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When to cruise to Indian Ocean

Month	Cruise season indicator		Month	Cruise seacon indicator
January			July
February			August
March			September
April	No		October
May	No		November
June	No		December

Indian Ocean Cruise Season Guide »

All you Need to Know

by Travel Journalist Tony Peisley

A surprisingly good road had brought us all the way up from the Yemeni port of Hodeidah deep into the Haraz mountains but now mists had enveloped us as we negotiated a steep, winding and potholed mountain track.

Then, as we drove higher and higher, we were captivated by the sight of villages precariously tacked onto the mountain tops. Partially obscured by lowering clouds, they looked like castles out of a Grimms fairytale.

It was an eerie experience walking through the narrow, dark village streets between houses built slim and tall because there was no room to spread out. Life among the clouds was about as far removed from the 21st century as it is possible to travel yet a five-star cruise ship had brought us there.

Indian Ocean cruises were once confined to ultra-relaxing sun-sea-and-sand itineraries featuring the hedonistic charms and laid-back island lifestyles of Mauritius and the Seychelles often combined with safaris and more beaches in Kenya (Mombasa) and Tanzania.

Longer, more adventurous cruises take in France's Reunion Island, the exotic Comores and - one of Sir David Attenborough's favourite places - Madagascar, with its teeming and colourful marine, bird and wildlife.

But now there are even more options to enhance the Indian Ocean experience, with the neighbouring Arabian Gulf now opening up to cruising while many more calls in India as well as Sri Lanka are now being scheduled.

As well as the Yemen, Arabian Gulf cruises - mostly based in Dubai - will also take you to other United Arab Emirates as well as Oman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and occasionally even Iran, too. It is a unique way of seeing countries which would otherwise remain shrouded in mystery for most of us in the West.

While, in India, the long-established cruise call of Mumbai (where First and Third Worlds co-exist in organised chaos) is now joined by Cochin, where you are greeted by lines of Chinese-style fishing nets hanging from bamboo frames along the waterfront, and Chennai, Britain's first major settlement in India and former home of Robert "Clive of India".

If you want to enjoy the full Indian Ocean experience - and this is a seriously large expanse of water - the best option is take that sector of a world cruise. Or why not spoil yourself and take the whole three month voyage? Click here for World Cruises Either way, it is a journey definitely worth taking.

DOS and DON'TS of Indian Ocean Cruising

DO make sure you enjoy the days at sea as much as the ports of call. Be out on deck (or on your balcony) at night as the skies are magical, especially when there is an electric storm in the distance - a frequent event in this steamy part of the world.

DON'T miss out on bargain cruise prices in spring and autumn when cruise lines re-position their ships between the Mediterranean and the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Asia. These cruises will also take you through the Red Sea (calling at Jordan's Aqaba for Petra) and the Suez Canal - both great cruise experiences.

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