Singapore to Mumbai cruise: Sri Lanka and India by ship. Photo / Getty Images
A cruise through India and Sri Lanka delivers far more than life at sea. Leonie Jarrett enjoys champagne, cities and safari, all in one journey.
My husband and I recently cruised on Crystal Serenity from Singapore to Mumbai. Through a mix of Crystal excursions and independently organised excursions, we visited places in Sri Lanka and India we had never been to, saw things we had never seen and learned things we never knew.
Nature and history, champagne and tragedy – all in one day
One day we docked at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are part of India , even though the islands are geographically closer to Thailand and Myanmar.
We chartered a boat with a skipper for the morning, and my husband caught a giant trevally while I sipped champagne. Later, we did some scenic cruising and snorkelled in the clear blue water.
Returning to Crystal Serenity, we had lunch and then hailed a tuk-tuk to take us to the Cellular Jail. The jail was built on British orders in 1906 and was used until 1939 to imprison Indian freedom fighters in individual jails rather than dormitories (hence the name Cellular Jail).
Two days in Sri Lanka followed, one each at Hambantota and the nation’s capital, Colombo. This was our first visit to Sri Lanka, and excitement levels were high.
The Crystal excursion to Yala National Park (near Hambantota) was full, so we found our own private, guided tour in a game viewer. Who knew that you could do a safari game drive from a cruise?
We saw birds galore, deer, crocodiles, water buffalo and a few groups of elephants. Watching the elephants drinking and playing in the water was mesmerising.
In Colombo, we independently organised a morning walking tour. We visited a tea emporium and enjoyed a tea tasting. We also visited a temple and a bustling market area. An unexpected highlight was the local bus ride as part of the tour. The frantic driving is an acquired taste.
Once (safely) back onboard Crystal Serenity, we had lunch and lazed by the pool with a mid-afternoon ice cream. A perfect antidote to hectic, hot and humid Colombo.
We switched back to India for the remainder of our cruise. On our day in the historical spice capital of the world, Cochin, we chose to join a full-day Crystal excursion to the Backwaters of Kerala – a network of canals, rivers and lakes often called the “Venice of the East”.
We cruised serenely on a houseboat with black kites soaring and swooping above us, surrounded by rice paddies and boats of all sizes. It provided a great insight into local life.
The next day, we docked at Mormugao (Goa), and we toured two World Heritage Sites: the Latin Quarter (Fontainhas) of Panaji (also known as “New Goa”) and the Churches of Old Goa.
We hailed a taxi from the ship to pretty Fontainhas, full of colourfully painted buildings. We learned that the houses there have to stay painted the colour they were in 1984, when Fontainhas was declared a World Heritage Site.
Our storyteller, Shreeya, told us about the strong Portuguese history and influence. We were in India, yet we felt that we could have been in Portugal. We even stopped for a coffee in a laneway with a delicious Pastel de Nata, a traditional Portuguese tart. It was quite surreal.
With the walking tour over, we hailed a taxi to take us to Old Goa to visit churches dating from the 16th century. Devastating disease in the 18th century caused Old Goa to be largely abandoned. Only the churches now remain.
The architecture is amazing, but the heat was stifling, so we returned to Crystal Serenity for lunch and a refreshing swim.
The last port of our cruise was Mumbai. We booked a walking tour of “old” Mumbai starting at the glorious 19th-century, Victorian Gothic-style Victoria Station. Three million people travel through this train station every day.
We walked past a host of English-style buildings , including Elphinstone Circle, a semicircle of Georgian-style mansions built around a park. It looked just like London. We finished at the iconic India Gate, looking at the equally iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
It was Anzac Day, so back onboard Crystal Serenity, we attended a tribute organised by Crystal. There was a reflection, a prayer and a minute’s silence, after which The Last Post was played by the onboard trumpeter. It was quite lovely.
A cruise was the only way we could have fished at the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, done a safari and a scenic day cruise in Sri Lanka, visited big cities, and toured a former Portuguese settlement all in a week or so. And all without the hassle of continuously packing and unpacking.
This was travelling minus the stress; setting our own course and leaving Crystal to take care of the logistics.
Cruise-led and independent excursions: Get the balance right
We were active when we wanted to be and more sedentary at other times. (This was a cruise through hot, humid places, so it was rather pleasant to sit back in air-conditioned comfort.)
When considering independent excursions, remember that participating in a cruise-led excursion means the ship will wait for you if your tour is delayed. If you organise your own excursion, the ship will not wait. Keep a strict eye on the time.
For independent travel, it’s best to download WhatsApp and have Wi-Fi sorted. Activity providers generally use WhatsApp to communicate key information like the meeting point.
Book online before your cruise departs to avoid disappointment.
The writer was a guest of Crystal, sailing from Singapore to Mumbai on Crystal Serenity.
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