: R16890
Imagine the cruise of a lifetime along India's Ganges River. Unpack once in your cabin & let the riverboat move you from place to life-changing place for seven incredible days. Explore palace ruins at Rajmahal, trace 6th-century rock carvings with your own fingers, & photograph to your heart's content the picturesque Pawapuri Jain temple in the middle of a lake. Experience India in a way you haven't yet imagined.
{module Magic Slideshow module for VirtueMart}
| Starting from | R16 890 |
| Package Validity | Set departure dates: 03 NOV 2016 & 01 & 29 DEC 2016. *** Book & pay by 31 JUL 2016 & SAVE 30%, discount already included in the price *** |
| Duration | 8 nights |
| Destination | India |
| Starts in | Patna |
| Ends in | Kolkata |
{tab Description}
- Arrival transfer
- 1 night twin share comfort hotel accommodation
- 6 nights accommodation on-board Varuna riverboat
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 6 dinners
- Train to Kolkata
- All transport to/from included activities & between destinations
- Assistance of a Chief Experience Officer (CEO) throughout
- Patna city tour
- Visit to Buddhist monastery & stupa (Nalanda), Pawapuri Jain temple, Pirpahar Hill & Sitakund Hot Springs, Sultanganj, Mansion & silk-weaving village (Bhagalpur), Bateshwar Temple, 8th-century Buddhist stupa ruins & monastery (Vikramshila) & Rajmahal
- Rickshaw ride to a Mughal fort & the East India Company cemetery (Munger)
** Allow USD55-75 for meals not included. Drinks & tips on board not included.
{tab Day 1}
Patna
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
{tab Day 2}Patna
Enjoy a free day to explore Patna before a 4pm embarkation.
{tab Day 3}
Patna/Bārh
Enjoy a morning tour of Patna, visiting the extraordinary 18th-century Golghar granary, the great Sikh temple, & the State Museum. Continue on by ship, passing near the old East India Company opium warehouses & cruise down to moor for the evening at Barh.
{tab Day 4}Bārh/Mokāma
Enjoy an excursion to the excavated Buddhist monastery & stupa at Nalanda, with a visit to the adjoining museum. After, visit the Pawapuri Jain temple, situated in the middle of a lake. Return to the vessel & continue to the bridge at Mokama, where earlier the famous naturalist Jim Corbett spent his working life overseeing the ferry crossing.
{tab Day 5}Mokāma/Sultānganj
Sail down to Munger. Take a rickshaw ride through the town to view the remnants of a Mughal fort & the East India Company cemetery. Visit the bazaars with the locals before exploring Pirpahar Hill & Sitakund Hot Springs. Continuing walking through the village & fields before getting back on-board. Continue on to anchor near Jehangira Island at Sultanganj, a pilgrimage spot with early Hindu carvings in the rock.
{tab Day 6}
Sultānganj/Bhāgalpur
Spend the morning sailing a stretch of the river where South Asian river dolphins may be seen to Bhagalpur, a centre of silk production. Visit a mansion & silk-weaving village. Continue on close to the island shrine at Colganj, boasting Hindu & Buddhist cave temples. Visit Bateshwar Temple with 6th-century Hindu carvings, & the nearby ruins of an 8th-century Buddhist stupa & monastery at Vikramshila. Anchor for the night near the confluence with the Kosi River coming down from Nepal.
{tab Day 7}Bhāgalpur/Farakka Barrage
Sail downstream to Rajmahal, a village offering both points of interest & fantastic local atmosphere. Shah Jehan, builder of the Taj Mahal, spent much of his youth here. Explore the remains of palaces, forts, & mosques submerged in vegetation before continuing on down to the Farakka Barrage.
{tab Day 8}
Farakka Barrage/Kolkata
Disembark early morning to catch the train (6hrs) to Kolkata. Arrive in the afternoon. Tour ends on arrival.
{/tabs}