India Tours: Barahamputra River Cruise Tour Itinerary
India Tour Itinerary: 11 days
Day 1: Arrive in Delhi
Upon arrival, receive assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Day 2: Delhi - Agra (205 km/5 hours approx)
In the morning, proceed to Agra by car. In Agra, visit the world famous Taj Mahal, considered to be the 7th wonder of the world, built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a shrine for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Later, visit the Agra Fort built by Emperor Akbar in 1565. In the evening, return to Delhi and stay overnight at the hotel.
Day 3: Delhi - Guwahati (by air)
In the morning, transfer to the airport in time to board the connecting flight to Guwahati. Upon arrival, receive assistance at the airport and proceed on a short sightseeing tour of the city. On this tour, drive up Nilachal Hill to visit the holy Kamakhya Temple, famous for it’s ‘tantric’ rites and animal sacrifice. The squeamish may prefer to content themselves with the exterior. Also visit the poignant Commonwealth War Graves cemetery. Finally, walk through a local market before embarking on the cruise vessel. Set sail and cruise for about an hour and a half upstream to Kurua on the north bank.
Day 4: Cruise
You will cruise upstream today with hills rising on either side. Battling against strong currents, the vessel will reach an idyllic stop at Ganesh Pahar. Here you will explore a delightfully serene hinterland lying under jungle-covered slopes.
Day 5: Cruise
Leaving the hills behind, enjoy the first taste of your wilderness experience with sand banks like icebergs on either side. Optional - make a short stop to visit a riverside village. Moor for the night in a lunar landscape of sand islands with the Himalayas hopefully in view, providing a stunning and contrasting backdrop in the distance.
Day 6: Cruise
In the morning, take a country boat for another cruise up a side stream this time into the Orang National Park. In this rarely visited park, mount elephants and ride through forests and grasslands looking for rhinoceros, deer and other wildlife. Later, return to Charaidew and cruise upstream to the little trading settlement of Singri Ghat which has its main street running alongside a tea garden.
Day 7: Cruise
In the morning, cruise up to Tezpur, and drive out to the 6th century Da Parbatia Temple ruins with a beautifully carved portal. Later, explore the town in a cycle rickshaw stopping at Cole Park to see its medieval stone carvings saved from sites all over the region. Later, visit the bungalow of Alexander Bruce, a pioneer of the tea industry.
Day 8: Cruise
Continue upstream, passing under the seemingly endless new bridge that spans the vast width of the river bed and moor at Steemer Ghat (seat in coach) which is a lovely beach backed by jungle-covered hills. Drive to Kaziranga's Western Range for a jeep safari and to scan the wilderness from an observation tower. Kaziranga is a World Heritage Site and with a population of well over 1000 rhinoceros, it is the best place in the world to see these animals. There is also a sizeable population of tigers, wild elephants, sambar, swamp deer, hog deer, wild pigs, as well as other species to be seen.
Day 9: Cruise
Disembark before dawn and drive to Kaziranga's Central Range for an early morning elephant ride which is the best way to get really close to the rhinoceros and other animals. After breakfast at a lodge, walk through the terraced tea gardens. Later, drive past a Karbi tribal village and stop at a Mising tribal village which has distinctive houses raised on piles. After lunch, either take a jeep safari to the little visited Eastern Range before returning to the boat or if preferred, return directly to Steemer Ghat. Later, visit a delightful Assamese village nearby and walk along a path which is alive with butterflies, to a solitary temple on the river bank.
Day 10: Departure to Delhi
In the morning, start early for the 4 hour drive back to Guwahati Airport or alternatively take the 40 minute transfer to Tezpur Airport and board the connecting flight to Delhi. Upon arrival, receive assistance at the airport and then be transferred to the hotel. Stay overnight in the hotel.
Day 11: Delhi
In the morning, check out from the hotel and enjoy a full day city tour of Old and New Delhi. Visit Red Fort (comprising of exquisite palaces), the Jama Masjid (largest mosque in India), Chandni Chowk Bazaar (colorful and bustling) and Raj Ghat (a memorial dedicated to Mahatama Gandhi). Later, visit Qutub Minar (a soaring tower of victory dating back to 1199) and Humayun's Tomb. Afterwards, drive past Rashtrapati Bhawan (the residence of the President of India), Rajpath and India Gate. In the evening, transfer to the airport for your onward journey.
