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India River Cruise: The Holy Ganges
12 days, Calcutta to Varanasi
Itinerary
Day 1Calcutta
Arrive at any time and transfer to your hotel. Arrival transfer included.
There are no planned activities until an evening welcome meeting, so check into to the hotel and enjoy the city.
Arrival Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 2Calcutta/Farakka
Catch a train from Kolkata to Farakka and embark on the riverboat this afternoon.
Local Train
Climb aboard, take your seat, and get around like the locals do.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 3Farakka/Manihāri Ghāt
Sail upstream to Rajmahal, a village with a fantastic local atmosphere. Explore the remains of palaces, forts, and mosques submerged in vegetation before sailing on as far as Manihari Ghat.
Leave Farakka and sail out into the river, almost sea-like here just above the great Farakka Barrage. Anchor at Rajmahal, beneath the Rajmahal Hills. Once known as Akbarnagar, the town was founded by the Mughal Emperor Akbar as his eastern capital. Shah Jehan, builder of the Taj Mahal, spent much of his youth here.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Rajmahal Town and Sights Visit
Enjoy the lively atmosphere of Rajmahal. Explore the remains of palaces, forts and mosques.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Manihāri Ghāt/Kahalgaon
Cruise upriver to idyllic Bateshwar and visit 6th century rock carvings. Afterwards, drive a short distance to the impressive ruins of a Buddhist monastery at Vikramshila.
Take in views of an island shrine complete with Buddhist and Hindu cave temples today as we sail near the shore. This area was once a centre of the murderous Thug sect.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Bateshwar Temples Visit
Visit the beautiful Bateshwar Temples. See the incredible Hindu carvings throughout the temples that date all the way back to the 6th-century.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Kahalgaon/Sultānganj
Keep an eye out for South Asian river dolphins this morning as you sail to Bhagalpur, a centre of silk production. Visit a mansion and silk-weaving village. Continue on to Jehangira Island and enjoy an excursion to view ancient Hindu rock carvings.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Mansion and Silk-Weaving Village Visit
Visit the elegant 18th-century mansion built by Augustus Clevland and learn about his revered status with the local communities. Continue on to a silk-weaving village to learn about this industry.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Jehangira Island Excursion & Hindu Rock Carvings Visit
Explore this pilgrimage site and view ancient Hindu rock carvings. Learn more about the island's religious significance and take in views of a picturesque mosque built on a rock. Opt to stroll through the local market.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Sultānganj/Sita Kund
Sail to Munger and take a rickshaw ride through the town to view the remnants of a Mughal fort and an East India Company cemetery. Visit the local bazaar, Pirpahar Hill, and Sitakund hot springs. Walk through the village and fields before getting back on board.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Rickshaw Ride and Mughal Fort Visit
Ride through Munger on a rickshaw and learn more about the area's ruined Mughal Fort. Take in scenes of village life amongst grandiose tombs – this place is home to an East India Company cemetery.
Munger Village and Sitakund Hot Spring Visit
Visit some highlights of the town like the local bazaar, Pirpahar Hill, crowned by a fine old mansion, and the Sitakund Hot Springs. Wander through farmland on the way back to the boat.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 7Sita Kund/Bārh
This morning pass under the great bridge at Mokama, where the naturalist Jim Corbett spent his working life overseeing the ferry crossing. Stop to visit a bankside village and stretch your legs. Cruise on to Barh and moor for the evening.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Free Time
Sit back, relax, and watch the scenery go by as you cruise down the Ganges.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 8Bārh/Patna
Enjoy a full day excursion to Nalanda. Visit an excavated Buddhist monastery and stupa, and the picturesque Jain temple at Pawapuri. Continue to Patna and reboard the boat for the night.
Varuna Riverboat
Hop aboard and float on to the next stop.
Buddhist Monastery and Stupa Visit
Enjoy a visit to the excavated ruins of the a Buddhist monastery and stupa in Nalanda. Check out the adjoining museum for more insight into the area.
Pawapuri Jain Temple Visit
Visit this gorgeous Jain temple – located in the middle of a lake – and learn more about this uniquely Indian religion.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 9Patna/Bodh Gaya
Disembark and discover Patna on a morning tour visiting the Golghar granary, the great Sikh temple, and the State Museum. Afterwards, transfer to the small town of Bodh Gaya to explore the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Meet with a monk to discuss the history of the area and visit the spot where the Buddha found enlightenment.
Golghar Granary Visit
Explore the 18th-century Golghar granary in Patna to learn more about the history of the area.
Sikh Temple Visit
Enjoy a visit to a beautiful Sikh temple in Patna. Learn more about the religion and history of the temple.
State Museum Visit
Visit the State Museum in Patna to learn more about the region.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Explore Mahabodhi Temple Complex and Meet with a Monk
Visit the small town of Bodh Gaya to explore the Mahabodhi temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we meet with a monk to discuss why this is one of the four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Also visit the spot where the Buddha found enlightenment under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Bodh Gaya/Varanasi
Drive to Varanasi, the quintessential Indian holy city. This afternoon, enjoy a lecture at the Ghats of the Ganges by a Research Scholar from Benaras Hindu University, and talk about the river's significance spiritually, socially, economically and politically. After, embark on a boat trip on the sacred Ganges at sunset. Enjoy a candle and flower ceremony accompanied by sitar and tabla playing, and observe an evening aarti (prayer) ceremony.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Ganges River Talk
While in Varanasi, sit down for a talk with a scholar at the picturesque ghats (stairs) of the Ganges. Discuss the river and the spiritual and social role it plays in daily life here.
Evening Ganges Boat Tour
Enjoy a boat ride on the sacred Ganges River, where Hindu pilgrims from all over the world come to wash away their sins and cremate their loved ones. Participate in a candle and flower ceremony while on the water.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 11Varanasi
Rise early for a sunrise boat ride along the Ganges to observe the dawn rituals of bathing and burial. After, have breakfast at Open Hand, a vocational training cafe and one of G Adventures' grassroots partners. Learn about this social enterprise whose mission is to provide dignified and meaningful job opportunities to underprivileged people in India. This afternoon take an excursion to Sarnath, a pilgrimage site where it is said the Buddha preached his first sermon.
Morning Ganges Boat Tour
Catch the sunrise from a boat cruising the sacred Ganges River, where Hindu pilgrims from all over the world come to wash away their sins and cremate their loved ones. Witness locals participating in dawn rituals of bathing and burning at the river.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Breakfast at Open Hand Project
Enjoy a visit to one of G Adventures' partners, Open Hand. It's a social enterprise whose mission is to transform society by providing dignified and meaningful job opportunities to underprivileged people in India. With vocational training cafes around India and an ethical manufacturing factory in New Delhi, G Adventures has partnered with Open Hand to manufacture ethically-produced products for G Adventures' online gear shop and to provide fair wages, vocational training, safe housing, counselling, and other social resources to marginalized people in India.
Guided Tour of Sarnath
A day of exploration begins with a tuk-tuk ride from Varanasi towards Sarnath, where your local guide awaits. One of the holiest Buddhist sites in the world, Sarnath is the birth place of Buddhism where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon. For nearly 1700 years the site remained a centre for great learning, a place of pilgrimage, and a Vihara (Monastery) for monks and scholars. Guided by a local expert, discover the archeological ruins of the monastery, the ancient Dhamek stupa. Explore the museum at Sarnath and the sacred Maha Bodhi Tree. Visit temples constructed by the buddhist people of Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan. Stop to admire the Buddha statue located at the Thai Buddha vihara. Some eighty feet tall, it is considered to be the tallest standing Buddha statue at Sarnath. After three hours of guided exploration, your guide will bring you back to your awaiting tuk-tuks bound for your hotel.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 12Varanasi
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.