On this 22-day Bengal to Assam and the Sundarbans Cruise aboard RV Kindat Pandaw, explore the magnificent former capital of Kolkata and its outstanding colonial architecture before travelling through Bangladesh on a two-country reconnaissance expedition that explores the Sundarbans, one of the world's most ecologically diverse regions famous for its swimming tigers. Discover the world's largest mangrove forest, Bay of Bengal. Immerse in Islamic art and architecture in Bangladesh's delta towns and Dhaka's colonial buildings and excellent museums. Continue up the great Brahmaputra to re-enter India and continue through Assam to the colourful city of Guwhati with its Hindu temples.
Highlights
Visit the largest mangrove forests on earth, the Sundarbans, habitat of the famous royal bengal tiger
Explore mosques, temples, museums, and villages in India and Bangladesh
Experience wildlife, culture and traditions from early civilizations
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Embark on the RV Kindat Pandaw. After lunch visit the splendid of the Victoria Memorial in the maidan and then St John’s Anglican church, with its splendid 18th century memorials, Zoffany’s Last Supper and Job Charnock’s mausoleum (1690).
Visit the National Museum, the largest and oldest museum in India with a cross section of art and archaeology from different eras of Indian history (over 1 million items are in the collection!). After lunch on the ship, visit the house and tomb of the canonized Mother Teresa and learn more about the work of her still active foundation. Then a short walk the the "Sishu Bhawan", a children’s home run by the sisters of Mother Teresa’s order.
In the morning sail down the Hooglie to the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forests on earth, habitat of the famous royal bengal tiger and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fishing port of Namkhana is considered the gateway to the Sundarbans. Depending on the tide, crossing the Hatania Doania River and anchoring near Bhagabatpur.
Continue through the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans towards the Bangladeshi border. After completing customs formalities in Hemnagar on the India side, proceed downstream to Antihara on the Bangladeshi side of the Sundarbans for further immigration and customs formalities.
Drive to Mongla and visit the Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat (UNESCO World Heritage Site). It is the largest Sultanate-era mosque in Bangladesh and one of the most impressive Muslim monuments in the entire Indian subcontinent. After, visit the museum in Bagerhat.
Canoe ride in the mangrove forests. Here you can experience the flora and fauna up close and enjoy the peace and beauty of the sea beach of Kotka Jamtola. Deer and other native animals can be found in the Kotka forest area.
Panoramic tour of the capital of Bangladesh with its sights and monuments such as Dhaka University and Curzon Hall, the National Assembly and the Old High Court. You will also visit the Dhakeswari Temple, which is considered the center of the Hindu faith and the National Museum.
Visit the lost city of Sonargaon exploring Goaldi mosque then on to the Painam merchant village, with its museum and bamboo school. Lunch at a local restaurant then drive to Jamdhani village to see weaving, visiting houses, interacting with the artisans and visiting the Murapara Zaminder’s house.
Sail to Sirajganj. En route visit the 17th century Atia Mosque in Tangail. The mosque features architectural elements from the pre-Mughal and Mughal eras.
Explore Sirajganj, a city known for hand weaving and the Bangabandhu Bridge (Jamuna Bridge) the longest bridge in Bangladesh. Visit the unique Hatikumrul Navatna Temple with its nine towers in Navaratnapara village. After will visit the weaving villages and learn about the production of traditional Bangladeshi clothing such as gamchas (cotton scarves), lungis for men and saris.
River trip along beautiful shore landscapes to Chilmari to do the customs and border formalities in Bangladesh. Chilmari is a major river port near the border with India and is also known for its mid-river sandbars (chars) where many Bengalis farm peanuts on this fertile ground.
Day 17: Chilmari to Dhubri and Border Crossing Back to India
Sail upstream to the Indian border. Stop at Dhubri for Indian customs and immigration formalities. Dhubri has long been a centre of the jute trade with connections to Dundee. In the afternoon explore the city and visit the Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Temple and the marble statue of Queen Victoria on a walk through the Victoria Park of the same name. Then visit the village of Asharikandi, where traditional terracotta and ceramics are made.
Boat trip to Goalpara at the foot of the Garo hills. Visit Sri Surya Pahar, an important archaeological site with valuable cultural remains from Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. The archaeological finds confirm the long-standing assumption that a thriving civilization existed around Sri Surya Pahar several centuries ago.
Sail on to Sualkuchi known for its silk weavings, particularly muga silk, pat silk and eri silk, which have a lustrous and delicate texture and are used to make traditional Assamese dresses and sarees.
Morning excursion to Nilachal Hill and visit to Kamakhya Temple, a Hindu temple in Guwahati dedicated to the mother goddess Shakti. Afternoon boat trip to Peacock Island in the Brahmaputra River, a tranquil place whose Umananda Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.
Day 22: Guwahati | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Transfer to Guwhati airport for flights to Kolkotta or Delhi.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Rates are dynamic and fluctuate based on capacity. Contact us for a specific quote.
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Pandaw Stateroom
Bedroom: 12' x 10'
Bathroom: 6' x 4'
Showeroom: 2'8" x 3'4"
Single Bed: 6'7" x 3'3"
Initial deposit is 20%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 61 days prior to departure by Credit Card, Wire/bank Transfer. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000.00 charge
This was my first experience with Adventure Life - and I couldn't have been more pleased with the trip. The guides and local staff in both Buenos Aires and Uruguay were terrific - extremely helpful and accommodating. I really enjoyed meeting the friendly staff in Buenos Aires in person (I left my bags with them for the afternoon).
Karen Snider
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
6 hours ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
7 hours ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
22 hours ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
5 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
6 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
