This is a sensational journey through India’s West Bengal that strings together exotic wildlife, history, culture, mountain views and walks through villages and misty tea plantations.
In the company of expert guides we’ll see one-horned rhinos and exotic birds in Kaziranga National Park, watch sunrise bring a blush to snow-capped Himalayan peaks, take a ride on Darjeeling’s famous toy train through mountain villages and cruise along the Hooghly River, one of the strands of the sacred Ganges.
As well as soul stirring sights it’s a journey filled with poetry and spiritual wonders, from Jain temples to Jewish synagogues, Hindu temples with painted saddhus to Tibetan monasteries with prayer flags fluttering in the wind. We’ll witness elaborate prayer ceremonies and cremation rites on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, the city of rebirth and a sacred site for Hindus seeking ultimate liberation, moksha.
Accommodation includes a tea plantation near Darjeeling, a four-day cruise through Assam on the vast Brahmaputra River, a historic palace in Varanasi overlooking the river Ganges, an opulent mansion south of Kolkata and the city’s Oberoi hotel, which conjures memories of the glory days of the British Raj.
It’s a journey for the soul as well the senses – Jain temples, Tibetan monasteries ringed by prayer flags and elaborate prayer ceremonies with Brahmin priests on the banks of the Ganges at Varanasi, where Hindus can achieve moksha, ultimate liberation
We’ll sail along the giant Brahmaputra as it uncoils through Assam State, visiting silk workers in rustic villages and the wildlife wonders of Kaziranga National Park
We’ll see life in a Bengali village, the Victorian wonders of Kolkata, ride through mountain villages on Darjeeling’s famous Toy Train & take tea at sunrise watching the first blush of sunlight on the Himalaya peaks.
A 300-year-old mansion that once belonged to the Zamindars of Bengal, an ornate palace on the banks of the river Ganges, a grand hotel on the edge of Maidan Park in Calcutta, a historic bungalow on a Tea plantation high in the Himalayas, our accommodation is chosen for its charm, character and comfort
We’ll hear the morning flute performance at our hotel in Varanasi, the stories of the wealthy Sheherwali families and the Jagat Seths in the mansions where they once lived, visit a synagogue established by Jewish merchants and trace the sophisticated Mughal court culture that existed under the Nawabs of Bengal
We’ll sample the spicy rice-based dishes of the Bengali kitchen and fragrant Sheherwali specialties, considered the pinnacle of India’s vegetarian cooking, have lunch with an art connoisseur and afternoon tea overlooking misty tea plantations in the Himalaya foothills
Generally any reasonably fit person should be able to participate & fully enjoy all that the tour has to offer.
You should be comfortable walking around towns and countryside. The tour will include some optional walks (typically 1-3hrs).
Be able to walk and negotiate stairs and pedestrian thoroughfares
Be able to stand for 30-60 minutes in galleries and museums at a time without a break
Be able to get on and off a coach with stairs, unassisted
Use a combined shower/bath (please note that we cannot guarantee walk-in shower facilities at all hotels)
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