While rail and road have been the more popular ways of traversing the hinterland, this World Rivers’ Day we recommend a few charming river cruises in India that can take you touring around the countryside.
When you think of a posh boat, you’re probably thinking of the French Riviera. But the charms of a boat cruise can be enjoyed closer home too! After all, India is a country streaked by several rivers, and we do have a lineup of imaginative tour operators who are willing to draw up an interesting itinerary for your next cruise adventure in Indian rivers. Here are some options for you to explore the scenic Indian countryside along the rivers.
The upstream Upper Ganga cruise quite typically begins at Farakka in West Bengal, and makes its way up to Patna in Bihar. A company like Pandaw, for instance, offers a seven-night abode on a luxury vessel. During the trip, you can enjoy historical sites and cultural places like the silk-production centre Bhaglapur, Munger, Mokama, the town of Barh (famous for its ritual cremation at Urmanath) and Patna. From Patna you can reach Varanasi by rail, the cost of which is included in the package.
Priced at about Rs 4 lakh and up, this cruise includes transfers from hotels at Farakka and Varanasi – depending on whether you do the trip upstream or downstream. Visit www.pandaw.com for more information.
Assam Bengal Navigation does a highly rated cruise of the lower Ganges or Hooghly. The cruise is called Bengal Dispatches 1 & 5: The Historic Hooghly. It covers towns like Serempur, Barrackpore, the Dutch settlement of Chinsura, Kalna (famous for its terracotta temples), Mayapur, Plassey, Khushbag and Baranagar, finally ending the cruise at Farakka. Travellers witness everything from muslin-weaving to brass-beating on this trip that also takes you on excursions to the Hazarduari Palace and the Katgola Palace.
Enjoy the cruise aboard the boutique-style ABN Rajmahal, with 18 double rooms and four single cabins. The rooms are furnished with hand-block printed cottons and Bengal antiques. Prices start at US$ 2,520 (Rs 2 lakh approx) per person for the seven-night cruise. Visit www.assambengalnavigation.com for more details.
Assam Bengal Navigation’s Brahmaputra river cruises cover destinations like the silk-producing town of Sualkuchi, Saraighat bridge, Uzan Bazaar, Kurua, Tezpur and Silghat. They have been rated among the ‘world’s top 10 most adventurous cruises’ by CNN. While you can choose a cruise as per your availability of time, we recommend the Assam Dispatch 2: Rhinos and More seven-night cruise. It starts at the Pandu port of Guwahati, and ends at Silghat, not far from the Kaziranga national park.
En route explore popular tourist spots like the Kamakhya Devi temple, the Da Parbatia temple ruins and Cole Park, where you can marvel at the mediaeval stone carvings. Enjoy activities like a cooking demonstration and bird-watching during the trip. On day six of the cruise, guests are driven to the Kaziranga national park for a jeep safari.
You can enjoy all this and more onboard the ABN Charaidew II or the ABN Sukapha, both luxury ships. The ships are done up tastefully to reflect the local Assamese aesthetics with colonial touches. Even the object d’art and local textiles give you a sense of the local culture and history.
Prices start at US$ 2,520 (Rs 2 lakh approx) per person on a twin-sharing basis. Visit www.assambengalnavigation.com for more details.
The relatively less-known Bhitarkanika national park, which lies by the Bay of Bengal in Odisha, is often compared to the Amazon. It is the second largest mangrove system in India after the Sundarbans. Antara Cruises takes travellers on a journey of the estuarine region of the Brahmani-Baitarani river system, giving them a chance to traverse the mangrove forests of the Habalikanthi beach.
The cruise begins at Gupti, which is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Bhubaneswar airport. Here you can board a luxury catamaran. Besides enjoying the hospitality offered by the boat staff, you can enjoy sightings of crocodiles, spotted deer, wild boars, monitor lizards and a variety of birds as you sail deeper into the mangrove ecosystem. The three-day cruise takes you from Gupti to Dangamal and back and embarks every Thursday and Saturday.
Prices start at US$ 1,080 (Rs 90,000 approx) per person. Visit www.antaracruises.com for more information.
Cruises of the Kerala backwaters and Mandovi river in Goa are already popular. A half-day cruise of the backwaters at Kochi, for instance, is priced at Rs 2,500 and up. Houseboats run by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) are available at Kollam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur. Log onto www.keralatourism.org for more information.
To enjoy an evening cruise on Goa’s Mandovi river, log onto the Goa Tourism Development Corporation site www.goatourism.com. Priced at Rs 500 a head, the hour-long cruise takes you along the river with folk performances onboard.
Also Read: Houseboat tourism floats rural economy in Alappuzha
The lead image on top shows the ship ABN Rajmahal on the Hooghly river in West Bengal. (Photo courtesy the Assam Bengal Navigation Company)
