Vasco da Gama traveled to India in 1497 under the most difficult conditions

Vasco da Gama discovered India in 1498

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and navigator who lived in the 15th and 16th centuries. He was born on 1460 in Sines, Portugal, the son of Estêvão da Gama, who was a wealthy nobleman, and Isabel Sodré, the daughter of a renowned navigator. Vasco da Gama grew up at a time when Portugal was eager to find a sea route to India, bypassing the trade routes controlled by Arab and Turkish merchants. These routes were expensive and dangerous, and the Portuguese sought a more direct and secure route to the riches known to be in Asia.

In 1497, Vasco da Gama got his big chance when he was selected by the Portuguese king, Manuel I, to lead an expedition to find a sea route to India. With a fleet of four ships, including the flagship São Gabriel, da Gama set out on his epic journey. After nearly a year at sea, battling dangerous ocean currents, bad weather and disease, he and his crew finally reached the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa, and continued northeast along the African coast.

On May 20, 1498, da Gama and his fleet finally reached Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) on the Indian coast. His arrival marked the beginning of direct maritime trade links between Europe and India and was considered one of the greatest achievements of the Age of Discovery. Da Gama returned to Portugal in 1499, he was received as a hero and his feat was hailed as a decisive milestone in European maritime history.

Visit India

Travel to India, a country of impressive diversity

Vasco da Gama created Portugal’s role as a leading seafaring nation

Vasco da Gama’s voyages and discoveries opened up trade routes that revolutionized global commerce and cemented Portugal’s role as one of the world’s leading seafaring nations. The resources and wealth that flowed into Europe from the East stimulated the economies of all of Europe and helped finance the European Renaissance. In addition, Portuguese established colonies and trading posts along the coast of Africa and in India, which had far-reaching political and economic consequences.

Today, Vasco da Gama is remembered as one of the most famous explorers in history. His exploits and discoveries mark a time of intensive European exploration and expansion that has had long-lasting effects on world history. Da Gama’s voyages paved the way for an era of colonialism and global trade, his importance today is both historical and cultural, and he remains a central figure in Portuguese and world history.

Visit Portugal from north to south

Travel to Portugal. 16 travel destinations

Magellan, the great Portuguese explorer

Magellan, the great Portuguese explorer