Assam & the Brahmaputra

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

Arrive Kolkata. India’s capital (as Calcutta) under the British Raj, Kolkata today has smart malls, garden parks and techno parks, but it is still known for its colonial-era avenues, cricket ground, and golf courses. On arrival, transfer to the 5-star Oberoi Grand heritage hotel  (Taj Bengal - 30 October), a blend of classic Victorian and traditional Indian style, for a two-night stay. Welcome dinner this evening.
(D)

Enjoy the highlights of the city today, including a cruise on the Hoogly River, and a drive-tour around colonial ‘Calcutta’; and visiting the flower market; the marble Victoria Memorial to the Empress of India; Dalhousie Square’s collection of grand monuments, the Town Hall and Writers’ Building among them; the 19^th-century St. John’s Church, one of the oldest in the city; the Jain Temple complex, its three shrines a marvel of carved marble and glass work; and the ‘Boi Para’ (book colony), boasting the biggest book market in India, and the largest collection of second-hand books in the world.
(B)

Fly to Guwahati, Assam’s capital, in the foothills of the Himalayas, and travel (4hrs) to Steemer Ghat, close to Kaziranga National Park, to embark on the elegant RV Charaidew II, your vessel for the seven-night cruise. Enjoy a traditional Assamese dance performance on-board.
(B, L, D)

Covering 430sq kms of very varied terrain, Kaziranga boasts hefty breeding herds of elephants and water buffalo, the world’s largest population of the Indian one-horned rhino, and an enviable count of well-camouflaged tigers. Seek them out on an early morning jeep safari in the park’s Central Range; and cruise upstream for wildlife-watching from the sun deck, along the border of the reserve. Arrive at the rural town of Vishnath for a walking tour and visit its Ahom period Shiva temple.
(B, L, D)

Continue up the Brahmaputra on a leisurely, full day sailing, floating past remote villages and presenting the opportunity to see Gangetic dolphins, Pallas eagles, and the critically endangered Black Softshell Turtles. Evening arrival at Dhansiri Mukh.
(B, L, D)

Return to Kaziranga for a jeep safari of its Eastern Range, its grasslands favoured by the rhinos. Sambar and swamp deer, pelicans, and golden langur all find a natural habitat among the ponds and marshes of the reserve.
(B, L, D)

Sail upstream and call in at a small village to meet the community and gain an insight of life in rural India.
(B, L, D)

Arrive at Majuli Island, known for its Hindu monasteries, to visit the Auniati Satra monastery and its museum of artefacts from the 18^th century Ahom period; and continue to Kamalbari Monastery to enjoy a traditional Assam dance performance. Sail to Neamati Ghat, on the opposite bank.
(B, L, D)

Visit a local tea estate for an appreciation of Assam’s most famous asset; and drive to Sibsagar, the capital of the kings of Assam until the 1820s, their culture and architecture a delightful amalgam of Indian/East Asian influences. Visit the palaces and stupa-style temples, built in 1731 to 1738 by the Ahom queen.
(B, L, D)

Disembark and travel (5hrs) to Dibrugarh airport, driving through the colonial town, known as ‘the home of Assam tea’, enroute to the airport for the flight, via Guwahati, to Delhi. Transfer to the 5-star Taj Mahal Delhi for overnight stay.
(B)

Transfer to the airport for your return flight, direct or via Dubai.
(B)