Call
Menu
Manage My Booking
Manage My Booking
Africa tours Botswana Eswatini Kenya Madagascar Malawi Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Asia Pacific tours Bhutan Cambodia China India Indochina Japan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Laos Malaysia Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Tajikistan Thailand Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam
Europe tours Albania Armenia Austria Balkans Baltic States Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Montenegro Norway Poland Portugal Romania Scotland Serbia Sicily Slovakia Slovenia Spain Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom
Middle East Tours Egypt Jordan Morocco Tunisia
The Americas tours Antarctica Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Guatemala Honduras Mexico Peru Uruguay
image
Search
Duration
  • Up to 4 nights
  • Up to 7 nights
  • 5 to 7 nights
  • 8 to 14 nights
  • 15 to 28 nights
  • I’m flexible +/- 5 days
  • Custom range
image
Search

All of our arrangements have been specially designed to incorporate a reason to travel and, for ease of choice, these have been categorised under the titles shown below.

Classic Tours Cruises Grand Tours Highlights No Single Supplement Rail Journeys Secrets Tours Short Breaks Solo Groups Unpack & Explore Wildlife Encounters Walking Tours
image
Search

Adults

- +
image
Search
Search Clear Search

10 nights from

£3995

Along the Banks of the Hoogly - Downstream

Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, India Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, India
Katra Mosque, Murshidabad, India Katra Mosque, Murshidabad, India
RV Rajmahal, River Hooghly, Imambara, India RV Rajmahal, River Hooghly, Imambara, India

Go with the flow of the Hoogly for 250 miles from Farakka to Kolkata. This tranquil cruise is a journey through time via rural villages, rarely visited ruins, temples, palaces and Mughal gardens

Assuming a backwater feel in its upper reaches, and gradually becoming busy as it nears Kolkata, the once thriving trade route of the Hoogly River is now a road less travelled, to half-forgotten palaces, terracotta temples, ancient mosques and battlefields. A distributary of the Ganges, it leaves the holy river at the Farakka Barrage, constricted, for a few miles, in a canal. When the structure ends, the Hoogly charts its own course, snaking round land-spits, squeezing between hills, and spreading wide around river islands, to sweep through the old colonial capital, Calcutta then, Kolkata now, where the tour begins and ends. We visit landmark monuments in this multicultural metropolis before taking the train to Farakka to embark on the RV Rajmahal, for a journey that takes us to relics of historic Gaur, and to Murshidabad, the old city of palaces now encircled by rice paddies. Dutch, Danish, French and British colonial settlements punctuate the route. The gentle rhythm of rural India envelopes it.

Overview

  • Day 1  - Flight
  • Day 2  - Kolkata
  • Day 3  - Farakka / Cruise Start
  • Day 4  - Gaur
  • Day 5  - Baranagar / Murshidabad
  • Day 6  - Khushbagh / Katwa
  • Day 7  - Matiari / Mayapur
  • Day 8  - Kalna
  • Day 9  - Chandernagore / Barrackpore
  • Day 10  - Kolkata
  • Day 11  - Return flight
Book Tour

Tour Highlights

  • Explore Kolkata on a city tour
  • Set sail on a 7-night cruise
  • Discover the lost city of Gaur
  • Take a rickshaw ride in Kalna
  • Explore Chandernagore’s museum
  • Sail under the Howrah Bridge
RV Rajmahal, River Hooghly, Imambara, India
Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, India
River Bankside, India
Katra Mosque, Murshidabad, India
Kalna Temple
RV Rajmahal, River Hooghly, Imambara, India
Alternatively...

Along the Banks of the Hoogly - Upstream

An upstream cruise through rural India along River Hoogly.

DETAILS
Book Tour
Along The Banks Of The Hoogly Map

Go with the flow of the Hoogly for 250 miles from Farakka to Kolkata. This tranquil cruise is a journey through time via rural villages, rarely visited ruins, temples, palaces and Mughal gardens

Itinerary

Day 1

Fly overnight from your chosen airport to Kolkata via Delhi or Dubai.

Key: B - Breakfast L - Lunch D - Dinner

Read More
Print

- Itinerary -

Key: B - Breakfast L - Lunch D - Dinner
Day 1

Fly overnight from your chosen airport to Kolkata via Delhi or Dubai.

Day 2

Arrive Kolkata. Visit the Jain temple, college street, book market and take a tram ride. Dinner and overnight at the 5-star Taj Bengal.
(D)

Day 3

Travel by train to Farakka (6 hrs). Embark on the elegant RV Rajmahal, your vessel for the seven-night cruise.
(B, D)

Day 4

Full-day excursion to the ‘lost city’ of Gaur. Hidden for centuries in jungle greenery, its ruins are now revealed with several mosques and Mughal monuments.
(B, L, D)

Day 5

Sail down the Hoogly proper to Baranagar. Continue to Murshidabad to visit the Nawab’s Hazardu-ari Palace, Katra Mosque and the 18th-century palaces of Nashipara and Katgola.
(B, L, D)

Day 6

Walk to Khushbagh, a Moghul-style garden. Cruise to the battlefield of Plassey, where in 1757 Clive of India defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah. Visit the obelisk and moor near Katwa.
(B, L, D)

Day 7

Visit the brass-working village of Matiari and the Krishna temple of Mayapur, a focal point for Hare Krishna devotees from around the world.
(B, L, D)

Day 8

Sail to Kalna and take a rickshaw ride to the impressive group of terracotta temples. Continue to visit the historic Islamic site of the Imambara, its walls adorned with verses from the Koran.
(B, L, D)

Day 9

Sail to Chandernagore, visit its museum and sail past the Dutch settlement of Chinsura. At Barrackpore, walk through the cantonment past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House.
(B, L, D)

Day 10

Sail under the Howrah Bridge to central Kolkata for overnight at the 5-star Taj Bengal. Drive around colonial Calcutta, visiting Victoria Memorial, Dalhousie Square and St. John’s Church.
(B)

Day 11

Return flight to your chosen airport via Delhi or Dubai.
(B)

Close Itinerary
Read More
Notes:

The cruise itinerary may vary according to local conditions.

The programme may be altered due to navigational factors with locks, water levels or congestion at certain sites.

While the vessel carries more, the group size specified refers to transfers and excursions. Excursions will be limited to a maximum of 22 persons per group. The cruise vessel takes 40 guests.

Accommodation

alt="Image

Taj Bengal - Kolkata

The 5-star Taj Bengal in Kolkata offer regal elegance and service that is synonymous with the Taj hotel group. Situated on the east bank of the Hoogly River, close to the main sites of Kolkata, the hotel has 5 restaurants, a bar and lounge area, a fitness centre with spa and an outdoor pool. All rooms have air-conditioning, free wi-fi and private facilities plus a min bar safe and TV.

Vessels

RV Rajmahal Vessel, India, Exterior Bridge

RV Rajmahal Vessel, India, Bar

RV Rajmahal Vessel, India, Restaurant

RV Rajmahal Vessel, India, Sundeck

RV Rajmahal Vessel, India, Double Cabin

RV Rajmahal

Operated by Assam Bengal Navigation, the RV Rajmahal was built in Kolkata, is 164 ft. long, powered by three engines, with extra-shallow draught and a lower profile than conventional designs to enable it to cruise further upstream than most vessels. On board the crew are mainly Indian, the currency the Indian Rupee, the language English and WiFi (free/limited).

The décor is stylish and fresh, with touches of colonial elegance, and uses hand-blocked cotton fabrics of traditional Indian-inspired designs. The comfortable saloon, bar and dining room compliment the vast canopied sun deck. A small spa offers a range of treatments.

Food is a mixture of Assamese (milder than most Indian cuisine) and continental. Wines, beer and spirits are available. Tea, coffee and water are complimentary. Cold towel service, welcome drink and shoe cleaning are offered after each excursion.

22 Main and Upper Deck cabins with four Main Deck single cabins, all are air-conditioned with private facilities, hairdryer, safe and French balconies.

View Deck Plan

Dates & Prices

per person in a twin/double room - 2025 based on Upper Deck cabin

per person in a twin/double room - 2026 based on Main Deck cabin

Book Tour
Wed 19 Feb 2025
From London Heathrow

£ 3995
Tue 24 Mar 2026
From London Heathrow

£ 4340
Price Includes:

Air travel and taxes, all port charges, transfers, 7-night cruise, 2 nights’ hotel, breakfast daily, 1 dinner, full board on cruise, excursions, cruise director, local guides and representatives. If our specially negotiated airfares are unavailable at the time of booking, a supplement may apply.

Not Included:

Travel insurance, visa procurement, optional excursions, tipping, drinks, porterage, any government taxes or compulsory charges introduced after publication.

Supplements per person

Book Tour
Single Supplement
  • 2025: Feb 19
  • £1345
  • 2026: Mar 24
  • £450
Upgrades
  • RV Rajmahal - Upper Deck Twin/Double (Rear) from £350
  • RV Rajmahal - Upper Deck Twin/Double from £350
  • RV Rajmahal - Main Deck Single from £945
  • RV Rajmahal - Main Deck Twin/Double for Sole Use from £1695
  • RV Rajmahal - Upper Deck Twin/Double for Sole Use from £2195
  • RV Rajmahal - Upper Deck Twin/Cabin for Sole Use from £2195
Flight Options
  • Emirates from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow
  • On request, please call
  • Emirates Business Class
  • On request, please call
Tour Only
  • Save
  • up to £800
  • Arrival or departure transfer
  • £49
Book Tour

Similar Tours

Kolkata Victoria Memorial, India

Assam & the Brahmaputra

Exclusive cruise along India’s iconic Brahmaputra River including Assam’s tea country, rural and villages, the monasteries of Majuli Island, and wonderful wildlife of Kaziranga National Park

Read More 11 nights from £3495
RV Rajmahal, River Hooghly, Imambara, India

Along the Banks of the Hoogly - Upstream

A unique, original and exclusive cruise through rural India along the River Hoogly between Calcutta and English Bazaar

Read More 11 nights from £2945
plan