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Day 1: Arrival / New Delhi
Late night arrival, Meeting and assistance upon arrival as our
representatives welcome you and escort you to your van. Whilst
the room keys and check-in is organized, our representative
would introduce the tour to you and hand over the documents to
you. Welcome to India, or as we say 'atithi devo bhava' (the
guest is an incarnation of God). Thank you for giving us the
opportunity to serve you!
Overnight Stay in Hotel
Day 2 : Delhi - Kolkata
After Breakfast Later we are transferred to the airport for our
flight to Kolkatta – capital of the state of West Bengal and one
of the largest cities in the world. Namaste – as we arrive
India. We are warmly welcomed and transferred to our hotel.
Overnight: Peerless Inn, Kolkotta
Day 3 : Kolkata (Calcutta)
No city in the world can match Calcutta. Our morning tour
introduces us to the land where one of the world’s largest city
population reside. For 250 years Calcutta was part of the
British Empire. Our tour includes the Victoria Memorial, St.
Paul's Cathedral, Fort William, Raj Bhawan and the High Court is
Highlight's of the tour. We also see the famous teahouses where
Bengali academics sit and discuss. Evening is free to enjoy and
join the famous Calcutta Tea Houses well known as the meeting
points of philosophers, writers, poets and students.
Overnight: Peerless Inn, Kolkotta
Day 4 : Kolkata / Guwahati
We are transferred to the airport for our flight to Guwahati
where we start with a tour of this interesting city-town. We
drive up Nilachal Hill to see the holy Kamakhya temple where
centuries old rituals are still being practiced. We visit the
poignant Commonwealth War Graves cemetery culminating with a
visit to the popular local market.
Overnight: Hotel Dynasty, Guwahati (1 night)
Day 5 : Cruise
Morning we drive to Hajo, a sacred pilgrimage site for the
Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists alike. We start by visiting a
Moslem shrine with encompassing hilltop views of the surrounding
rural landscape, followed by a simple Hindu temple with its
frieze of elephants and its sacred tank full of great catfish,
carp and turtles. Our first segment of the land tour ends as we
embark on our cruise vessel and set sail for about an hour and a
half upstream to Kurua on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.
Overnight: Cruise ship
Day 6 : Cruise
The day is spent cruising upstream on the mighty Brahmaputra
River enjoying the views of the serene Assam Hills and the tea
gardens on the riverbanks. We stop at Ganesh Pahar to explore
the beautiful jungle. Ganesh Pahar is one of the most
picturesque hills in Assam. Loaded with refreshing tea gardens,
Ganesh Pahar rejuvenates its visitors. The combination of river
and hill with jungle creates a wonderful serenity here.
Overnight: Cruise ship
Day 7 : Cruise
As we continue our river cruising, we leave behind the Assam
hills and see the sandy beaches on both sides of the boat. These
look like icebergs and accord a beautiful scenery where lots of
photos are taken. We embark on the banks to visit some of the
local villages. Visiting villages in Assam is always a
delightful experience as we get the opportunity to mingle with
the local villagers and get first hand experience of the
riverside civilization. Assamese are known to be very friendly
and have their own unique cultural traits which are very
different then the rest of India. Back on the cruise, we
continue having a serene view of the Himalayan mountains as we
proceed towards the next highlight – the Kazaringa National
Park. Overnight: Cruise ship
Day 8 : Kaziranga National Park
Rising early, we embark on our country boat for another cruise
side stream to the Orang National Park. Here, in this rarely
visited park, we mount elephants and ride through forest and
grassland looking out for rhinos, deer and other wildlife. We
then take an interesting countryside drive to the Kaziranga
National Park. Afternoon, it will be a jeep safari to
Kaziranga's Western Range. Kaziranga is a World Heritage site
with a population of over 1000 rhinoceros . The park is also
home to large populations of tigers, wild elephants, sambars,
swamp deer, hog deer and wild pigs. Evening we check in to a
beautiful and comfortable bamboo cottage.
Overnight: Diphlu River Lodge
Day 9 : Kaziranga National Park
Disembark pre-dawn and drive to Kaziranga's Central Range for an
early morning elephant ride - the most popular and local way to
get close to the rhinos and other animals. After breakfast, we
walk through terraced tea gardens and visit a Karbi tribal
village where we see the indigenous culture still intact. We
then drive to Mising tribal village with their distinctive
houses raised on piles. After lunch we take a jeep safari to the
little visited Eastern Range before returning to the lodge.
Overnight: Diphlu River Lodge
Day 10 : Kaziranga National Park /
Guwahati
Morning we take another scenic countryside drive, this time to
Guwahati. After lunch we continue to Sualkuchi and visit the
silk weaving workshops. We witness how this home and cottage
based industry survives as we are oriented through the process
of silk manufacture, from cocoon to spinning to dyeing and
finally to hand weaving into exquisite saris and dress lengths.
Evening we have time to enjoy the local bazaars.
Overnight: Hotel Dynasty or similar, Guwahati
Day 11 : Guwahati / Bagdoga /
Darjeeling
A short flight gets us to Bagdogra from where we take a scenic
drive to the enchanting town of Darjeeling. At the Phalut ridge,
Nepal meets India whilst at the eastern frontier lie the Tista
and Rangeet Rivers - beyond which is the Rishi-La and Bhutan.
The lower regions of the labyrinth hilly forest-clad ridges, is
home to the world famous Darjeeling tea. In 1872 when the first
estates were started, the area for tea was at 14000 acres. Today
it exceeds 787000 acres. Darjeeling at 2134 m is known also for
it’s very friendly people who are relaxed as tea can make one.
There are large areas of firs, pines and fast moving torrents,
with some 4000 types of flowering plants and 300 varieties of
ferns, including the rare tree fern.
Overnight: Fortune Resort, Darjeeling
Day 12 : Darjeeling
Just before sunrise we get into our 4 x 4’s and proceed to Tiger
Hill to view an incredible sunrise from behind the huge lofty
mountain peaks. Here we get a breathtaking view of the majestic
Mts. Everest and Kunchunjung. This is followed by a visit to one
of the most unique of the world Heritage Sites – the Toy Train.
We ride on this one of a kind rail culminating with a visit to
the Ghoom Monastery. The monastery, built in 1875, houses one of
the largest statues of the Maitreya Buddha. Next stop is the
Himalayan Zoo, home to Himalayan fauna such as the Red Panda,
Black Bear, Yaks and Tigers in their natural habitat. We end the
day with a visit to the Natural History Museum, which houses a
fine collection of preserved butterflies, birds, reptiles and
insects of the Himalayas.
Overnight: Fortune Resort, Darjeeling
Day 13 : Darjeeling / Kolkata
After a memorable experience of North East India, we are
transferred to Bagdogra airport for our flight to Kolkata. Upon
arrival at Kolkata, we are met and transferred to our hotel.
Balance of the day is free for shopping and leisure activities.
Overnight: Peerless Hotel or similar, Kolkata
Day 14 : Kolkata / departure
As all good things come to an end, we bid farewell to
India as we are transferred to the airport for our departure
flight. |
