A LEGACY OF ADVENTURE
For centuries, spice merchants plied the high seas accumulating wealth through trade routes linking East and West. More important than the trade of goods, according to UNESCO, “was the exchange of knowledge: knowledge of new peoples and their religions, languages, expertise, artistic and scientific skills.” Retrace those fabled trade routes on our 70-night Grand Spice Route Quest aboard Seven Seas Voyager ® and continue the legacy of knowledge and adventure into the 21st century. Start your journey in a part of the world that was a mystery to spice traders: Dazzling Aotearoa, otherwise known as New Zealand. Before setting off from Auckland, roam black-sand beaches, sip local wine and taste Kiwi cuisine on a 3-night Land Program. Cross the Tasman to Australia for an overnight in sparkling Sydney and delightful trek north along Australia’s east coast. Celebrate overnights in a quartet of extraordinary cities — Bali, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok — by walking (and eating) your way through carnival-like night markets. Cruise the Bay of Bengal to Colombo, Sri Lanka — a major hub of spice trading routes — before reveling in the diversity of languages, religions and cuisine in India’s Cochin (Kochi), Mangalore, Goa (Mormugao) and Mumbai. Behold the modern Middle East on an overnight in Dubai and calls on Oman and Saudi Arabia before overnighting in Safaga, the gateway to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. From Aqaba, venture to the rose-red city of Petra, a must-see ancient masterpiece. Transit the Suez Canal — an option unavailable to spice traders — for calls in Israel and Turkey before this enriching quest ends fittingly in Athens, the ancient center of Western knowledge and culture.
2024 GRAND SPICE ROUTE QUEST
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