FROM KOLKATA TO DARJEELING
A cultural tour of India

Between the snow-capped Himalayas and the Ganges delta lie the mighty Brahmaputra River. At the banks of this august river the settlements of what is called Assam are dotted all over. As the “mouths of the Ganges”, the river has had civilizations on it’s banks making this a river into history. Darjeeling, Guwahati, Kaziranaga and Calcutta are just some of the places we visit. Besides the human element, the areas is famous for it’s wilderness and a scenic landscape. What better way to explore these civilizations and natural wildlife habitat than to cruise on a comfortable river boat.

Tour Summary	Map
Day Place 01 Arrive Kolkata (Calcutta) 02 Kolkata 03 Kolkata / Guwahati 04 Cruise 05 Cruise 06 Cruise 07 Kaziranga National Park 08 Kaziranga National Park / Guwahati 09 Guwahati / Bagdoga / Darjeeling 10 Darjeeling 11 Darjeeling / Kolkata 12 Kolkata / departure

Day 01: Arrive Kolkata India
Namaste – as we arrive in Kolkatta – capital of the state of West Bengal and one of the largest cities in the world. We are warmly welcomed to India and transferred to our hotel.
Overnight: Peerless Inn, Kolkotta (2 nights) (B)

Day 02: Kolkata (Calcutta)
No city in the world can match Calcutta. Our morning tour introduces us to the land where one of the world’s largest city populations resides. For 250 years Calcutta was part of the British Empire. Our tour includes the Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Fort William, Raj Bhawan and the High Court is Highlight's of the tour. We also see the famous teahouses where Bengali academics sit and discuss. Evening is free to enjoy and join the famous Calcutta Tea Houses well known as the meeting points of philosophers, writers, poets and students. (B)

Day 03: Kolkata / Guwahati
We are transferred to the airport for our flight to Guwahati.From Guwati airport we are taken on a short sightseeing tour of the city. Drive up Nilachal Hill to see the holy Kamakhya temple. With its tantric rites and animal sacrifice, the more squeamish may prefer to content them with the exterior. Visit the poignant Commonwealth War Graves cemetery. Finally walk through a local market before embarking on your cruise vessel. We set sail and cruise for about an hour and a half upstream to Kurua on the north bank.
Overnight: Cruise ship (3 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 04 (Sun/Thu): Cruise:
The day is spent cruising upstream on the mighty Brahmaputra River enjoying the views of the serene Assam Hills and the tea gardens on the riverbanks. We stop at Ganesh Pahar to explore the beautiful jungle. Ganesh Pahar is one of the most picturesque hills in Assam. Loaded with refreshing tea gardens, Ganesh Pahar rejuvenates its visitors. The combination of river and hill with jungle creates a wonderful serenity.
Overnight: Cruise ship (B, L, D)

Day 05 (Mon/Fri): Cruise
Leaving the hills behind, we enjoy our first taste of the wilderness experience, sand banks like icebergs on either side. We may make a short stop to visit a bank side village, creating a sensation as we do. We moor for the night in a lunar landscape of sand islands, with hopefully the Himalayas in view and providing a contrasting backdrop in the distance.
Overnight: Cruise ship (B, L, D)

Day 06 (Tue/Sat): Cruise
Rising early, we take to our country boat for another cruise up a side stream, this time into the Orange National Park. Here in this rarely visited park we mount elephants or take jeeps and ride through forest and grassland looking for rhino, deer and other wildlife. From here we are picked up from the park and driven on to Kaziranga. We then take an interesting countryside drive to the Kaziranga National Park Evening we check in to a beautiful and comfortable bamboo cottage.
Overnight: Diphlu River Lodge (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 07 (Wed/Sun): Kaziranga National Park
Rising early, drive to Kaziranga's Central Range for an early morning elephant ride - the most popular and local way to get close to the rhinos and other animals. Kaziranga is a World Heritage site with a population of over 1000 rhinoceros. The park is also home to large populations of tigers, wild elephants, sambars, swamp deer, hog deer and wild pigs. After breakfast, we walk through terraced tea gardens and visit a Karbi tribal village where we see the indigenous culture still intact. We then drive to Mising tribal village with their distinctive houses raised on piles. After lunch we take a jeep safari to the little visited Eastern Range before returning to the lodge. (B, L, D)

Day 08: Kaziranga National Park / Guwahati
Morning we drive to Hajo, a sacred pilgrimage site for the Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists alike. We start by visiting a Moslem shrine with encompassing hilltop views of the surrounding rural landscape, followed by a simple Hindu temple with its frieze of elephants and its sacred tank full of great catfish, carp and turtles. Evening we have time to enjoy the local bazaars.
Overnight: Hotel Dynasty or similar, Guwahati (1 night)(B, L, D)

Day 09: Guwahati / Bagdoga / Darjeeling
A short flight gets us to Bagdogra from where we take a scenic drive to the enchanting town of Darjeeling. At the Phalut ridge, Nepal meets India whilst at the eastern frontier lie the Tista and Rangeet Rivers - beyond which is the Rishi-La and Bhutan. The lower regions of the labyrinth hilly forest-clad ridges, is home to the world famous Darjeeling tea. In 1872 when the first estates were started, the area for tea was at 14000 acres. Today it exceeds 787000 acres. Darjeeling at 2134 m is known also for it’s very friendly people who are relaxed as tea can make one. There are large areas of firs, pines and fast moving torrents, with some 4000 types of flowering plants and 300 varieties of ferns, including the rare tree fern.
Overnight: Fortune Resort, Darjeeling (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 10 Darjeeling
Just before sunrise we get into our 4 x 4’s and proceed to Tiger Hill to view an incredible sunrise from behind the huge lofty mountain peaks. Here we get a breathtaking view of the majestic Mts. Everest and Kunchunjung. This is followed by a visit to one of the most unique of the world Heritage Sites – the Toy Train. We ride on this one of a kind rail culminating with a visit to the Ghoom Monastery. The monastery, built in 1875, houses one of the largest statues of the Maitreya Buddha. Next stop is the Himalayan Zoo, home to Himalayan fauna such as the Red Panda, Black Bear, Yaks and Tigers in their natural habitat. We end the day with a visit to the Natural History Museum, which houses a fine collection of preserved butterflies, birds, reptiles and insects of the Himalayas. (B, L, D)

Day 11: Darjeeling / Kolkata
After a memorable experience of North East India, we are transferred to Bagdogra airport for our flight to Kolkata. Upon arrival at Kolkata, we are met and transferred to our hotel. Balance of the day is free for shopping and leisure activities.
Overnight: Peerless Hotel or similar, Kolkata (B)

Day 12: Kolkata / departure
As all good things come to an end, we bid farewell to India as we are transferred to the airport for our departure flight. (B)

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Departure Dates
2010 English Speaking Departures Jan 1 & 8, Feb 7 & 12, March 7 & 12, Apr 9, Oct 3 & 31, Dec 26
Inclusions
Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Accommodation as mentioned or similar, including hotel taxes Meals as mentioned (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) All sightseeing and transfers by private car Cruise charges Services of local English speaking guides Entrance fees to museums and sites included in the itinerary International airfares* and Border taxes Insurance & Visas Tips & gratuities
Tour Price
We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.
Departure Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement 2010 US $ 3895 US $ 1685
Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour
NOTE: International Airfares vary based on seasonality, points of departure and class of service available. The estimated airfare based out of the West Coast gateway cities is $1600 plus applicable taxes.
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 participants.
Notes
Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.