Brahmaputra 7-night River Cruise Extension

Let Us Inspire You Explore the enchanting Himalayan Kingdoms – a spiritually rich, culturally diverse region of extraordinary natural beauty. Mysterious Tibet, legendary Nepal and traditional Bhutan: this is a land steeped in history and heritage. You’ll visit sacred Buddhist sites, Tibetan temples and ancient monasteries and palaces. Then, cruise the lush Brahmaputra River in luxury to discover the nature, wildlife and culture of beguiling Assam.

Day 18 - Paro - Guwahati

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Assam, a mesmerising state in northeastern India. It’s a land of rich history and fascinating tradition.

On arrival you’ll be met by cruise staff and transferred to your hotel to relax and refresh.

Meals: Breakfast Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel Guwahati

Day 19 - Guwahati - Peacock Island

Today, we’ll take a packed lunch to Kamakhya Temple, devoted to the goddess of desire, an important Hindu pilgrimage site. This stop is the perfect way to start this cruising journey, as we immerse ourselves in Assam’s ancient traditions.

After visiting this hilltop temple, we’ll drive to Pandu Port for an Assamese welcome aboard the MV Mahabaahu. After an essential safety briefing and a short presentation on Peacock Island – famous for its highly endangered Golden Langur – we’ll settle into our cabins.

Gather on the open deck to set sail at 2pm and scan the river for a fleeting sight of Ganges river dolphins. We’ll visit Peacock Island and return to ship to enjoy a talk on ‘Kamakhya and the Occult in Assam’.

A sit-down welcome dinner completes the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ship: MV Mahabaahu

Day 20 - Brahmaputra farming village

Enjoy yoga on the deck this morning before breakfast, while we cruise through the hills towards an island occupied predominantly by a Bangla-speaking Muslim farming community.

After breakfast, enjoy a talk on ‘Assam, its geographical location in the national and international context and how it is acclaiming recognition’.

After visiting the village, we’ll return to the ship for lunch and sail towards Orang Point.

Enjoy another talk on the ‘Brahmaputra River and tribal life’ over a cup of tea and snacks.

We’ll anchor at a deserted island for the evening and enjoy a bonfire with barbequed snacks.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ship: MV Mahabaahu Day 21 - Silghat

Another early start to set sail, with yoga on the deck before breakfast and a talk on ‘wildlife in Kaziranga and India’.

We’ll have a relaxed lunch while we keep sailing to reach Silghat. The world’s largest tea-growing region, Assam is renowned for its tea plantations. After a talk on ‘tea and jute in Assam’, we’ll take a short drive to Kaliabore Tea Estate – a vast estate, where you can watch the tribal women pick tea leaves. We’ll visit the tea factory to see the process of producing Assam tea and learn about how to prepare a cup of tea.

We’ll return to ship. The nearby Jute Mill cooperative is an interesting place to understand how the jute fibre is turned into eco-friendly gunny sacks.

At sunset, enjoy a cultural evening on the ship before an early dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ship: MV Mahabaahu

Day 22 - Kaziranga National Park - Biswanath Gha

We’ll rise early today and, after a warm cup of tea and snacks, drive out towards the Kaziranga National Park. The most prized inhabitant in this protected area is the greater one-horned rhinoceros, home to the world’s single largest breeding population. The park is also home to more than 180 different mammals, including Asian elephants, Royal Bengal Tigers, swamp deer, wild Asian buffalo and a rich variety of birds.

We’ll reach the Kohora (central) range of the national park to start our morning adventure at Mihimukh – a once-in-a-lifetime elephant back safari where we search for the elusive rhinoceros, tigers, swamp deer and hog deer, and more. Don’t forget about the interesting birds, either. This park never ceases to surprise!

After breakfast at a resort in Kaziranga, we’ll drive onto Bagori, the western range of Kaziranga. Here we’ll get into open Jeeps for more wildlife adventure through this magnificent park.

We’ll return to ship for a leisurely lunch and relaxed afternoon. There will be a talk on ‘silk in Assam’ before we get into tenders to reach the shores of Biswanath Ghat. We’ll visit the Shiva Dol, in reverence of the Hindu god Shiva. Enjoy a walk through the village to take in village life.

We’ll head back to the ship to enjoy an evening on a deserted island before dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ship: MV Mahabaahu

Day 23 - Dhansiri Boat Safari

This morning, we’ll sail towards the eastern range of Kaziranga for a boat safari. Enjoy breakfast and a talk on ‘the River Brahmaputra and the life that exists alongside’.

We’ll head out on safari in our tenders for about two hours. The shores are high but you can see roof turtles on protruding driftwood, water lizards, otters, elephants, wild buffalo, rhinos, darters, herons, pied kingfishers, white-throated kingfishers, serpent eagles and more. The sightings are always determined by weather conditions.

After lunch onboard, we’ll have a cooking demonstration.

Experience another magical evening on a deserted island with a bonfire before dinner onboard.

Please note: We may not proceed with the bonfire if a suitable sandbank cannot be found or in the event of inclement weather conditions. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ship: MV Mahabaahu

Day 24 - Mishing village - Majuli Island

After yoga, enjoy breakfast as we sail towards a Mishing village and further onto Majuli, a cosmos of Assamese culture where various philosophies co-exist and thrive.

After breakfast, there will be a talk on ‘Majuli, the seat of Vaishnav culture’ before setting off in our tenders to a Mishing village.

The Mishings live on the riverbank in their traditional houses on stilts. Mishing women are expert weavers. The home life of the Mishing people revolves around the kitchen area where family can get together.

We’ll leave the village behind and after lunch, we’ll enjoy a talk on ‘Sibsagar and the Ahom civilisation’ before our visit to Majuli Island.

We’ll arrive on tenders before a drive to a scenic corner of the satra, for an interesting cultural performance by Satriya singers and dancers. Next, we’ll drive to Kamalabari Satra to witness the Vaishnavite priests dancing to the rhythm of cymbals, drums and chanting in the temple premises.

Back on the ship, we’ll prepare for a traditional Assamese evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Hotel: MV Mahabaahu

Day 25 - Sibsagar

After an early breakfast, we’ll leave for a full-day excursion to Sibsagar, the ancient city and capital of the Tai- speaking Ahoms who arrived in the 13th century from the northeast, 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’ll visit the Talatal or Kareng Ghar, the palace of Ahom Kings, and Rang Ghar, an 18th-century amphitheatre, a place of entertainment and important meetings for the royals and their guests.

We’ll then head to a tea estate for a relaxed afternoon to enjoy a traditional Assamese lunch with a local family who have been involved in the tea business over a period of a century. Here, we sip our beverages as we explore the estate and indulge in traditional Assamese cuisine.

We’ll return to the ship by sunset and enjoy a relaxed evening in the Soma lounge before dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Hotel: MV Mahabaahu

Day 26 - Neamati Ghat - Jorhat - Kolkata - Home

We’ll start the day with yoga, and/or go for a walk along the swamps to catch sight of owls, orioles, yellow- footed green pigeons, changeable hawk eagles, adjutant storks, quails, seagulls hunting with dolphins and pied kingfishers and swallows and martins.

Enjoy one last relaxed breakfast this morning, before your adventure comes to an end. Luggage is brought up from the cabins and the crew onboard will organise transport.

We’ll arrive at Rowriah Airport, with a packed lunch to enjoy in Jorhat a couple of hours before your flight. We hope you’ve enjoyed this extraordinary journey.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 27 - Home

Arrive home today. We hope you’ve been inspired.