Who can resist 17 days of extravagant adventure and seafaring indulgence warmed by the warm winter sun? Kick-off in Seychelles paradise, before heading for the Maldives to idyllic island-hop and dolphin chase. Swap the Indian Ocean for Indian shores, where rust-coloured elephants shuffle through national parks, within reach of the breezy beaches of Cochin. Intoxicating, incomparable Mumbai beckons - with its extremes and eclectic cultural wonders - ahead of the UAE and Qatar’s excesses and extravagances.