Brahmaputra Indian River Cruise

Day 1 - Fly London To Kolkata (Calcutta)

Fly London to Kolkata overnight.

Overnight: In flight

Day 2 - Arrive Kolkata. Group transfer to hotel. Afternoon sightseeing.

On arrival in Kolkata, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. If time allows you have some sightseeing in the afternoon, possibly including a visit to the Victoria Museum. This museum is dedicated to Queen Victoria and the building is icon of the British Raj in Kolkata. It contains many interesting exhibits and is set in attractive gardens. After your visit you will head back to your hotel with time to relax.

Overnight: Taj Bengal Or Similar, Kolkata

Day 3 - Fly to Jorhat in Assam - 1½ hours. Join cruise ship MV Mahabahu. Safety briefing and introductory talk on wildlife in Assam. Evening sail and drop anchor for the night.

In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Jorhat in Assam. When you land you will be met and driven to your cruise ship, the MV Mahabaahu. You will be welcomed on board and shown to your cabins before a light lunch followed by an introduction to the boat and an essential safety briefing. This will be followed by a presentation on the wildlife of Assam and information about the some of the many places you will be visiting over the next few days.

As the sun sets you will enjoy a short local sail and your first sunset views over the Brahmaputra. Your ship will drop anchor for the night and you will then have a welcome dinner on board.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 4 - Visit Hollongapur Gibbon Sanctuary. Drive to a tea estate for lunch. In the afternoon visit the eastern range of Kaziranga (Agoratoli) for a jeep safari or take a tour of historic Sibsagar.

After breakfast you will have an early start to drive to the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. This sanctuary is the home of India’s only ape, the Hoolock Gibbon, as well as Northeastern India's only nocturnal primate, the Bengal Slow Loris. Hoolock gibbons are a rare ape found only in this part of Asia and you need a very early start for your best chances of seeing them. Your naturalist and guides, along with an armed guard, will walk with you for a couple of hours through dense evergreen forest and they will do their best to help you spot some of these creatures. You may at the very least hear the distinctive call of the Hoolock Gibbons as they call to each other through the jungle. 

After your visit to the Gibbon Sanctuary you will drive to a tea estate to look at some tea gardens and to learn from the tea planters themselves about planting and the tea business. You will get an insight into the lifestyle of these families, who have been involved in the tea trade for generations. There will be an opportunity to taste some genuine Assam tea! Later you will be hosted for an authentic Assamese lunch by the family of a tea planter.  

In the afternoon there are two choices of activity. Continuing the wildlife theme, you can drive to the Eastern Range of Kaziranga (Agoratoli) for an afternoon jeep safari, seeking out birds and wildlife before returning to the ship at dusk.

Alternatively, you may choose to visit Sibsagar, the ancient city of the Ahom Kings; The name of the town means 'the ocean of Lord Shiva'. Sibsagar was the capital of the Tai-speaking Ahom people who came to the area from Yunan in China in the 13th Century AD. The district is dotted with the tell-tale ruins of their powerful empire. You may visit the Talatal or Karen Ghar, which was the palace of the Ahom kings and stroll around the monument before continuing to Rang Ghar, which was a place where wrestling bouts, buffalo fights and other entertainment were held for the royal family and their guests. Sibsagar town itself is built around a huge manmade water tank created over 200 years ago. Some of the famous temples of Sibsagar are found on the banks of this tank. The Shiva Dol, constructed in the year 1734 is believed to be the highest Shiva temple in India.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 5 - Sail to Neamati for an early morning walk on Neamati Ghat. Visit Majuli Island, a renowned centre of Assamese culture. Sail towards a deserted island for barbequed snacks and bonfire.

This morning, before breakfast, you may land and take an early morning walk with your onboard naturalist, along the bund at Neamati Ghat, to look for birds and to see the local village waking up. You will see villagers going preparing their boats and fishing nets for the day ahead, and you will also doubtless meet local children on their way to school. 

After an enjoyable couple of hours you will return to your boat for breakfast and sail on to Majuli. Here you will take a short boat ride to reach Majuli island, the largest river island in Assam where you will find a real microcosm of Assamese culture and spirituality. Several rich cultural traditions co-exist and thrive here, having found a refuge in this remote place since the 15th century. The many ancient monasteries or ‘satras’ promulgate a form of Hinduism called Neo-Vaishnavism, a reformist sect that reshaped Assamese society. These Satras are treasure troves of art, dance, and music and are real cultural hubs being dedicated to the preservation and development of Assamese culture. The art of relating mythical tales through dramas and masks is an important part of Majuli culture and after exploring this beautiful area, you will be treated to a fascinating performance by Satriya singers and dancers, perhaps also meeting some of the performers. You may also visit the 'Kamlabari Satra' to see a performance by the Vaishnavite priests in the temple premises. These monasteries have nurtured Assam's classical arts for centuries. Later you may visit the humble dwellings of the monks and perhaps talk to them about their daily lives. Mask making and pottery are also famous art forms in Majuli culture and the satras also preserve other articles and antiques of cultural importance, such as weapons, utensils and jewellery. 

A visit to Majuli Island is a richly rewarding cultural visit but there are also excellent opportunities to see many interesting birds, including open-billed storks, adjutant storks, whistling ducks, bar-headed geese and weaver birds. 

You will return to the boat for lunch and in the afternoon sail to a deserted island in the river to enjoy an evening on a beautiful silver beach under a starry sky, enjoying some barbequed snacks and a bonfire. Dinner will be taken back on the boat.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 6 - Explore Mishing Village. Continue to the Eastern Range of Kaziranga. Explore the shoreline of the Agoratoli Range.

Before breakfast you may enjoy some morning yoga on the beach or go for a walk to spot some birds or just to stretch your legs.

Later you will visit a 'Mishing' village – the Mishing are an ethnic group, possibly originating from Arunachal Pradesh, who now inhabit a number of districts in Assam where they migrated in search of fertile land. Their villages along the Brahmaputra are built on non-permanent islands that are at the mercy of the river when it floods. You will have the opportunity to visit their ‘Mishing Chang Ghars’ (homes) and have a peep into their way of life. Bamboo is a critical part of Mishing culture and their chang ghars are built on bamboo scaffolding and raised on stilts above the ground to cope with flooding, with bamboo mats for floors, walls and roofs. Mishing people also have a unique culture of weaving, with colourful ethnic designs created from home spun, home dyed, cotton threads. They keep their looms in the space beneath the bamboo scaffolding of their homes. You will climb up to visit the Mishing in their elevated bamboo homes and you may take this opportunity to purchase some of their handicrafts. Most Mishing women are expert weavers on handlooms. The traditional dress of the Mishing are dhoti-kurta for men and mekhla-chaadar for women and local people will be delighted to show you how to put on this ethic attire – a man from the village will give you a 'dhoti' tying demonstration, while a local woman will show you how to tie the traditional 'mekhela chaddor'. 

After your visit to Mishing you will return to the comfort of MV Mahabaahu for lunch and sail on towards Agoratoli on the Eastern Range of Kazirnaga. Cruising in small boats you explore the shoreline perhaps seeing elephant coming down to drink or buffalo wallowing in the shallows, with the rare chance of seeing a tiger on the river bank or a water monitor lounging on a log.  There will also doubtless be numerous birds along the shore. Your on-board naturalist will be able to assist with spotting and identification.

You return to the ship and later will have a cooking demonstration by the chef followed and dinner.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 7 - Sail and walk around Bishwanath. Sail to Silghat and visit a jute mill and tea plantation.

In the early morning you may enjoy some yoga on deck as you sail towards Bishwanth Ghat, a tiny village on the banks of the Brahmaputra, located on the opposite side to Kaziranga NP. 

On arrival at Bishwanath Ghat (also locally called 'Gupta Kashi'), you take small boats to visit this charming village known for its natural beauty and its cultural importance. It is predominantly a village of weavers, subsistence farmers, fishermen, and boat makers. You can enjoy a relaxed stroll through the village, seeing how local people live as they tend their gardens and mend their fishing nets, but in particular local women busy on their handlooms, creating home spun fabrics. There will be a chance to try your bargaining skills here – be sure to carry some cash with you to help encourage this ancient local craft. You will also visit the famous Shiva Dol, a temple dating back to the times of the Ahoms in the 18th century. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and features a large Shiva Lingam – it is a popular pilgrimage site particularly during the festival of Shivaratri. You may also have further chances to purchase some local crafts in a small bazaar which is often set up near the temple.

You return to the boat to sail alongside Kaziranga Park to Silghat where the ship docks. After a relaxed lunch on board you will walk to the Assam Jute Mill. This mill, which is a major producer of jute and employs over 800 people, is unique being the only cooperative jute mill in Assam. Here you will see the complete production process from the raw golden fibre to a manufactured ‘gunny bag’.

You then drive to a tea-estate where you may see the whole process from women plucking the tea leaves in the gardens and on to the tea factory for the various procedures, right up to the packing of the tea. (Note: The tea-factory is operational till mid Nov and after mid-Feb). Later you will be treated to a performance by village children dressed in colourful Assamese clothing. They will dance the ‘Bihu’, the state dance of Assam, traditionally a courtship dance and an important part of the time-honoured heritage of Assam.

You will return to the ship, and over tea, coffee and snacks, you will enjoy a presentation about your visit tomorrow to Kaziranga, one of the highlights of the trip. 

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 8 - Full day jeep safari in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

You have a wildlife treat in store today! Kaziranga National Park really is the jewel in India’s wildlife crown. It is largely undisturbed by human encroachment, being a vast expanse of elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical broadleaf forests, criss-crossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra. Every spring, the park floods, the waters enriching the habitat for the rare one-horned rhino and attracting many of the birds that migrate to the area. The animal for which the park is most famous is the one-horned rhino, but it is also the breeding ground for elephants, buffalo, and swamp deer. Over the years the tiger population has also increased in Kaziranga, which is why the park has been declared a tiger reserve. Kaziranga is also important for a rich and varied bird population including many specials such as Asian open-bill stork which migrate here from the Central Asia during the winter season.

You will have a really early start to reach the park for your first safari, just as the sun burns off the mist and the park starts to wake up. This is when you have your best opportunity to see animals close up – rhinos, swamp deer, hog deer and Asiatic water buffaloes, all happily grazing within yards of each other. You will break your exploration with a good breakfast at a nearby resort before you continue your safari. You will drive further into the park to look for more wildlife - rhinos, elephants, various deer, water buffalo and always the chance of seeing an elusive Bengal tiger. After lunch there will a further jeep safari deeper into the park in the Western Range.

After an exciting day you will head back to your boat at Tezpur and continue your journey along the river. With another wildlife park to visit tomorrow you will have an early dinner to be ready for an early start. 

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 9 - Morning visit to Nameri National Park. Continue sailing. Assamese themed evening.

You will have a light breakfast on board at 4.15am before driving to Nameri National Park and crossing the river by local ferry. The Nameri National Park is located in the foothills of the eastern Himalaya, about 35 km from Tezpur. It is famous for several endangered species including sloth bear, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, sambar, gaur, langur monkeys, giant squirrels  and Indian wild dog as well as for its herds of elephants. But the park is especially known for its bird life - among the wealth of birds found here is the endangered white winged wood duck as well as four different varieties of hornbill. Once in the park you will have a walk in the company of a guide/naturalist and an armed guard to look for some of the rare creatures which are found here. There may also be the opportunity to take small boats to travel though some baby rapids for picturesque views on the Jia-Bhaireli River.

After a morning in the park you will return to your ship in time for lunch as you sail downstream. In the afternoon you will have time to relax on board, perhaps treating yourself to a spa or beauty treatment, a sauna, or a swim in the pool. 

Later you will enjoy an Assamese themed evening and dinner.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 10 - Sail towards Dungar Ghat.

After a couple of very early mornings and busy days, today is altogether more relaxed, with the chance of a lie-in or time for yoga on board. You then have the day to chill-out and enjoy the facilities of the boat or simply spend time on the sundeck. There will be river life to observe and views of the picturesque Assamese hills. You will also pass Peacock Island, the smallest inhabited river island on the Brahmaputra with its important temple dedicated to Shiva.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 11 - Morning at Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve. Continue sailing.

You will have an early start to reach the park in time for a safari before breakfast and a jeep safari after breakfast. The India side of the Manas National Park is located in the Himalayan foothills of Assam. It borders the Manas National Park in Bhutan, both parks taking their name from the Manas River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra, which passes through the park. Manas is famed for its rare and endangered species, such as golden langurs and hispid hare as well as the only known population of pygmy hogs in the world, There is also a population of wild water buffalo, along with rhinos, Bengal tigers and macaque monkeys – in all 55 species of mammal and 450 species of birds have been recorded in the park, included the largest population of the endangered Bengal florican (a species of bustard) to be found anywhere – in short a real feast of birdlife.

After your jeep safari you will have a relaxed lunch and then drive back to the boat to sail upstream.

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 12 - Sail to Sualkuchi. Visit the silk processing and weaving area. Sail to Pandu Port in Guwahati.

You will have a leisurely morning on board as you cruise to Sualkuchi.

Sualkuchi is famous as the centre of Assam's silk industry. Weaving is a cottage industry here and is the main occupation for the majority of villagers, with many families operating hand looms from their homes. It has been called the “Manchester of the East" and is believed to be one of the world's largest weaving villages. The best silk in the state is produced here with Assam’s renowned Muga silk, known for its natural golden sheen, and Pat silk - a white silk. 

When you reach the port you will take an e-rickshaw to the silk processing and weaving area of the town and enjoy a real insight into the production of silk and the creation of a wide range of traditional items, including mekhela chadors, Assamese dresses, sarees, and gamosas - a white and red bordered handwoven textile.

You will have a traditional Assamese lunch in town and there will also be opportunities for some shopping. After your excursion you will return to the M.V. Mahabaahu for a last sail to reach Pandu, the port for Guwahati. It’s a chance to enjoy a final sundowner on deck as the sun sets.

As this is your last night on board you will enjoy the chef’s ‘Alvida Bhoj’, a special farewell dinner to mark the end of your journey and you may wish to raise a glass to toast the safe completion of your voyage along the Brahmaputra. 

Overnight: Cruise Boat

Day 13 - Disembark from boat. Drive to Guwahati airport - 1½-2 hours. Fly to Kolkata. Transfer to hotel.

After breakfast you will say a sad farewell to the MV Mahabahu and its crew, before driving to Guwahati airport to catch your flight to Kolkata. You will take a packed lunch with you for the journey. On arrival in Kolkata you will be met and transferred to your hotel. 

Overnight: Taj Bengal Or Similar, Kolkata

Day 14 - Group transfer to airport and fly to London.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Kolkata airport for your flight home.