SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1 Arrive in Calcutta
Upon your arrival, transfer to your 5 star hotel by private air-conditioned vehicle and English-speaking guide. No activities are planned for today.

Day 2 Barrackpore/Embarkation
You will be picked up from your hotel in the late morning. Embark midday and sail past the old Danish colony of Serampore to Barrackpore, where you take a walk past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame, and the Flagstaff House, its garden housing many of the British statues removed from central Calcutta. (B, D)

Day 3 Chandernagore
Sail on to Chandernagore, a French possession until 1950, and visit the 18th century church and Dupleix’s House containing a small museum. Drive on to visit the Dutch cemetery at Chinsura, the Imambara at Hugli and the Portuguese church at Bandel where you reboard your ship and cruise upstream, leaving urban sprawl and cruising through the night to a mooring near Kalna. (B, L, D)

Day 4 Kalna
Dock at the countryside town of Kalna and take cycle rickshaws to see some of Bengal’s most attractive terracotta temples, as well as the unique Shiva temple. Continue through the countryside to Mayapur, its skyline dominated by the vast new ISKCON temple. On the opposite bank, visit the older and humbler temples entwined within a giant banyan tree before sailing on through the night to a mooring near Matiari. (B, L, D)

Day 5 Matiari
This morning visit the brassworking village of Matiari where you can see the entire process of beating out brass water pots. Later cruise past the battlefield of Plassey where in 1757 Clive’s defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah changed the course of Indian history. Moor at Murshidabad. (B, L, D)

Day 6 Kushbagh
Travel by cycle rickshaw to the Khushbagh, a peaceful Moghul-style garden enclosing the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah and his family. Continue a little way upstream to where the Nawab’s great Hazarduari Palace, built by an English architect in 1837, dominates the waterfront. Inside you find a vast collection of pictures, china, weapons and other valuable objects. You will also visit the great Katra Mosque and see two amazing buildings of the late 18th century, the Nashipara Palace and the Katgola Palace. Both were built in classical Georgian style by rich local merchants and represent the other side of the coin of the “White Moghul” period when English and Indian cultures came close to fusion. Overnight on the riverbank across from town. (B, L, D)

Day 7 Baranagar
Moor at the delightful sleepy village of Baranagar with three gorgeous miniature terracotta temples to ehich you walk through the fields. Continue sailing. At dusk, moor at Jangipur.(B, L, D)

Day 8 Jangipur
From Jangipur, near where the Hugli flows out from the Ganges, a morning excursion explores native villages where silk is woven and “bidis” (primitive cigarettes) are rolled. In the afternoon, cruise up a long canal section to the Farakka Barrage. (B, L, D)

Day 9 Disembark cruise/Calcutta/Delhi
Bid farewell to your floating hotel and transfer to Farakka station for a 6 hr train journey to Calcutta. Fly on to Delhi where you spend an overnight in a 5 star hotel. (B)

Day 10 New Delhi
A full day of sightseeing in Delhi includes the 17th century Mughal-built Red Fort with its exquisite palaces and gardens, India’s largest mosque the “Friday Mosque,” and Gandhi’s Memorial. Visit New Delhi in the afternoon with the President’s House, Parliament House, and the 42-meter high, arched war memorial “India Gate.” Overnight in Delhi. (B)

Day 11 Delhi/Agra
Travel in air conditioned comfort, arriving in Agra about noon. The city, rich in medieval monuments, developed as early as 2nd century BC since it is located on major trade routes and waterways. After hotel check-in, tour the famous Taj Mahal. Built as a loving tribute to the Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal, the spectacular Taj is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular buildings in the world and rightly one of the new 7 Wonders of the World! Also visit Agra Fort, along the Yamuna River before returning to your hotel. (B)

Day 12 Agra/Jaipur
After breakfast, travel to Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri, a former capital city, was built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 and abandoned 15 years later due to a severe scarcity of water. While Akbar himself was illiterate, he took a keen interest in literature, architecture and the arts. The buildings are a pleasing blend of Islamic and Hindu styles. After lunch at the Laxmi Vilas Palace Hotel in Bharatpur, continue to Jaipur for overnight. (B,L)

Day 13 Jaipur
“ The Pink City,” Jaipur, was given this pink wash in 1853 to welcome Prince Albert to the city. En route to the Amber Fort, see the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), with pink, delicately honeycombed sandstone windows called “jharokhas.” Enjoy a short elephant ride at the Fort, which is a complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens, and temples. Next visit the City Palace, an historic landmark with some of the city’s most magnificent architecture and art. The Palace’s museum contains a collection of Rajasthani dresses and an armory of Mughal and Rajput weapons. Return to your hotel for a second night in Jaipur. (B)

Day 14 Jaipur/Delhi
Enjoy the Indian countryside as you make your way back to Delhi. Upon your afternoon arrival, you are taken to your 5* hotel with the remainder of the day free to explore the delights of Delhi. (B)

Day 15 Delhi
End of Tour