SINGAPORE, 12 September 2024: Known for its luxury voyages to remote destinations, Aqua Expeditions is set to expand its fleet in 2025, presenting all-new sailings in Seychelles and Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Inaugural departures are slated for December 2025, with four different itineraries on offer.
“It has always been a dream of mine to venture into East Africa and explore this part of the world on a luxury expedition ship. I am so excited to finally be able to showcase to our past guests the beauty of the Indian Ocean and the famous Aldabra Atoll,” said Aqua Expeditions founder and CEO Francesco Galli Zugaro. Few travellers have heard of or even seen this magical atoll home to over 150,000 giant tortoises. Considered the Galapagos of Africa, this island group is home to hundreds of species of flora and fauna and to some of the most amazing marine life in the world.”
Expeditions on board the explorer yacht will include five and nine-night itineraries visiting Seychelles’ inner and outer islands, respectively.
These may also be combined with a 14-night exploration of the Seychelles archipelago. Itineraries will rotate with comprehensive 10 and 11-night sailings exploring both the Seychelles and the Tanzanian islands. Guests can expect a superyacht experience on par with standards now expected on an Aqua ship, with an exclusive 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio, personalised service, acclaimed cuisine helmed by world-renowned chefs, and small group expert-guided excursions that show off the best of each destination.
The connections to the Galapagos and the Spice Islands provide a reassuring sense of continuity as Aqua Expeditions adds another bespoke vessel to its growing fleet.
Since 2007, when the brand started with a single vessel in the Peruvian Amazon, Aqua has sailed to eight destinations with three river ships and two superyachts. This latest fleet expansion will see Aqua’s sixth vessel lead the company’s entry into Africa, delivering a signature Aqua experience that has been carefully built and refined in South America and Southeast Asia.
“At Aqua, we’ve always been inspired to visit destinations off the beaten track. It was inevitable that our journey would eventually bring us to African shores,” Galli Zugaro adds. “We are pleased to bring our unique brand of small-ship expeditions to a third continent, focusing on luxurious and sustainable travel.”
While sailing Seychelles and Tanzania with Aqua, guests can visit biodiversity hotspots like Aldabra, Cosmoledo, Astove, Furquhar Atol, Kilwa Kisiwani, and Pemba. In usual Aqua fashion, the expedition will also visit destinations such as the African Banks, which are rarely explored by other cruises in the region.
Financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is propelling Aqua’s fleet expansion. This partnership cements the brand’s leadership position as an innovator in the luxury expedition sphere, showcasing Aqua’s continued dedication to sustainable tourism, community engagement, and local talent development while offering customers luxury adventures exploring the world’s most biodiverse and culturally significant destinations. Further details surrounding this expansion and Aqua Expeditions’ sixth vessel will follow.
About Aqua Expeditions
A recognised global leader in luxury small-ship expeditions, Aqua Expeditions explores the world’s most biodiverse and culturally significant destinations with a maximum of 16 to 40 guests per ship. It currently operates river explorations in the Peruvian Amazon and the Mekong Delta (Cambodia and Vietnam) and coastal yacht voyages in East Indonesia — Komodo National Park, Ambon and the Spice Islands, Raja Ampat, and Asmat— and the Galapagos Islands.
For more information, please visit the Aqua Expeditions website, click here
