(Postponed) Enchanting Discovery of Mauritius & Madagascar

The University of Hong Kong Museum Society is pleased to present a tour to discover the enchanting beauty of Mauritius and Madagascar.

Although famously misquoted of Mark Twain that “Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius”, it is nevertheless true that the country is blessed with azure waters, powder-white beaches and varied flora and fauna. This island nation in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the African continent was once under the rule of the Dutch, French, and the UK before its independence in 1965. Its colourful history has cultivated a country of people that are multiethnic, multi-religious, muticultural and mutilingual. This is also reflected in its unique cuisine that carries influences from Indian, Creole, French and Chinese dishes. Transformed from little quiet fishing villages, Mauritius is now a country with a highly ranked economy based on tourism, textiles, sugar and financial services.

In contrast, Madagascar remains very much a nature lover’s paradise – a unique and rich diversity of wildlife that has evolved in splendid isolation for more thean 80 million years. Madagascar has more species of endemic flora and fauna than any other places on earth. Most famous among them are the lemurs, adorable furry primates that are found nowhere else in the world.

Madagascar is also big – the 4th biggest island in the world. It would take several weeks treveling over rugged roads to fully appreciate its spectacular diverse terrain, each sheltering its own unique species of lemurs. To minimise road travel by coach, our exclusive tour will take us by private charter flights to access the remotest corner of the country and allow us to experience its incredible diversity. We will benefit from a leading primatologist accompanying us for 2 days at Andasibe National Park, the ideal place to observe many species of primates.