Antara River Cruises has introduced luxury river cruising across India with an exceptional attention to detail. An invitation to take you to untouched destinations bringing unmatched hospitality and immerse yourself in unforgettable experiences.
Day 01 Arrive Kolkata D By Flight
Kolkata – Barrackpore By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
Transfer from the meeting point to embark 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.
Day 02 Barrackpore – Kalna B-L-D By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
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.
RV Kalaw Pandaw – Sister to the Kindat and identical in design the Kalaw was launched with her in 2014 Kalaw is named after the PS Kalaw launched in 1917 and sunk in 1942 in the War. Paul Strachan witnessed the salvaging of the Kalaw in 1998 and managed to acquire her name plate and bell, the former of which has been reused on her namesake. Again this ultra light ship combines one of the shallowest drafts on the river with one of the highest passenger space ratios afloat.
Day 03 Kalna – Matiari B-L-D By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
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.
Day 04 Matiari – Murshidabad B-L-D By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
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.
Day 05 Murshidabad – Baranagar B-L-D By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
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 and continue downstream.
Day 06 Baranagar – Mayapur B-L-D By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
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.
Day 07 Chandernagore – Hooghly B-L-D By Ship RV Kalaw Pandaw
Continue sailing downstream before landing to visit the imposing Imambara at Hooghly. With verses from the Koran written on its walls, the Imambara is an opportunity to step back in time and relive a slice of Islamic history in Bengal. Sail past the old Dutch settlement of Chinsura to Chandernagore, a French possession until 1950. Visit the 18th century church and Dupleix’s House, erstwhile Governor-General of French India. Sail into the night to a mooring near Kolkata.
Day 08 Kolkata – Guwahati B-L-D By Flight
Transfer to ship from airport and explore this pleasant Assami city visiting the Nilachai Hill temple and Commonwealth Graves. Late afternoon cast off upriver.
Day 09 Guwahati – Sailing B-L-D By Ship RV Kindat Pandaw
Sail all day making headway against strong currents through the lush Assami countryside stopping for some exercise in a village of market gardens.
RV Kindat Pandaw – The original Kindat was built in 1886 by Yarrows in London and sank in 1920. She was named after a small Upper Chindwin town. Following experiments with the Katha and Angkor Pandaws, in this build we perfected this concept of a two deck shallow draft vessel and repeated the formula again with her sister the Kalaw. What we managed to produce in 2014 was a very shallow draft vessel that could go just about anywhere anytime that was big enough to carry 30-40 passengers with lots of outdoor deck space. We did this by reducing weight and stripping both hull and superstructure down to the bare essentials.
Day 10 Sailing – Tezpur B-L-D By Ship RV Kindat Pandaw
Exploring the town by trishaw we visit the De Parbatia temple with its richly carved portals and Cole Park with its collection of medieval carvings collected from across the region.
Day 11 Tezpur – Nameri NP B-L-D By Ship RV Kindat Pandaw
After an early breakfast, drive for some two hours to the Nameri National Park at the foot of the blue hills of Arunachal Pradesh, the old North East Frontier Agency. Here, we take a float trip of around two hours down the Jia-Bhoreli River through the park. There are excellent bird-watching opportunities here (look out for the great Hornbills) and, perhaps, the chance of sighting wild elephants. After lunch, take a village walk before returning to the ship. Continue upstream, passing below a seemingly endless new bridge across the vast width of the riverbed, to moor at Silghat.
Day 12 Nameri NP – Kaziranga NP B-L-D By Ship RV Kindat Pandaw
Jeep safari to Kaziranga an area of approximately 430 sq kms, this UNESCO World Heritage is home to the world’s largest population of the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros as well as the Indian Wild Water Buffalo. It has the highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers withone every five sq. km. The park an incredibly rich biodiversity hotspot with its marshy swamps and thickets of elephant grass, this park supports large populations of Indian elephants, Indian bison, swamp deer, and capped langurs.Besides wildlife, Kaziranga National Park is also a birding paradise. A few of the bird species found here are the oriental honey buzzard, black-shouldered kite, white-tailed eagle, himalayan griffon to mention a few.
Day 13 Kaziranga NP – Tea Gardens B-L-D By Ship RV Kindat Pandaw
Return downstream to visit a tea estate and historic plantation house on the way. Learn about the tea production process from start to finish in this idyllic setting.
Day 14 Tea Gardens – Sualkuchi Silk Vill. B-L-D By Ship RV Kindat Pandaw
Sailing down past Guwhati moor here in the afternoon to see silk production from the cocoon, to spinning and weaving to make the typical saree worn by Assami women.
Day 15 Disembark Guwahati B
Disembark in the morning and transfer to airport.
• Welcome on arrival with fresh flower garlands.
• Meet to attend airports / hotels by our office representative.
• 14 nights in accommodation as per the program.
• Daily breakfast, Lunch and dinners.
• Transfers between meeting point Kolkata, Ship & drop off point Kolkata.
• Gratuities to Crew
• Guide Services ( English language )
• Entrance fees to the monuments.
• Local mineral water
• Jugged Coffee, Teas & tisanes incl. 20 kg check-in luggage
• Domestic flight from Kolkata to Guwahati
• All taxes.
• International flights
• Laundry
• Port dues ( if Levied)
• Personal Expenses.
• Camera / Video Camera Fees.
• Medical Aid.
• Tipping for local guides, bus drivers, boat operators .
• Fuel surcharge
• All beverages except local mineral water
• Travel Insurance.
• Visa If any.
• Accommodation in good hotels.
• Check-in / out time is 12 noon at most of the hotels.
• Extension to other places is also possible with a minimal extra cost. – Additional nights are available at each place with minimal supplement.
• A visa is required and must be obtained prior to your departure from your Country.
• If quoted hotel is not available, we will provide one of a similar category and standard.
• Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
• In case the government changes presently applicable taxes, increase in airlines prices, fuel surcharge our rates will need to be adjusted accordingly.
• In Asia, there is no relevance between the distance and time of travelling, as it depends upon the condition of the roads and congestion of the traffic.
• While every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes etc that are beyond our control all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes.
• Clients must be fully insured, as the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage to client’s property, medical emergencies or any other loss suffered by them whilst on tour.
• In Case of issuing Domestic or International air tickets, SGV is not responsible for any refund if the flight is delayed or cancelled, as it is the responsibility of airline.
