Assam Bengal Navigation is the original cruise operator on India’s Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers, having navigated these mighty waterways since 2003. A world away from…
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Tailor-made Tour 10 days from £2945 per person
Places Visited: Kolkata, Jorhat, Kaziranga, Vishnath, Majuli Island, Jorhat, Sibsagar, Kolkata
Assam Bengal Navigation is the original cruise operator on India’s Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers, having navigated these mighty waterways since 2003.
A world away from the more well-trodden roads of India, the eastern corner remains untouched by mass tourism. From dancing monks to one-horned rhinos, colonial vestiges to terracotta temples, remote villages to bustling cities, travelling by boat opens up a treasure trove of history, culture, wildlife and religion.
This is one of our favourite journeys across India's waterways that showcases the best of India's remote culture and most secretive wildlife, as well as the world's largest river island. Your journey on the Brahmaputra will be aboard either ABN Charaidew II or ABN Sukapha.
ABN Charaidew II
With 18 cabins in total, including two spacious deluxe cabins, 12 standard twin/double cabins, and four standard cabins with a queen bed for solo travellers, ABN Charaidew II is a boutique, modern ship that wonderfully blends traditional Assamese aesthetics with touches of colonial elegance. All standard cabins have French balconies, while the two deluxe cabins have a private balcony.
ABN Sukapha
ABN Sukapha was designed specifically to navigate the mighty waters of the Brahmaputra river, making her an extremely adept yet comfortable active expedition-style ship. Her 12 cabins are bamboo-panelled, roomy and offer panoramic views of the river. Cane furniture on board, objet d'arts and handlooms on the ship are all locally made by talented artisans from Assam.
Holiday Types
Cultural Holidays Wildlife Holidays River Cruising Holidays Luxury Train Holidays Family Holidays Honeymoons Beach Holidays Adventure Holidays
Suggested itinerary
Day 1
Kolkata
You will be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel, The Oberoi Grand, for the night. The remainder of your day will be at leisure.
Kolkata, or ‘Calcutta’ as it was known prior to 2001, is the capital of West Bengal state, and India’s third largest city, with a population of approximately 14.1 million. The trading post originally founded by the East India Company in the 17th century served as the country’s capital until 1911, and continues to be a major regional hub, albeit one with well-chronicled problems.
The backdrop to this vibrant cultural life is an architectural heritage spanning two-and-a-half centuries of colonial rule. Built to commemorate the British Raj at its zenith, the Victoria Memorial is Kolkata’s most grandiloquent monument – a stately blend of British, Mughal, Deccani, Moorish and Venetian styles whose marble domes soar majestically above the banks of the Hooghly River, surrounded by ornamental lakes and parched maidans.
Elsewhere in the city – connected by an efficient Metro system – lies a wealth of museums and art galleries, the famous Kali Ghat temple (after which the city was originally named) and hallowed turf of the Eden Gardens, high altar of Indian cricket. But above all, Kolkata is a place whose everyday sights frequently prove the most arresting: the flower sellers spreading out their wares in the dawn light at Mullick Ghat; the wrestlers, devotees of the Monkey God Hanuman, exercising on the nearby riverside steps; the overloaded barges of straw arriving at Kumartuli Ghat, where voluptuous deities are fashioned out of clay for the annual Durga Puja festival; and the streams of rickshaws, trucks and pedestrians pouring across Howrah Bridge at rush hours.
Accommodation Options
Day 2
Kolkata, Silghat
After a leisurely breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel late in the morning and transferred to the airport for a flight to Jorhat. On arrival, you will be collected and driven two and half hours to Silghat, a picturesque beach below jungle-covered hills and close to Kaziranga National Park to board your cruise ship.
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Day 3
Kaziranga Central Range
After an early breakfast, you’ll be driven to Kaziranga’s Central Range for a morning jeep safari. Covering an area of approximately 430 sq km, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kaziranga National Park is home to the world’s largest population of the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros and the Indian Wild Water Buffalo. It has also earned the distinction of having the highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers (one every five sq. km.), making this park an incredibly rich biodiversity hotspot. With its marshy swamps and thickets of elephant grass, the park supports large populations of Indian elephants, Indian bison, swamp deer, and Capped Langurs. Kaziranga National Park frequently draws comparisons to the Serengeti in Africa due to the park's abundance of wildlife and birds and is considered a birding paradise. Bird species found here include the Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-shouldered Kite, White-tailed Eagle, Himalayan Griffon and many more. Returning to the ship, you’ll cruise upstream with Kaziranga National Park on the right bank to anchor for the night at Vishnath.
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Day 4
Vishnath
You will visit Vishnath this morning, known for its Ahom-period Shiva temple. Walk through the town before reboarding and setting off again, with Kaziranga still on the far bank. Keep an eye out for wild elephants, which have been spotted, and once, memorably, a tiger. A leisurely afternoon of cruising down the river offers a good chance of spotting the endangered Gangetic dolphin and observe life in the bankside villages as we pass. Arrive in the evening at Dhansiri Mukh.
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Day 5
Kaziranga Eastern Range
This morning, you’ll dock and take a jeep safari to Kaziranga’s little-visited Eastern Range, with grasslands much favoured by rhinos, where you might also spot the rare Bengal Florican. Return to the boat and continue your cruise upstream.
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Day 6
Passing Riverbank villages
Today brings another opportunity to watch life unfold on the riverbanks as you cruise upstream. The languid pace of life onboard the boat offers a rare opportunity to sit and watch the world slip by, chat with fellow guests, or catch up on your reading. You’ll have time to stretch your legs by walking through a bankside village, gaining an insight into life in rural India.
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Day 7
Majuli island
You should reach Majuli Island around breakfast time. One of the world’s largest river islands and a microcosm of Assamese culture, Majuli is much-photographed but little-visited. It is a stronghold of the peaceful religion of neo-Vaishnavism, and the elegant island satras — some for celibate monks, some for families — showcase a unique way of life where the faithful live simply, offering worship through gayan-bayan (songs and musical instruments) and readings. You’ll visit a monastery at Auniati with its eclectic museum, then attend a dance performance at Kamalabari monastery before cruising across Neamati Ghat on the opposite bank. In the afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to visit a nearby village.
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Day 8
Tea Estates and ancient Kingdoms
Today, you will visit a tea estate in Jorhat and observe the journey from tea bush to cup. (Please note that the factory is inoperative between December and mid-March.) Later, you’ll be driven to Sibsagar, the one-time capital of the Ahom kings of Assam. Shan by origin but converted to Hinduism, the Ahoms ruled Assam for some 700 years until the 1820s. Their culture and architecture is a unique and intriguing amalgam of India and Southeast Asia. You’ll see temples with stupa-like profiles and palaces of distinctive form. The temple tank here is believed to be the world’s largest hand-excavated reservoir and quite the feat of engineering, as you’ll see. Return to your ship, which will have cruised up to Neamati Ghat, close to Jorhat.
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Day 9
Dibrugarh, Kolkata
This morning, you disembark and will be driven to Dibrugarh airport for your onward journey back to Kolkata. The drive to the airport takes around 4 ½ hours and passes through this typical colonial town and a major base for American flights over 'The Hump' to China in WWII. On arrival in Kolkata, you will be transferred to your hotel for the night, and the remainder of your day will be at leisure.
Day 10
Kolkata, UK
Transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
Accommodation Options
Tailor-made Tour 10 days from £2945 per person
What's included
✓ 7 nights accommodation aboard your ABN cruise vessel and 2 nights at a five-star hotel in Kolkata
✓ All excursions on board the cruise with English-speaking guides
✓ Entrance fees to sites and monuments listed in the tour itinerary
✓ Meal plan: Full board on the cruise and Bed & Breakfast in Kolkata
Places and Experiences in this tour
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