Many sailors before him set out to discover India but none of them succeeded.Ĭhristopher Columbus started his voyage in 1492, five years after Da Gama as he wanted to discover the sea route to India but his journey took him to America.ĭuring his voyage, Da Gama's fleet reached the coast of Natal on Christmas Day. Da Gama was not the first person who started out in search of India - a fabled land of spices and riches.