Brahmaputra River Cruise Tour (Down Stream)(7 Nights 8 Days)
Places Covered : Jorhat-Kaziranga-Guwahati
Day 1 (Sunday):
Arrive Jorhat / NeamatiGhat /Sail
(Our Cruise sets sail at 15:00 hours)
On arrival at the Jorhat Airport, we will be met& receive and with packed lunch drive to NeamatiGhat to board the cruise.
We gather for introductions, safety briefing and are ushered to the cabins. All gather on the open deck to enjoy the first sail and scan the river for a fleeting sight of the Gangetic Dolphins.
The evening is for spending leisure time in the cruise.
Day 2 (MONDAY):
NeamatiGhat / Sibsagar Visit / Tea Estate Home Hosted Lunch
After an early breakfast, we start the day-excursion to Sibsagar, the ancient city and capital of the Tai-speaking Ahoms who came in the 13th Century AD to the area from the north-east and were essentially of Tibeto-Burman origin. Sibsagar town literally means ‘the ocean of Lord Shiva’ as it is built around a huge man made water tank ordered by the Ahom Queen
The Shiva Dol, constructed in the year 1734 is believed to be the highest Shiva temple in India. We visit The Talatal or KarengGhar, the palace of the Ahom Kings and the Rang Ghar, an amphitheater, a place of entertainment or important meetings for the Royals and their guests.
Later, we drive to a Tea Estate for a relaxed afternoon where we enjoy a traditional Assamese lunch with the Tea-estate family who have been involved in the tea business over a period of a century. Here, we sip our beverages as we explore the lawns and proceed to indulge in traditional Assamese cuisine.
We return to the cruise by sunset and enjoy a relaxed evening .
Day 3 (TUESDAY):
Majuli Visit / Mishing Village Visit
Today we start the day with Yoga or go for a walk along the swamps to catch a sight of owls, orioles, changeable eagles, adjutant storks, sea gulls, kingfishers, swallows and many more
After breakfast, we sail towards Majuli, a cosmos of Assamese culture where various philosophies co-exist and thrive.
After breakfast, we enjoy a talk on ‘Majuli’, the seat of Vaishnav culture and proceed in our tenders to the mainland where a drive takes us to a scenic corner of a Satra for an interesting cultural performance by Satriya singers and dancers. Next, we drive to KamlabariSatra to witness the Vaishnavite priests dancing to the rhythm of cymbals, drums and chanting in the temple premise.
We take lunch in the cruise and sail towards the closest Mishing Village.
The Mishings live on the bank of river in ‘Chang ghar’, houses with raised platform. All Mishing women are expert weavers. The indoor life of a Mishing person revolves around the kitchen area where the family can get together.
After the Mishing Village, our cruise heads towards DhansiriMukh where the waters of Bhramaputra and Dhansiri meet, while we enjoy a talk on ‘Assam, its geographical location & importance’. We then enjoy the evening under the stars on a deserted island.
DAY 4 (WEDNESDAY):
Kaziranga National Park
After Yoga and an early morning walk on a deserted island, our cruise sail towards the Eastern Range of Kaziranga for boat Safari.
We proceed for the safari in our tenders for about two hours. The shores are high but one can see roof turtles on protruding drift wood, water lizards, otters, elephants, wild buffaloes, rhinos, darters, herons, pied kingfishers, white throated kingfishers, serpent eagles and many more. The sightings are always determined by the weather conditions.
We return for lunch. The evening on a deserted island with bonfire is always unusual. (Bonfire may be avoided if a suitable sandbank cannot be found or if we experience inclement weather conditions)
DAY 5 (THURSDAY):
Weavers Village AtBishwanathGhat / Visit Tea Estate And / Or Jute Mill Visit
After morning Yoga/walk on the deserted island and breakfast, we step into our tenders to go to the shores of BishwanathGhat.
We visit the Shiva Dol in reverence of Lord Shiva and there is no way that we can avoid the women with their weaves. We enjoy a walk through the village and see how this suburban village thrives.
We sail on for the next couple of hours and enjoy a relaxed lunch and reach Silghat. Take a short drive to the Kaliabore tea estate, which is a vast expanse of undulating land with tea bushes, watching the tribal women pick tea leaves. We proceed to the tea factory to see the process of finally producing Assam Tea and coming to terms with ‘all that goes into preparing a cup-of-tea.’ (The tea factory is not operational from mid-December to mid-February as the tea is at its dormant stage during this time of the year)
We visit co-operative Jute Mill is an interesting place to understand how the Jute fibre takes the form of very eco-friendly gunny bags.
By sunset, we enjoy a cultural evening on the cruise.
DAY 6 (FRIDAY):
Kaziranga National Park / Sail
We wake up very early today and after a warm cup of tea and some snacks, drive out towards the Kaziranga National Park . This National park is the home of One Horn Rhino andalso 180 different mammals including wild elephants, tiger, deer, Asiatic wild buffalo and a rich variety of birds.
We reach the KohoraMihimukh range of the National Park and are ready to start our morning adventure; elephant-backed safari where we search for the elusive rhinoceros, tigers, swamp deer and hog deer and more and a large number of very interesting birds. The park never ceases to surprise us.
After breakfast at a resort in Kaziranga, we drive on to Bagori, the Western Range of Kaziranga and get into the open jeeps for some more wild life adventure and an extensive coverage of this magnificent park.
We return to our cruise for a leisurely lunch and a relaxed afternoon.
After the leisurely pace of the day and having recovered the lost sleep, we once again get together, then proceed for the traditional Assamese theme dinner.
DAY 7 (SATURDAY):
A Village Visit / Full Day Sail / Peacock Island
After morning Yoga on an island or on the deck for an hour and move on to breakfast, while our cruise heads on towards an island that is occupied predominantly by a Bangla speaking Muslim community who are involved in extensive farming.
After a visit to this village we return to the cruise for lunch and sail towards the Peacock Island that is home to some Golden Langurs.
After the Peacock island visit, we sail towards Pandu Port and anchor at a jetty. We spend a relaxed evening.
DAY 8 (SUNDAY):
uwahati / Kamakhya Temple Visit / Departure
We have a relaxed breakfast.
We will arrange a car and with packed lunch we drive to the Kamakhya Temple. This Temple is devoted to the eternal feminine; the goddess of desire whose name is Kama Khya, granter of desires.
Then we transfer to the Guwahati Airport for onward destination.
Day 1 (Sunday):
Arrive Jorhat / NeamatiGhat /Sail
(Our Cruise sets sail at 15:00 hours)
On arrival at the Jorhat Airport, we will be met& receive and with packed lunch drive to NeamatiGhat to board the cruise.
We gather for introductions, safety briefing and are ushered to the cabins. All gather on the open deck to enjoy the first sail and scan the river for a fleeting sight of the Gangetic Dolphins.
The evening is for spending leisure time in the cruise.
Day 2 (MONDAY):
NeamatiGhat / Sibsagar Visit / Tea Estate Home Hosted Lunch
After an early breakfast, we start the day-excursion to Sibsagar, the ancient city and capital of the Tai-speaking Ahoms who came in the 13th Century AD to the area from the north-east and were essentially of Tibeto-Burman origin. Sibsagar town literally means ‘the ocean of Lord Shiva’ as it is built around a huge man made water tank ordered by the Ahom Queen
The Shiva Dol, constructed in the year 1734 is believed to be the highest Shiva temple in India. We visit The Talatal or KarengGhar, the palace of the Ahom Kings and the Rang Ghar, an amphitheater, a place of entertainment or important meetings for the Royals and their guests.
Later, we drive to a Tea Estate for a relaxed afternoon where we enjoy a traditional Assamese lunch with the Tea-estate family who have been involved in the tea business over a period of a century. Here, we sip our beverages as we explore the lawns and proceed to indulge in traditional Assamese cuisine.
We return to the cruise by sunset and enjoy a relaxed evening .
Day 3 (TUESDAY):
Majuli Visit / Mishing Village Visit
Today we start the day with Yoga or go for a walk along the swamps to catch a sight of owls, orioles, changeable eagles, adjutant storks, sea gulls, kingfishers, swallows and many more
After breakfast, we sail towards Majuli, a cosmos of Assamese culture where various philosophies co-exist and thrive.
After breakfast, we enjoy a talk on ‘Majuli’, the seat of Vaishnav culture and proceed in our tenders to the mainland where a drive takes us to a scenic corner of a Satra for an interesting cultural performance by Satriya singers and dancers. Next, we drive to KamlabariSatra to witness the Vaishnavite priests dancing to the rhythm of cymbals, drums and chanting in the temple premise.
We take lunch in the cruise and sail towards the closest Mishing Village.
The Mishings live on the bank of river in ‘Chang ghar’, houses with raised platform. All Mishing women are expert weavers. The indoor life of a Mishing person revolves around the kitchen area where the family can get together.
After the Mishing Village, our cruise heads towards DhansiriMukh where the waters of Bhramaputra and Dhansiri meet, while we enjoy a talk on ‘Assam, its geographical location & importance’. We then enjoy the evening under the stars on a deserted island.
DAY 4 (WEDNESDAY):
Kaziranga National Park
After Yoga and an early morning walk on a deserted island, our cruise sail towards the Eastern Range of Kaziranga for boat Safari.
We proceed for the safari in our tenders for about two hours. The shores are high but one can see roof turtles on protruding drift wood, water lizards, otters, elephants, wild buffaloes, rhinos, darters, herons, pied kingfishers, white throated kingfishers, serpent eagles and many more. The sightings are always determined by the weather conditions.
We return for lunch. The evening on a deserted island with bonfire is always unusual. (Bonfire may be avoided if a suitable sandbank cannot be found or if we experience inclement weather conditions)
DAY 5 (THURSDAY):
Weavers Village AtBishwanathGhat / Visit Tea Estate And / Or Jute Mill Visit
After morning Yoga/walk on the deserted island and breakfast, we step into our tenders to go to the shores of BishwanathGhat.
We visit the Shiva Dol in reverence of Lord Shiva and there is no way that we can avoid the women with their weaves. We enjoy a walk through the village and see how this suburban village thrives.
We sail on for the next couple of hours and enjoy a relaxed lunch and reach Silghat. Take a short drive to the Kaliabore tea estate, which is a vast expanse of undulating land with tea bushes, watching the tribal women pick tea leaves. We proceed to the tea factory to see the process of finally producing Assam Tea and coming to terms with ‘all that goes into preparing a cup-of-tea.’ (The tea factory is not operational from mid-December to mid-February as the tea is at its dormant stage during this time of the year)
We visit co-operative Jute Mill is an interesting place to understand how the Jute fibre takes the form of very eco-friendly gunny bags.
By sunset, we enjoy a cultural evening on the cruise.
DAY 6 (FRIDAY):
Kaziranga National Park / Sail
We wake up very early today and after a warm cup of tea and some snacks, drive out towards the Kaziranga National Park . This National park is the home of One Horn Rhino andalso 180 different mammals including wild elephants, tiger, deer, Asiatic wild buffalo and a rich variety of birds.
We reach the KohoraMihimukh range of the National Park and are ready to start our morning adventure; elephant-backed safari where we search for the elusive rhinoceros, tigers, swamp deer and hog deer and more and a large number of very interesting birds. The park never ceases to surprise us.
After breakfast at a resort in Kaziranga, we drive on to Bagori, the Western Range of Kaziranga and get into the open jeeps for some more wild life adventure and an extensive coverage of this magnificent park.
We return to our cruise for a leisurely lunch and a relaxed afternoon.
After the leisurely pace of the day and having recovered the lost sleep, we once again get together, then proceed for the traditional Assamese theme dinner.
DAY 7 (SATURDAY):
A Village Visit / Full Day Sail / Peacock Island
After morning Yoga on an island or on the deck for an hour and move on to breakfast, while our cruise heads on towards an island that is occupied predominantly by a Bangla speaking Muslim community who are involved in extensive farming.
After a visit to this village we return to the cruise for lunch and sail towards the Peacock Island that is home to some Golden Langurs.
After the Peacock island visit, we sail towards Pandu Port and anchor at a jetty. We spend a relaxed evening.
DAY 8 (SUNDAY):
uwahati / Kamakhya Temple Visit / Departure
We have a relaxed breakfast.
We will arrange a car and with packed lunch we drive to the Kamakhya Temple. This Temple is devoted to the eternal feminine; the goddess of desire whose name is Kama Khya, granter of desires.
Then we transfer to the Guwahati Airport for onward destination.