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West Bengal Holidays to Calcutta and Darjeeling Sundarbans Gangtok

Wildlife Holiday India: Kaziranga Tiger + Sundarbans + Darjeeling + Gangtok + Calcutta

West Bengal: Darjeeling + Gangtok + Kaziranga + Sundarbans
IRS14D
16 NIGHTS
FROM $3,585
Per person sharing
Flights quoted separately
Wildlife Holiday India Kaziranga Tiger Sundarbans Darjeeling Gangtok Calcutta

This adventurous wildlife holiday to India visits the Kaziranga tiger & rhino national park on the Brahmaputra River, where you can see wild Asian elephants & one-horned rhino, as well as the Sundarbans Delta. Also explore the tea-producing hill country of Darjeeling, the Tibetan culture of Gangtok & vibrant Kolkata (Calcutta). English speaking guides, private drivers, jeep safaris & all sightseeing included.

Wildlife Holiday India Kaziranga Tiger Sundarbans Darjeeling Gangtok Calcutta
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Darjeeling
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Tiger Hills & Ghoom Monastery
• 
Toy Train
• 
Kalimpong
• 
Gangtok
• 
Kaziranga Tiger & Rhino Reserve
• 
Kolkata (Calcutta)
• 
Mother Teresa Mission
• 
Sunderbans India
• 
Wildlife Holiday India
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Darjeeling
• 
Tiger Hills & Ghoom Monastery
• 
Toy Train
• 
Kalimpong
• 
Gangtok
• 
Kaziranga Tiger & Rhino Reserve
• 
Kolkata (Calcutta)
• 
Mother Teresa Mission
• 
Sunderbans India
• 
Wildlife Holiday India
Days 1 To 2
You will be met at Delhi Airport by your driver and transferred to your airport 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 3
Enjoy a half day guided walking tour of Darjeeling, including a visit to the Botanical Gardens and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute where Tenzay Norgay, who together with Sir Edmund Hillary first ascended Mount Everest, was director of field training. We also vist the colouful local bazaars.
 
The balance of your day is free to relax in Darjeeling.
 
Note: The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is closed on Thursdays.
Day 4
Rise early today (4 am) for a spectacular pre-dawn trip to Tiger Hills to experience the sun rising over the peaks of the Himalayas at over 8,364 ft (2,550 m). Here you can watch a glowing sunrise over Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, and the eastern Himalayas. If the weather is clear, you may even catch views of mighty Mount Everest.
 
After breakfast we travel to Ghoom Monastery, a lavish mountain monastery housing rare Buddhist manuscripts and a priceless 15-ft statue of Maitreya Buddha (the Coming Buddha). Here the monks fly prayer flags in the Tibetan tradition. We can also visit the Tibetan Refugee Centre, established as a self-help scheme for Tibetans who trekked across the Himalayas following the dramatic escape of the Dalai Lama, when China invaded Tibet (closed on Sundays).
 
Subject to weather conditions, we then board the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, one of India's five famous narrow-gauge Toy Trains built by the British to access its hill stations. We also visit a Tea Plantation to see how Darjeeling tea is grown and processed to produce one the world's favourite drinks.
 
Note: The small Toy Train is not air-conditioned and has no facilities, so be prepared for an interesting cultural experience (not a luxury journey). There is no tea processing on a Monday. Tea plucking & processing is closed from November to March, when you will visit the gardens only.
Day 5
Rise early this morning to visit a Tea Garden, before leaving Darjeeling and transferring 3.5 hours to the hill town of Kalimpong.
 
Perched on a ridge above the Teesta River, Kalimpong is home to colonial-era buildings such as MacFarlane Memorial Church, which was named after a Scottish missionary.
 
Check in to your hotel situated in the magnificent Himalayan foothills.
Day 6
This morning enjoy a local sightseeing tour of Kalimpong.
 
We start with a visit to the Tibetean monastery located on Durpin Dara Hill. From here you can enjoy magnificent views of Kalimpong and Kanchenjunga.
 
We then visit Dr Graham's Homes School, a missionary educational institution opened by him in 1900 and one of the best schools in India. It has beautifully manicured flower gardens. We also explore the Cactus Nursery, with its huge collection of cacti and decorative plants.
 
Your afternoon is at leisure to explore Kalimpong independently.
Day 7
Today leave Kalimpong and transfer 4-hours to Gangtok in the eastern Himalayas.
 
Gangtok is the capital of the state of Sikkim and a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning. On arrival relax in this city that is wreathed in clouds.
Days 8 To 10
This morning we visit the beautiful Rumtek Monastery, with its intricately painted exterior and priceless Buddhist manuscripts.
 
We then explore the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, a centre for Mahayana Buddhism with rare statues and embroidered scrolls charting the intertwined Buddhist cultures and histories of Sikkim and Tibet. Here we can learn more about their religion, history, language, arts and culture (closed Sundays).
 
You can view the impressive Do-Drul-Chorten, an imposing stupa (shrine) ringed by prayer wheels, and visit cottage industries making traditional handcrafts. You can support the local people by buying some of their wares. We also visit Srama Gardens, a sanctuary with a collection of over 454 species of orchids.
Days 11 To 12
This morning explore the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park on a shared jeep safari.
 
This wildlife reserve, which covers an area of over 145 sq.miles (380 sq.km), is particularly rewarding, as it combines high species diversity with good visibility across the expanses of tall elephant grass, marshland and tropical broadleaf forests that are criss-crossed by four major rivers. In addition to its rare one-horned rhino, the park is also home to large breeding populations of Asian elephants, wild water buffalo and swamp deer. This park has one of the highest density of tigers in India, but sightings in the wild are rare due to the dense vegetation. The beautiful flora and fauna add to the scenic beauty of this park, which is also a very important birding habitat. Keep an eye out for the iconic Great hornbill.
 
Two shared jeep safaris per day are included. Alternatively you can substitute your morning jeep safari for a 2.5-hour jungle trek with a naturalist, to enjoy the outstanding bird life.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. Please note that we have no control over the driver and vehicle allocated to you, as this is done by the local park authorities according to a rota. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle.
 
This tiger reserve is closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (June to October).
Day 13
This morning enjoy a half day tour of Kolkata, a city of palaces situated on the east bank of the River Hooghly and the principal commercial, cultural and educational centre in eastern India. Kolkata is also noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist Naxalite and trade union movements.
 
There are many interesting sites in this city and you can discuss your preferences with your guide. We usually start our day with a visit to the Mother Teresa Mission, which works amongst one of the poorest communities in the world. We then drive past BBD Bagh Garden (formerly Dalhousie Square), named after three freedom fighters and now the office hub of the city. The impressive colonial buildings here date back to when this city was the capital of British India. You can see Raj Bhavan (Government House), St John's Church, the High Court, Post Office, Town Hall and beautiful Writers Building. You can also visit the Flower Market and drive across the impressive Vidyasagar Setu Bridge.
 
Other places of interest include St. Paul’s Cathedral, Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Marble Palace, the beautiful Dakshineswar Kali Temple, the Jain Temple and the traditional potters quarters in Kumartuli in northern Kolkata.
 
After lunch (own account) enjoy a boat ride on the Hooghly River that links Calcutta with Howrah.
 
Note: The Mother Teresa Mission is closed on Thursdays & public holidays. The Victoria Memorial & Indian Museum are closed on Mondays.
Day 14
This morning transfer 3-hours from Kolkata, travelling through rural countryside to the jetty at Gothkhali and arriving around midday.
 
From here you will be transferred 2-hours by small boat through the mangroves to your lodge in the Sundarbans Delta. Along the way you can observe local farming, paddy husking, honey picking and fishing which are the major occupation of the local people. We also stop at one of earliest settlements in the Sundarbans - the house of Sir Daniel Hamilton, a Scottish businessman who made Bengal his second home and initiated the first co-operative movement in India,
 
Sundarbans National Park is the world's largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering an area of over 10,000 sq km over half of which is located in neighbouring Bangladesh. Here the mighty Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers converge with the Meghna, Padma and Hooghly Rivers, before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. It is a maze of over 100 small islands (on the Indian side alone) and serene canals, where swamp tigers roam free and where the landscape is transformed by tide twice each day.
 
In the afternoon enjoy a relaxing wildlife boat ride through these creeks and dense mangroves, before returning to your lodge at sunset. In the evening experience traditional Adibasi tribal dancing around a campfire.
Day 15
Today is devoted to exploring the tidal waterways of Sundarbans National Park, setting out early each day to avoid the heat of midday.
 
As the Sundarbans is home to around 200 different bird species, enjoy the sound of birdlife as we navigate in our small boat through this complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands populated by salt-tolerant mangroves. Kingfishers in particular are plentiful, with 9 different species found here (Common, Brown-winged, Blue-eared, Stork-billed, Ruddy, White-throated, Black-caped and Collared). The delta also offers sanctuary to threatened species such as the large estuarine crocodile, Indian python and Royal Bengal tiger, although these are seldom seen in the thick mangroves.
 
Activities vary by lodge, but usually centre around boat rides through the waterways. You can also disembark and climb up a watchtower to view wildlife and enjoy views over the dense mangrove forests of the delta.
 
On one afternoon you can experience the local Sunderbans lifestyle by visiting a local village to learn more about their crafts, lifestyle and food, and how man and tiger co-exist in such difficult terrain. You can observe their farming methods and their homes, which are constructed from mud and have very small entrances. You can also venture further afield to visit the 300-year old temple to Bon Bibi, the forest goddess to whom village fishermen and honey collectors of every caste pray for safety from tigers and crocodiles.
Day 16
Today transfer 2-hours by boat from the Sundarbans Delta (with breakfast on board), followed by a 3-hour road transfer to Calcutta.
 
Check into your hotel conveniently situated near the airport, with balance of day at leisure.
Day 17
Transfer to Calcutta Airport for your flight home.