The Lower Ganges River Cruise

Day 1 : Kolkata > Serampore > Barrackpore

On arrival, transfer from your hotel or airport in Kolkata to embark on your incredible journey at noon. Sail past the old colonial Danish town of Serampore on the way to Barrackpore. Stop for a walk past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House.

Day 2 : Chandannagar

Continue sailing to Chandannagar (Chandernagore), a French colony until 1950. Visit the 18th century church and Dupleix Palace, an architectural marvel built in the 1740s as the residential former governor, Joseph Fracois Dupleix.

Day 3 : Chandannagar > Kalna

Sail upstream to the country town of Kalna. Take a traditional rickshaw to see some of Bengal’s most attractive terracotta temples, as well as the unique Shiva temple with concentric rings made up of 108 lesser shrines. Sail on through the night to a mooring near Matiari.

Day 4 : Kalna > Mayapur > Matiari

Before you reach Matiari village, stop at Mayapur – knowns as the holiest of all places in India. Explore the headquarters of the ISKCON movement with a new temple comparable in size to the Vatican and largely funded by Alfred B. Ford, the great grandson of car maker Henry Ford. Meet Krishna followers and walk through the pilgrims’ bazaar.

Day 5 : Matiari

Today you will cisit the brass-working village of Matiari, a charming riverside village. Interact with the locals of Matiari and witness the process of beating out brass water pots and other vessels. Continue to 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, and changed the course of Indian history. Moor close to Murshidabad for the night.

Day 6 : Matiari > Murshidabad

This morning, walk to the Khusgbagh, a peaceful Mughal-style garden that encloses the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah and his family. Continue upstream to the great Hazarduari Palace. 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 and Nashipara Palace 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.

Day 7 : Ajimganj > Farakka

Continue your journey as it transforms into a charming waterway twisting and turning between banks lined with mustard fields and mango orchards. Morning 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. Visit the Jain temples at Azimganj before continuing on to Farakka.

Day 8 : Farakka > Kolkata

After breakfast, disembark and transfer to your hotel or the train station in Farakka for your train journey back to Kolkata.