PAST HISTORIC CITIES, TIGERS AND TEMPLES
The 13-day river cruise on the RV Katha Pandaw down the Ganges will be full of Indian splendor. There is no better way to see real Indian life than aboard a ship on the Ganges, sailing past cultural treasures, small villages and pristine nature full of birds and wildlife scattered along its banks. Experience the colonial splendor of Kolkotta, visit more than 20 towns and villages, pilgrimage sites, battlefields, copper worker villages, the world's largest opium factory and many grand palaces. Depending on whether you travel upstream or downstream, your trip begins or ends in Varanasi with a beautiful sunrise cruise on rowing boats over the bathing ghats.
TIPS & TOPS RIVER CRUISE ON THE GANGES:
- The ship Katha Pandaw has 18 cabins and is entirely hand-finished by traditional craftsmen in brass and teak wood
- From the promenade decks or observation deck, let the river panoramas glide past you with the incessant activity of humans and animals so characteristic of the river life of Asia
- A local chef provides delicious semi-breakfast buffet, semi-lunch buffet and seated themed dinners
- Visit the 18th-century church and house of Dupleix, the former governor general of French India and the old Dutch settlement of Chinsura
- In the beautiful town of Bateshwarsthan, discover the 8th-century Buddhist site of Vikramshila, one of the most important centers of learning in India during the Pala Empire
- The river offers the opportunity to spot the rare Gangeatic dolphins
- Visit the imposing Imambara in Hooghly with verses from the Quran written on the walls
- Enjoy a city tour of Patna, the capital of the state of Bihar, including a visit to The Golghar, a large stupa-style granary built in 1786
- Various extension options in Varanasi or Kolkata
