hotspots of biodiversity in the world. Guestswill be able to choose a number of excursions, including a tour of the old cityand of the capital, Panjim, and a visit to the Basilica de Bom Jesus,a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Costa neoClassicawill then head for Mumbai, where it will stop for two whole days inorder that its guests might fully savor the distinctive contrasts of the city.This fascinating and chaotic metropolis, capital of the state of Maharashtra,has the highest population of all of India's cities: here Costa guests will beable to admire the main attractions, including the Banganga Tank,an immense basin fed by the underwater river Bhogwati, where the faithful go topray.

Heading back down theIndian coast, the journey will continue to New Mangalore before arrivingat Cochin, in the federal state of Kerala, one of the main maritimeports in the country, where the ship will stop for two whole days. Among thepossible excursions to choose from are a visit by tuk-tuk to the village ofKumbalangi and a houseboat ride in the Kerala Backwaters, in amongstthe tropical canals of the Cochin hinterland, an incredibly vast system oflagoons rich in mangrove swamps and rainforests. Costa neoClassica will then returnto Male, ending the itinerary back at the Maldives, where our guests will beable to catch their flights back to Italy.

Once again, CostaCruises confirms its ability to create exclusive itineraries in order tosatisfy the needs of its guests, who will also have the choice of dividing thecruise in two separate weeklong segments. The complete itinerary offers theadditional option of embarking at Mumbai, with all the same calls.

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