Sailing further into the Assam valley than ever before, Pandaw's 10-night Full Brahmaputra expedition is a true adventure. Reaching the second largest city of Assam,…
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Tailor-made Tour 10 days from £3825 per person
Places Visited: Kolkata, Barrackpore, Chandernagore, Kalna, Mayapur, Matiari, Murshidabad, Ajimganj, Farakka, Kolkata
The Pandaw Cruise Company is an old friend of TransIndus, and we absolutely love their ground-breaking cruise along the Lower Ganges in West Bengal. Beginning in the region’s capital, Kolkata (Calcutta), it traces a winding course north along the Hooghly (a tributary of the Ganges) via a string of largely forgotten colonial ports and market towns. Rather than famous landmarks, the itinerary emphasizes authentic rural life, yielding a vivid sense of the varied and fascinating commerce, industries and culture revolving around what was once a thriving trade artery.
The Pandaw Cruise Company has seventeen beautifully crafted ships in operation, across India and Southeast Asia, all built themselves. Each ship, hand-finished in brass and teak by traditional craftsmen, is itself an object of great beauty. Whilst luxury and comfort are ever-present, it is the colonial-era character and friendly atmosphere that predominate the ships. All of Pandaw's ships have ultra-shallow drafts and can travel to remote areas, which are unreachable by other passenger-carrying vessels, let alone overland.
The itinerary below is upstream from Kolkata to Farakka. Downstream, starting in Farakka and ending in Kolkata is also available.
Holiday Types
Cultural Holidays Wildlife Holidays River Cruising Holidays Luxury Train Holidays Family Holidays Honeymoons Beach Holidays Adventure Holidays
Suggested itinerary
Day 1
KOLKATA
On arrival in Kolkata, you'll be met by a TransIndus representative and escorted to your hotel for an overnight stay. Spend the remainder of the day recovering from the journey, perhaps venturing out to the College Street Coffee House as an acclimatiser.
One of our favourite places to get accustomed to the city's distinctive ambience is the College Street Coffee House on Bankim Chatterjee Street - a popular hangout for Bengali intellectuals and artists. Grab a table under one of the paddle fans, order a dosa and masala chai from one of the turbaned waiters and you'll soon be drawn in to the local 'adda', or chit-chat.
Accommodation Options
Day 2
KOLKATA, BARRACKPORE
Transfer from your hotel to embark on RV Kalaw Pandaw and sail at noon. Sail past the old Danish colony of Serampore to Barrackpore to land and take a walk through the cantonment - past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House.
Accommodation Options
Day 3
CHANDERNAGORE
Continue sailing upstream to Chandernagore, a French possession until 1950. Visit the 18th-century church and Dupleix’s House, erstwhile Governor-General of French India.
Accommodation Options
Day 4
KALNA
After breakfast sail upstream and land at the country town of Kalna and take rickshaws to see a group of some of Bengal’s most attractive terracotta temples, as well as the unique Shiva temple with concentric rings made up of 108 lesser shrines. Sail on through the night to a mooring near Matiari.
Accommodation Options
Day 5
MAYAPUR
Explore the village of Mayapur, the headquarters of the ISKCON movement with a new temple comparable in size to the Vatican and largely funded by Alfred B. Ford, the great-grandson of car maker Henry Ford. Meet Krishna followers and walk through the pilgrims’ bazaar.
Accommodation Options
Day 6
MATIARI
Visit the brass-working village of Matiari, a charming riverside village. Interact with the locals of Matiari and witness the whole primitive process of beating out brass water pots and other vessels. Continue cruising upstream and time permitting visit the battlefield of Plassey where, in 1757, Robert Clive, the Commander-in-Chief of British India, defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, to change the course of Indian history. Moor close to Murshidabad for the night.
Accommodation Options
Day 7
MURSHIDABAD
This morning, walk to the Khushbagh, a peaceful Mughal-style garden that encloses the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah – the last independent Nawab of Bengal – and his family. Continue a little way upstream to where the great Hazarduari Palace dominates the waterfront. Built by an English architect in 1837, the palace hosts an extensive collection of pictures, china, weapons and other objects. Carry on to visit the great Katra Mosque and Nashipara Palace before driving out to see the Katgola Palace. Built in classical Georgian style by rich local merchants, Katgola Palace represents the other side of the coin of the 'White Mughal' period when English and Indian cultures came close to fusion. Moor overnight on the riverbank across from town.
Accommodation Options
Day 8
AJIMGANJ, FARAKKA
Continue up the Hoogly which transforms into a charming waterway twisting and turning between banks lined with mustard fields and mango orchards. Morning walk through the fields of the delightfully sleepy village of Baranagar to visit its three gorgeous miniature terracotta temples. This is rural India at its most idyllic. Visit the Jain temples at Azimganj before continuing on to the Farakka barrage.
Accommodation Options
Day 9
FARAKKA, KOLKATA
After breakfast, disembark and receive a group transfer to the train station in Farakka for your train journey back to Kolkata where you'll be met and transferred to your hotel.
Day 10
KOLKATA, UK
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
Accommodation Options
Tailor-made Tour 10 days from £3825 per person
What's included
- 7 nights accommodation on the cruise, and 2 nights in Kolkata
- All internal transportation and transfers
- English-speaking guides
- Breakfast daily in Kolkata, all meals on the Pandaw cruise
- Entrance fees to sites and monuments listed in the tour itinerary
Places and Experiences in this tour
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