Arrive at Hong Kong Airport at a suitable time for an international flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital. [Reference flights] July 29: Hong Kong–Addis Ababa ET645/00:25–06:25 July 29: Addis Ababa–Antananarivo ET853/08:55–13:45 A Chinese-speaking guide meets you in Antananarivo. Tour the city by vehicle, visiting the Queen's Palace, history museum, and amphitheater. Overlook the 'City of a Thousand Warriors' and photograph sunset over the hillside city. (Airport to city: approximately 1 hour. If traffic delays arrival or attractions are closed—they close on Tuesdays—the visit will be rescheduled.)

Take a domestic flight to Morondava in the west (indicative aircraft: ATR72, capacity 70; only three flights weekly). After lunch, drive to the Avenue of the Baobabs to view and photograph sunset. After dinner back in town, return to the Avenue of the Baobabs for night photography of star trails. Flight: MD702/10:10–11:20. Operates at fixed times weekly; punctuality is poor and actual conditions govern.

Head to the Avenue of the Baobabs early to capture sunrise and local life in dawn light; After breakfast, take an outrigger canoe to the traditional fishing village of Betania for cultural photography. In the afternoon, drive to see the unique Lovers' Baobabs, then stop again at the Avenue of the Baobabs for sunset before returning to the hotel for dinner and rest.

Return to the Avenue of the Baobabs early once more to capture sunrise and local life in dawn light; After checkout, take a domestic flight back to the capital (indicative aircraft: ATR72, capacity 70; only three flights weekly, with poor punctuality, subject to actual conditions). In the afternoon, you may visit the handicraft market for distinctive souvenirs. Flight: MD703/11:55–13:05. Operates at fixed times weekly; punctuality is poor.

Fly according to the schedule to Sainte-Marie, another of Madagascar's island destinations. By the mid-17th century, it had become a pirate refuge; by the 18th century, thousands of pirates of different nationalities reportedly lived peacefully alongside local people. The surviving pirate cemetery remains an attraction. Photograph it after lunch and learn about Sainte-Marie's pirate culture. The island's annual whale season is its greatest attraction for domestic and international visitors. Sainte-Marie is the best whale-watching location in Madagascar and the whole Indian Ocean. Each July–September, many whales migrate north to breed in surrounding waters, mainly humpbacks. Adult males average nearly 13 meters and females nearly 14 meters, weighing 25–35 tonnes. Females and calves arrive first in July, followed by juveniles; adult males arrive more than half a month later. Their arrival transforms the quiet sea into a lively scene of enormous creatures chasing, rolling, playing, and occasionally breaching in huge splashes. Flight: MD530/06:00–07:05. Domestic schedules may change; actual arrangements govern.

Rise for sunrise, then head to sea after breakfast for whale photography, with ample time to record different behaviors. Many whales return to nearby waters this season to mate and give birth, turning the usually quiet sea into a lively spectacle. It offers an excellent chance to observe whales closely in a fully natural setting as they chase, roll, play, and occasionally breach, throwing up immense sprays.

Rise for sunrise, then head to sea after breakfast for whale photography, with ample time to record different behaviors. Many whales return to nearby waters this season to mate and give birth, turning the usually quiet sea into a lively spectacle. It offers an excellent chance to observe whales closely in a fully natural setting as they chase, roll, play, and occasionally breach, throwing up immense sprays.

Sleep until you wake naturally or rise early to enjoy sunrise over the sea independently. Fly back to the capital at the appropriate time. [Baggage allowance per person: 1 × 20 kg checked bag + 1 × 5 kg carry-on. Flights have poor punctuality; actual conditions govern.] Flight: MD531/10:45–11:45. Domestic schedules may change; actual arrangements govern.

Drive to Andasibe National Park, approximately 4.5 hours. Explore the reserve at night in search of tiny mouse lemurs, nocturnal chameleons, frogs, and other small creatures. [Wear long sleeves, trousers, socks, and non-slip shoes; bring mosquito-repellent patches.]

Early in the morning, follow the guide on an approximately 2-hour hike through Andasibe rainforest. Then visit the private reserve at the rainforest lodge for close observation and photography at Lemur Island and Crocodile Valley. Seek the famous indri, the largest living lemur and the only short-tailed one, found only in this area. Proud by nature, captured indris refuse food and die. Many beautiful local legends concern them, including one nurturing a baby whose father fell from a cliff. None has yet been successfully kept in captivity; only about 150 remain in this area. With luck, you may also find golden dancing lemurs. Return to Antananarivo and check into the hotel to rest.

Accommodation:Hotel in Antananarivo

[Suggested flight] UU612 Antananarivo–Saint-Denis 12:40–15:06 Transfer to the airport at the appropriate time and fly to Saint-Denis, Réunion. After pickup, check into the hotel to rest and adjust.

Accommodation:Hotel in Saint-Denis

After hotel breakfast, drive to photograph Piton de la Fournaise. Called the world's most accessible volcano, it is also one of the most frequently active, with at least 530,000 years of activity. In southeastern Réunion, it is among the world's most remarkable volcanoes. Drive south along the western coastal highway to its foothills, where natural mountain meadow pastures with cattle and sheep are called Little Switzerland, a rare grassland sight on a natural island. Volcanic soil mixed into the road gives it a beautiful natural ocher-red color. Ascend past extinct Commerson Crater to the barren Plaine des Sables at 2,000 meters, one of Earth's most Mars-like landscapes. The route moves from coastal vegetation to forest and green mountain farmland, as though instantly shifting from a European town to an African estate and then strolling the moon. Reach the volcano viewpoint, then drive to the important southern city of Saint-Pierre. Then photograph the local rum museum, also a distillery and a collaboration between the island's three distilleries. Located in the center of the Isautier estate, founded in Saint-Pierre in 1845 by the oldest family sugar business, the museum covers 600 square meters. Visit the working distillery, learn its history and culture, discover how sugarcane becomes fragrant rum and sugar, and taste various flavored rum blends. After dinner, check into the hotel and rest.

Accommodation:Hotel in Saint-Denis

After hotel breakfast, an optional self-funded helicopter flight around the island lasts approximately 45 minutes. Participation depends on circumstances and personal health; this activity is paid separately; confirm the amount before booking, and reservations must be made more than 15 days ahead. With an experienced pilot, soar over Réunion's blue sea and skies, ancient cirques, magnificent waterfalls, chasms, inland mountains, lakes, and tropical forests for a glimpse worthy of a National Geographic cover. Then drive to nature's sanctuary, Cirque de Salazie, for photography. This lush garden watered by a thousand waterfalls includes the divinely gifted Bridal Veil Waterfall, Hell-Bourg, called France's most beautiful village, and dreamlike Creole cottages. Stroll peacefully around Mare à Poule d'Eau, photograph rare local birds, and enjoy tranquil free time. Photograph the Vanilla Garden: Réunion is one of the world's most famous spice-producing places, and almost every visitor comes here. Select pod-like vanilla plants, see processed black vanilla, and learn to judge quality by flexibility, color, sheen, and aroma. Rest at the hotel after dinner.

[Suggested flight] UU104 Saint-Denis–Mauritius 10:10–11:00 After breakfast, transfer to the airport and fly to Mauritius. Meet the guide on arrival, then check into the hotel and rest.

Accommodation:Hotel in Mauritius

After breakfast, join a speedboat dolphin-and-whale trip from Tamarin jetty; visit Casela Bird Park in the afternoon. [Boat excursion] Depart Tamarin jetty by speedboat to seek wild Indian Ocean dolphins and capture them leaping from the water with fast shutter speeds. Skilled swimmers may enter deep water for close encounters and swim alongside dolphins; this is only for very strong swimmers. Snorkeling equipment and life jackets are supplied aboard. [Mountaintop restaurant] Lunch at Mauritius's famous popular mountaintop restaurant, admiring the beautiful west coast and tasting its celebrated Millionaire's Salad. Daily quantities are limited, so availability is not guaranteed. [Casela Bird Park] Established in 1979 in Black River District, the park covers 25 acres and houses over 2,500 birds from five continents, representing more than 160 species and 21 groups. Rare examples include South American macaws, toucans, flamingos, red-crowned cranes, and crowned pigeons. It also has an aquarium and wallabies, tigers, tortoises, monkeys, deer, and other animals. You can walk with the king of the forest in an African-savanna-style setting, getting close to these big cats and taking photographs.

Free morning: sleep in at the hotel, or take an optional 25-minute shared helicopter flight over the underwater waterfall paid separately; confirm the amount before booking. Helicopters carry at most 6 passengers; book at least 2–3 months in advance, with actual charges subject to circumstances. After breakfast, transfer to the helipad and fly to the underwater waterfall. From above, an extraordinary scene appears: a large, steep cliff suddenly opens beneath the broad, flat sea, with huge white flows plunging down its edge into dark, seemingly bottomless depths. Then take aerial photographs of the spectacular natural stone bridge on the south coast. Blue Bay, in southeastern Mauritius near the airport, has the island's most beautiful coral. Photograph sunset at Land's End, then check into the hotel and rest.

Accommodation:Hotel in Mauritius

[Suggested flight] HM048 Mauritius–Mahé 16:55–19:30 After breakfast, visit Port Louis Citadel in the north and the romantic Red-Roof Church. Transfer to the airport at the appropriate time. Meet the Seychelles guide on arrival and check into a Mahé hotel to rest.

Accommodation:Hotel on Mahé

Take a boat to Praslin, Seychelles' second-largest island, for aerial photography of Anse Lazio, then discover the legendary Garden of Eden, Vallée de Mai. Home to black parrots and coco de mer, whose shape astonishingly resembles human anatomy, this World Heritage Site reveals a marvelous world. Along with captivating golden beaches, the area offers Anse Lazio, one of the world's most beautiful beaches, ideal for swimming and relaxation. A traditional Creole buffet lunch features distinctive fish dishes, fragrant curry rice, and sweet tropical fruit. Ride a wooden truck leisurely along leafy lanes past historic Creole houses, experiencing Seychelles' untouched romance. At the colonial-era L'Union Estate coconut-oil factory, the scent of dried coconut seems to carry history itself. Then visit La Digue to photograph Anse Source d'Argent, also called Silver Spring Beach and described as the world's most beautiful beach. Blue sea, silver sand, and surrounding fantastically shaped rocks immerse you in Seychelles' unique scenery.

Photograph sunrise, then return to Mahé by boat at a suitable time. Toward evening, visit Mission Lodge, a pavilion at the highest point of the Royal Ceylon tea mountain where the British Queen enjoyed afternoon tea. Half of Mahé spreads before you. Drone views perfectly combine mountains and sea, making this a must for photographers!

Suggested flight: August 17, Seychelles–Addis Ababa ET878/17:15–20:05 Depart the hotel in the morning and choose sightseeing according to flight time: Port Launay on the north coast; Grand Anse, Anse Intendance, and Anse Takamaka with Chez Batista on the west coast; Anse à la Mouche, Police Bay/Anse Bazarca, and Anse Forbans on the south coast; Anse Parnel, Anse Royale, Fairyland Beach, and Takamaka Rum Distillery on the east coast; exterior views of Eden Island and Victoria's Little Ben clock tower. Transfer to the airport at a suitable time for the return flight.

Arrive in China, concluding the four-destination Vanilla Islands journey! Suggested flight: August 17, Addis Ababa–Hong Kong ET644/23:10–14:55+1