HISTORIC HUGLI – Lower Ganges River Cruise – Upstream 7 nights

Cruise Itinerary

7 night Historic Hooghly Lower Ganges River Cruise – Bengal Despatch 1 ex Kokkata to Farakka aboard ABN Rajmahal.

UPSTREAM ITINERARY: KOLKATA TO FARAKKA

DAY 1
This morning, you`ll be collected from your hotel in Kolkata to embark your ship by midday. Sail past the old Danish colony of Serampore to Barrackpore. Land and take a walk through the cantonment – past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House – to get a better understanding of India’s journey to independence. Sail up to Chandernagore, a French possession until 1950.

DAY 2
Visit an 18th century church and Dupleix Palace, once the residence of the erstwhile Governor-General of French India. Sail upstream past the old Dutch settlement of Chinsura before landing to visit the imposing Imambara at Hooghly. With verses from the Koran written on its walls, the Imambara is an opportunity to step back in time and relive a slice of Islamic history in Bengal. Sail into the night to a mooring near Kalna.
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DAY 3
After breakfast, land at the country town of Kalna and take rickshaws to see a group of some of Bengal`s most attractive terracotta temples including a unique Shiva temple with concentric rings made up of 108 shrinelets. You`ll also visit a muslin-weaving centre before continuing on through the countryside to Mayapur to visit the vast new ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple which dominates the skyline. As the headquarters of ISKCON, or the Hare Krishna movement, the temple receives over a million singing and dancing devotees a year from around the world. Sail on through the night to a mooring near Matiari.​

DAY 4
​This morning you`ll visit the charming riverside village of Matiari, known for its brass-working. Interact with the villagers and witness the traditional process of beating out brass water pots and other vessels. You then cruise on and visit the battlefield of Plassey where, in 1757, Robert Clive, the Commander-in-Chief of British India, defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, to change the course of Indian history. Moor close to Khushbagh for the night.

DAY 5
This morning, you`ll walk to Khushbagh, a peaceful Mughal-style garden that encloses the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah and his family. Continue a little way upstream to where the great Hazarduari Palace dominates the waterfront. Built by an English architect in 1837, the palace hosts an extensive collection of pictures, china, weapons and other objects. Carry on to visit the great Katra Mosque before driving out to see the Katgola Palace. Built in classical Georgian style by rich local merchants, Katgola Palace represents the other side of the coin of the `White Mughal` period when English and Indian cultures came close to fusion. Moor overnight on the riverbank across from the town at Baranagar.

DAY 6
​This morning you`ll walk through the fields of the delightfully sleepy village of Baranagar to visit its three gorgeous miniature terracotta temples. This is rural India at its most idyllic. Continue up the lower Ganges (or the Hooghly), which transforms into a picturesque waterway, twisting and turning between banks lined with mustard fields and mango orchards. Carry on up a long canal section to a mooring close to the Farakka Barrage.

DAY 7
Disembark for a full-day excursion by road to Gaur, near the town of Malda or English Bazar. This quiet, deserted place was once one of India`s great cities, first under the Hindus in the 12th century, then as the Muslim capital of Eastern India from the 14th to the 16th century. There are plentiful remains of mosques, palaces and gateways and you`ll visit a number of the most interesting before rejoining the ship in the evening.

DAY 8
Those taking only Bengal Despatch 1 will transfer to Farakka station in the morning for a 4 hr (approx.) train journey to Kolkata. Our representatives will meet you on arrival and transfer you to a central Kolkata hotel.

For those taking both Bengal Despatch 1 and 2 cruises, an excursion by road takes you to Pandua where you will visit the great 14th century Adina Mosque before returning to Farakka where your ship will have passed through the lock at the barrage.

Our new ship “ABN Rajmahal”, nearing completion in Kolkata, enters service on the Hugli and the Ganges in February 2014. She is 50m long, is powered by 3 engines, and with extra-shallow draught and a lower profile than conventional designs she can cruise further upstream than any of her competitors.There are 22 cabins in all, 14 spacious twin/double cabins on the upper deck and 4 twin/double cabins on the main deck, together with 4 single cabins for which we charge no supplement. All cabins have French balconies. The décor is stylish and fresh, with touches of colonial elegance, and uses handblocked cotton fabrics of traditional Indian-inspired designs. As with the other ships in our fleet, there is a comfortable saloon and bar and a dining room, together with a vast canopied sundeck. A small spa offers a wide range of treatments.

All cabins and public rooms on our ships are air-conditioned.
Food on board is a mixture of Assamese (milder than most Indian cuisine) and continental. Wines, beer and spirits are available.

“A meeting of minds” best describes the first encounter between Andrew Brock and Ashish Phookan in Guwahati, Assam in 2001. Neither knew the other had been pondering how to initiate river cruising on the river Brahmaputra; both jumped at the chance to explore together this exciting idea. The Indo-British joint-venture company, Assam Bengal Navigation, was formed in 2002 with Andrew and Grania Brock, and Ashish and Jahnabi Phookan, bringing together expertise in tourism, experience of global markets and in-depth knowledge of North East India.

Anyone who has travelled by train or plane through India, or who has been driven on Indian roads, will be amazed to learn that there is actually a way to travel through the country in total serenity and comfort. Yet it is in fact possible to cruise for some 1750 miles on the rivers and inland waterways of India, passing through great cities, alongside wildlife sanctuaries and historical monuments and into the heart of rural India. ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION are pioneers in this exploration.

ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION is an Indo-British joint venture, with offices in Guwahati and the UK. In 2003 ABN pioneered long-distance river cruising in India with our unique cruises on the River Brahmaputra in Assam, and in 2007 we were also the first to run cruises on the River Hugli between Kolkata and the Ganges. We were awarded the Indian National Tourism Award for Innovation in 2004-5. Experience counts for everything here, and our expertise in the field of river cruising on both waterways is unrivalled.

Our first luxury river boat, the “ABN Charaidew”, with 12 air-conditoned en-suite cabins was joined in 2006 by her near-identical sister ship “ABN Sukapha”. Cruises operate in Assam from October to April, and in Bengal virtually all through the year. In February 2014 our fleet increases with the launch of “ABN Rajmahal”, a 22-cabin boat specifically designed for water levels on the Ganges.

ASSAM CRUISES, BRAHMAPUTRA. Wildlife and wilderness are the main features of a cruise in Assam on the vast Brahmaputra river – the river bed is often 20 or 30 km across, an empty world of sand spits and water with marvellous bird life and the occasional Gangetic Dolphin. The cruises here also give access to a number of India’s National Parks, including Kaziranga, perhaps the finest of all, and Manas, a Project Tiger reserve on the Bhutan border.

BENGAL CRUISES, GANGES and HUGLI. The waterways of the old Bengal Presidency now lie in the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, and in independent Bangladesh. Here in the north of the region the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra meet head to head and then flow out to the sea through the world’s largest delta. Inland, however, on the rich agricultural land lie prosperous towns and villages, rich in history and culture. This is village India at its best, completely unknown to tourists. Cruises go north from Calcutta on the intimate River Hugli, and can be linked with our cruises on the Ganges proper from the Bangladesh border up to the historic city of Patna.

ASSAM JUNGLE LODGES. At Manas National Park ABN now has its own jungle accommodation, “The Bansbari Lodge”, situated right at the entrance to the Park. The 16 large twin-bedded rooms all have attached bathrooms and the lodge is simply but comfortably furnished.

At Kaziranga National Park, the “Diphlu River Lodge” opened in January 2008 and is run by ABN. In prime position, its cottages provide premier quality accommodation for a total of 24 guests. The airconditioned cottages are built on stilts with generous thatched verandahs and en-suite bathrooms, and have fantastic views directly overlooking the river and the National Park.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL Cruises operate from January through to the end of April, and from July through to December. Every month has both advantages and disadvantages, and we give below a rundown of the different seasons.

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER During these months we sail on the Hugli and Ganges only. There is some rain, but usually for not more than an hour or so at a time. Water levels are high, so grounding is rare, and rural India is looking its incomparable best, lush and green in wonderful clarity of light, with both blossom and tropical fruit abounding. Temperatures are high, with high levels of humidity.

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER Water levels remain quite high, and Brahmaputra cruises start at this time. However foliage is still dense, and flood plains are still often under water, so Assam’s wildlife viewing is usually poor until about the beginning of November. Tea gardens and factories though will be in full swing, usually until early December, while this time offers the best chance of a glimpse of Himalayan snows. Rain should be rare and temperatures moderate, but sun not always guaranteed.

JANUARY FEBRUARY Water levels are low on the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, so groundings can occur, while morning mists can delay getting under way. For those who dislike heat, December and January are good months. As leaves shrivel and fall, wildlife viewing starts to improve.

MARCH APRIL Low water levels on the Ganges can cause problems, although the Hugli should not be affected. Temperatures start to rise, although without much humidity, and by April sudden brief storms can occur. In Assam wildlife viewing is probably at its best, and activity returns to the tea gardens.

Select the Deck to view detail.

ABN Rajmahal - Main Deck

ABN Rajmahal - Upper Deck

ABN Rajmahal - Sun Deck

Select the Cabin to view detail.

Twin/Double Main Deck Cabins

4 twin/double cabins on the main deck all cabins have French balconies. The décor is stylish and fresh, with touches of colonial elegance, and uses handblocked cotton fabrics of traditional Indian-inspired designs. As with the other ships in our fleet, there is a comfortable saloon and bar and a dining room, together with a vast canopied sundeck. A small spa offers a wide range of treatments.

All cabins and public rooms on our ships are air-conditioned.

Twin/Double Upper Deck Cabins

14 spacious twin/double cabins on the upper deck all cabins have French balconies. The décor is stylish and fresh, with touches of colonial elegance, and uses handblocked cotton fabrics of traditional Indian-inspired designs. As with the other ships in our fleet, there is a comfortable saloon and bar and a dining room, together with a vast canopied sundeck. A small spa offers a wide range of treatments.

All cabins and public rooms on our ships are air-conditioned.

Single Cabins

4 single cabins for which we charge no supplement. All cabins have French balconies. The décor is stylish and fresh, with touches of colonial elegance, and uses handblocked cotton fabrics of traditional Indian-inspired designs. As with the other ships in our fleet, there is a comfortable saloon and bar and a dining room, together with a vast canopied sundeck. A small spa offers a wide range of treatments.

All cabins and public rooms on our ships are air-conditioned.