A Cruise on the Ganges and Tea in Darjeeling

Take the overnight flight from wherever you are to Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta)

On arrival in Kolkata you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Put your feet up and get ready for the adventure ahead.

Kolkata is a fascinating city, so head out with your private guide to explore it. You can visit the Victoria Memorial and gallery, Botanical Gardens and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The afternoon’s “confluence of cultures” walking tour explores all the global communities who have made a home in Kolkata over the years, including the Chinese, Parsis, Armenians, Anglo-Indians and people from all over India. End the day with an evening cruise on the Hooghly, a tributary of the river Ganges.

Few things (in our opinion) are as exciting as heading to India’s busiest railway station at Howrah to board the train up country. Spend the morning at leisure and we will drop you at Howrah in time for the 14:15 Shatabdi Express to Farakka, arriving at 18:30. At Farakka we will meet you off the train and drive you to the river to board your ship for the Ganges cruise.

Cruise down the holy river Ganges today, with a full day excursion to the medieval ruins of Gaur with its mosques, palaces and gateways.

Today’s journey cruises down the waterways of the lower Ganges lined with mustard fields and mango orchards, with a stop at Baranagar. Literally meaning “big town”, this is actually a sleepy and idyllic Indian village, and home to some delightful terracotta temples. There’s plenty more to see today including riverside mansions, mosques and palaces.

Rolling on gently down the Ganges, today’s stops include the Mughal style gardens of Khushbagh and the site of the historic Battle of Plassey. Moor up by the bustling market town of Katwa.

Today make a stop to explore Matiari village to see the traditional local craft of beating out brass pots, and later the large Krishna temple at Mayapur, world headquarters of the Hare Krishna movement.

After stopping at Kalna and taking cycle rickshaws to explore the local terracotta temples, continue downstream to the outskirts of Kolkata.

Cruise downstream past the old Dutch settlement at Chinsura, the former French colony at Chandernagore and on to walk around the old British cantonment at Barrackpore.

On your final morning aboard your floating home you will cruise under the mighty Howrah Bridge and into central Kolkata. After bidding the crew farewell, we will drive you to the airport to board your flight to Bagdogra, and then drive you 3 hours into the hills to Darjeeling.

The old British hill station of Darjeeling sits in the foothills of the Himalayas at 2,100 metres / 6,900 feet with views of snowy Himalayan peaks dominated by Kanchenjunga. We will take you on a private guided tour of the town, including a short ride on the old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to Ghoom.

Spend your final day in Darjeeling at leisure to explore the town and do some last minute shopping.

We will drive you 3 hours downhill to the airport at Bagdogra, to fly to Delhi and connect with your international flight home.