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Brahmaputra River Cruise & India Holiday, with Nameri & Kaziranga (also Ganges options)

India: Taj Mahal + Brahmaputra River Cruise

Brahmaputra River Cruise India Holiday Nameri Kaziranga Ganges

13 NIGHTS FROM:

$4,007

Per person sharing

Scheduled flights quoted separately

IRB13C

• Brahmaputra River Cruise India

• Delhi

• Old & New Delhi Tours

• Taj Mahal

• Agra Fort

• Guwahati

• Nameri Reserve

• Kaziranga National Park

• India Holiday

• Ganges River Cruise options

On this relaxing Brahmaputra River Cruise and India holiday, you will navigate down this important waterway from Guwahati. Explore local villages, watch craftsmen at work & visit Nameri Reserve & Kaziranga National Park. Also enjoy private tours of Old & New Delhi, and visit the incomparable Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Ganges river cruise options also available on request.

Detailed itinerary ▶

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Day 1

You will be met at Delhi Airport and transferred to your hotel in this ancient capital of kingdoms and empires that is now a sprawling metropolis.

Delhi's strategic location was one of the main reasons why successive dynasties chose it as their seat of power and today it is a conglomerate of seven cities. The division between the old walled city and New Delhi marks a division in lifestyles, with the old city retaining its past traditions whilst New Delhi strives to match the pace of the 21st century.

Day 2

Today enjoy a full day private tour of modern New Delhi and the 17th century walled city of Old Delhi, which came to prominence when Shah Jahan moved his capital here from Agra.

In Old Delhi enjoy a cycle rickshaw ride through 300-year old Chandni Chowk market, a maze of lanes crowded with noisy shops selling an extraordinary variety of items and foods, and past the Jama Masjid (or Friday Mosque), the largest in India, and drive past the imposing walls & battlements of the Red Fort, once the most opulent palace in the Mughal Empire. We continue to the Raj Ghat - the simple but moving memorial on the site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated.

In the afternoon our tour of New Delhi starts with a visit to the Qutub Minar, an ancient victory tower built of red sandstone and marble in 1199 and still the tallest minaret in India. With its imposing cylindrical towers and surrounding ruins, it is today a World Heritage Site. Our next stop is Humayun's Tomb, the beautiful mausoleum of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, that inspired the Taj Mahal.

We drive along the Rajpath - the capital's broadest avenue - where you will see the imposing arch of the India Gate war memorial, Parliament House, the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential residence built for the Viceroy of India, and the government buildings on Raisina Hill.

Note: The Red Fort is closed on Mondays.

Day 3

This morning we drive 3.5-hours from Delhi to the ancient city of Agra, set along the banks of the Yamuna River and originally the capital of the Mughal Empire.

Along the way we visit the Agra Bear Rescue Centre. This facility provides sanctuary to over 200 orphaned and distressed sloth bears, including many rescued dancing circus bears.

Afterwards we continue to Agra, which is world renowned as the home of the Taj Mahal - that great symbol of love built by emperor Shah Jahan in the 16th century as a memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal.

In the late afternoon, visit the Mehtab Bagh Gardens that are located across the river from the Taj Mahal, to enjoys your first views of this magnificent edifice at sunset.

Day 4

Rise early to visit the romantic Taj Mahal at sunrise, a truly magnificent white marble mausoleum that took 22 years to build. Apart from its stunning design and perfect symmetry, it is noted for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best marble inlay work ever done. Sunrise and sunset are particularly good times to visit and see the dome subtly change its colour.

After returning to your hotel for breakfast we visit Agra Fort, a massive structure with walls over 70-ft high and 1.5-miles long that encompasses an astounding collection of well preserved buildings, many of them completed during the reign of Shah Jahan. After he was deposed by his son, he was imprisoned in this fort where he remained until his death - spending the rest of his life looking out along the river to the final resting place of his beloved wife.

We then drive 3.5-hours from Agra to your hotel situated in the city of Delhi.

Note: Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. You are allowed a maximum of 3-hours at the monument and cannot take in anything except your camera, water and essential medicine. From mid-January to mid-February there may be early morning fog, in which case you will visit the Taj Mahal a little later.

Day 5

Transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight to Guwahati.

You will be met at Guwahati Airport and transferred to your hotel in this sprawling city, set along the Brahmaputra River in the northeastern state of Assam. The city is known for holy sites including the hilltop Kamakhya Temple, which has shrines to the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu. Umananda Temple is dedicated to Shiva and covered with engravings. It stands on Peacock Island in the river. To the east, the 18th century Navagraha Temple is an astronomical centre with planetary shrines.

Day 6

This morning transfer to the cruise jetty at Pandu Port to embark on your exciting Brahmaputra River Cruise.

Enjoy lunch while crusing downstream to Sualkuchi. In the afternoon we explore this bustling little town that is the centre of Assamese silk production. We visit weaving workshops and witness the whole process of silk manufacture, from cocoon and spinning to dyeing and hand-weaving into exquisite mekhela chadars (a two-piece sari, the traditional attire of an Assamese woman). We then sail up to dock close to the great Saraighat Bridge.

Note: This itinerary is subject to river and weather conditions. Low lying grasslands may not be visitable when the river is at or near flood levels.

Day 7

This morning we drive up Nilachal Hill to see the holy Kamakhya Temple. With its tantric rites and animal sacrifice, the more squeamish among us may prefer to content themselves with the exteriors.

We also visit the poignant Commonwealth War Graves cemetery before re-embarking at Uzan Bazaar. We set sail and cruise pass Kurua on the north bank.

Day 8

This morning we cruise up and visit a river side village, with its lush green fields of vegetables.

The day is spent mostly cruising upstream, with jungle-covered hills rising on either side - often battling against strong currents to reach Jotiabari. Enjoy an Indian cooking demonstration on board.

Day 9

This morning, cruise on to reach Tezpur where, after lunch, we will visit the 6th century Da Parbatia Temple ruins, with its beautifully carved portal.

Later we explore the town by cycle rickshaw, stopping at Cole Park with its medieval stone carvings saved from sites all over the region. Enjoy free time in the local market, whilst our river boat waits at the town’s waterfront for us to reboard.

Day 10

After an early breakfast, we drive 2-hours to Nameri National Park at the foot of the blue hills of Arunachal Pradesh, formerly known at the 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 we take a village walk, before returning to the river boat. We then continue upstream, passing below a seemingly endless new bridge across the vast width of the river, to moor at Silghat.

Day 11

Today we drive to Kaziranga National Park for a morning jeep safari in the Central Range. Afterwards enjoy lunch at Diphlu River Lodge, before enjoying another jeep safari in the little visited Burapahar Range.

Covering an area of approximately 430 sq kms, Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to the world’s largest population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros as well as the Indian wild water buffalo. It has also earned the distinction of having the highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers (one every five sq. km.) making this park an incredibly rich biodiversity hotspot. With its marshy swamps and thickets of elephant grass, it also 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 many bird species found here include the Oriental honey buzzard, Black-shouldered kite, White-tailed eagle and Himalayan griffon amongst many others. At the end of the day we return to our river boat.

Day 12

This morning we visit a local Tea Garden and the weekly market at Uloni.

In the afternoon we drive to Kaziranga National Park, this time enjoying a jeep safari in the Western Range (Bagori Range).

Day 13

This morning transfer 4-hours to Guwahati Airport for your flight to Delhi.

You will be met at Delhi Airport and transferred to your hotel situated near the airport.

Day 14

Transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight home.

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