ASSAM DESPATCH 2

Day 1, Sat
Met at Guwahati airport and taken on a short sightseeing tour of the city. Drive up Nilachal Hill to see the holy Kamakhya temple. With its tantric rites and animal sacrifice, the more squeamish may prefer to content themselves with the exterior. Visit the poignant Commonwealth War Graves cemetery. Finally walk through a local market before embarking on your cruise vessel. We set sail and cruise for about an hour and a half upstream to Kurua on the north bank.

Day 2, Sun
The day is spent cruising upstream, with hills rising on either side. Battling against strong currents, we reach an idyllic stop at Ganesh Pahar, where we can explore a delightfully serene hinterland lying under jungle-covered slopes.

Day 3, Mon
Leaving the hills behind, we enjoy our first taste of the wilderness experience, sand banks like icebergs on either side. We may make a short stop to visit a bankside village, creating a sensation as we do. We moor for the night in a lunar landscape of sand islands, with hopefully the Himalayas in view and providing a contrasting backdrop in the distance.

Day 4, Tue
Rising early, we take to our country boat for another cruise up a side stream, this time into the Orang National Park. Here in this rarely visited park we mount elephants and ride through forest and grassland looking for rhino, deer and other wildlife. Returning to Charaidew, we cruise upstream to the little trading settlement of Singri Ghat, its main street running alongside a tea garden.

Day 5, Wed
We cruise on this morning to Tezpur, and drive out to the 6th century Da Parbatia temple ruins with a beautifully carved portal, then explore the town by cycle rickshaw, stopping at Cole Park with medieval stone carvings saved from sites all over the region and perhaps penetrating the bungalow once lived in by Alexander Bruce, pioneer of the tea industry.

Day 6, Thu
We continue upstream, passing below a seemingly endless new bridge across the vast width of the river bed, to moor at Steemer Ghat (sic), a lovely beach backed by jungle-covered hills. In the afternoon we drive to Kaziranga's Western Range for a jeep safari and to scan the wilderness from an observation tower. Kaziranga is a World Heritage site and with a population of well over 1000 rhinoceros is the best place in the world to see these beasts. There are also good populations of tiger, wild elephant, sambar, swamp deer, hog deer, wild pig and many other species.

Day 7, Fri
Disembark pre-dawn and drive to Kaziranga's Central Range for an early morning elephant ride, the best way to get really close to the rhino and other animals. After breakfast at a lodge, we walk through terraced tea gardens and past a Karbi tribal village, then drive to a Mising tribal village, with their distinctive houses raised on piles. After lunch either take a jeep safari in the little visited Eastern Range before returning to the boat, or if preferred return directly to Steemer Ghat, visit a delightful Assamese village nearby and walk along a path alive with butterflies to a solitary temple on the river bank.

Day 8, Sat
An early start for the 4 hour drive back to Guwahati airport, or alternatively we can arrange 40 minute transfer to Tezpur airport.
Or remain on board for Assam Despatch Cruise 3.

Itinerary dependent on river conditions. Elephant rides subject to availability.

ASSAM DESPATCH 3

Day 1, Sat
Midday arrival at Tezpur airport and transfer 30 mins to Steemer Ghat, a lovely beach below jungle-covered hills. Alternatively arrive Guwahati airport and driven 4 hrs to Steemer Ghat. Cruise upstream until dusk, with Kaziranga National Park on the right bank - wild elephant can sometimes be spotted.

Day 2, Sun
The morning is spent cruising, and around midday we reach Vishnath, with an Ahom-period Shiva temple. There are other later temples too, and we can walk through the town before reboarding and setting off again.

Day 3, Mon
The day is spent on the river, and we have a good chance of spotting Gangetic dolphin, as well as creating a sensation in bankside villages as we pass. We should arrive in the evening at lonely Dhansiri Mukh.

Day 4, Tue
This morning we land and take a jeep safari in Kaziranga's little-visited Eastern Range, with good woodland as well as grasslands where you may spot the rare Bengal Florican. Returning to the boat, we continue our cruise upstream.

Day 5, Wed
Another day spent cruising upstream. We shall take time to pause and walk through a village, getting an insight into the life of Indian villagers.

Day 6, Thu
Around breakfast time we should reach Majuli Island, supposedly the world's largest river island, and possessing unique Hindu monasteries famed for their dance-drama performances- the whole island is now shortlisted for future UNESCO World Heritage status. We visit a monastery at Kamalbari and the nearby tribal museum at Auniati before reboarding and cruising across to Neamati Ghat on the opposite bank.

Day 7, Fri
We drive for about an hour to Sibsagar, the one-time capital of the Kings of Assam. Shan by origin (Assam and Siam share the same derivation) but converted to Hinduism they ruled Assam for some 700 years until the 1820s, and their culture and architecture is a strange and delightful amalgam of Indian and S.E. Asian. We shall see temples with stupa-like profiles, and palaces of distinctive form - note the crocodiles and rather sexy caryatids that adorn the roof of the Rang Mahal. For the record book, the temple tank here is believed to be the world's largest hand-excavated reservoir. Later we visit the Tocklai Tea Research Station to learn something about the different processes of growing, picking and processing tea. Returning to the boat we spend our last night on board.

Day 8, Sat
AM drive c 2 ˝ hrs to Dibrugarh airport, passing through this typical colonial town and major base for American flights over "The Hump" to China in WWII. Alternatively transferred 30 mins to Jorhat airport.

Itinerary subject to river conditions. Elephant rides subject to availability.

ASSAM EXPERIENCE

Day 1
Met at Guwahati airport and driven for 4 hours to Manas National Park, on the border with Bhutan, checking in to the simple but comfortable Bansbari Lodge. This Project Tiger reserve is now recovering well from earlier unrest - the tiger count is now estimated at around 50, and wild elephant number some 500. Alternatively own arrangements for reaching Manas by road from the Bhutan frontier at Phuntsoling or from Darjeeling and Sikkim.

Day 2
We take an early morning elephant ride through grassland, hopefully seeing several different species of deer and monkeys, as well as otters and some of the park's 380 different species of birds, perhaps including the rare Bengal Florican or the Great Hornbill. After breakfast, we walk through a local village, visit the nearby tea garden and see Bodo tribal handweaving. If time permits, we will see working elephants bathing in the nearby Beki River before carrying on by jeep to spot wildlife en route to Mothanguri Lodge, where we see the sun set over the Manas River and the Bhutan hills. Returning in the dusk we should again see some wildlife, perhaps including wild buffalo, wild elephant and if we are exceptionally lucky, a tiger. After supper, we watch a tribal dance around the camp fire.

Day 3
This morning we drive to Hajo, a place sacred to Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists. We visit a Moslem shrine with extensive hilltop views over the surrounding rural landscape, as well as the simple Hindu temple with its frieze of elephants and its sacred tank full of great catfish, carp and turtles. After lunch we drive on to Sualkuchi and visit its silk weaving workshops. We shall see the whole process of silk manufacture, from cocoon to spinning to dyeing and finally to handweaving into exquisite saris and dress lengths. Continuing on, we drive across the river to Guwahati and up Nilachal Hill to see the holy Kamakhya temple. With its tantric rites and animal sacrifices, the more squeamish may prefer to content themselves with the exterior. Finally we check in to the Dynasty, Brahmaputra Ashok or similar hotel for overnight.

Day 4
This morning we drive some 4 hours to Kaziranga National Park. After lunch we drive to Kaziranga's Western Range for a jeep safari and to scan the wilderness from an observation tower. Kaziranga is a World Heritage site and with a population of well over 1000 rhinoceros is the best place in the world to see these beasts. There are also good populations of tiger, wild elephant, sambar, swamp deer, hog deer, wild pig and many other species. We overnight at Wild Grass, Bonhabi or similar lodge.

Day 5
Start pre-dawn for Kaziranga's Central Range for an early morning elephant ride, the best way to get really close to the rhino and other animals. After breakfast at a lodge, we walk through terraced tea gardens and past a Karbi tribal village, then drive to a Mising tribal village, with their distinctive houses raised on piles. After lunch drive to the banks of the Brahmaputra at Steemer Ghat (sic), a lovely beach below jungle-covered hills, and board your river cruise vessel. Cruise upstream until dusk, with Kaziranga National Park on the right bank - wild elephant can sometimes be spotted.

Day 6
The morning is spent cruising, and around midday we reach Vishnath, with an Ahom-period Shiva temple. There are other later temples too, and we can walk through the town before reboarding and setting off again.

Day 7
The day is spent on the river, and we have a good chance of spotting Gangetic dolphin, as well as creating a sensation in bankside villages as we pass. We should arrive in the evening at lonely Dhansiri Mukh.

Day 8
This morning we land and take a jeep safari in Kaziranga's little-visited Eastern Range, with good woodland as well as grasslands where you may spot the rare Bengal Florican. Returning to the boat, we continue our cruise upstream.

Day 9
Another day spent cruising upstream. We shall take time to pause and walk through a village, getting an insight into the life of Indian villagers.

Day 10
Around breakfast time we should reach Majuli Island, supposedly the world's largest river island, and possessing unique Hindu monasteries famed for their dance-drama performances- the whole island is now shortlisted for future UNESCO World Heritage status. We visit a monastery at Auniati with an eclectic museum and another at Kamalbari where we attend a dance performance before cruising across to Neamati Ghat on the opposite bank.

Day 11
We drive for about an hour to Sibsagar, the one-time capital of the Kings of Assam. Shan by origin (Assam and Siam share the same derivation) but converted to Hinduism they ruled Assam for some 700 years until the 1820s, and their culture and architecture is a strange and delightful amalgam of Indian and S.E. Asian. We shall see temples with stupa-like profiles, and palaces of distinctive form - note the crocodiles and rather sexy caryatids that adorn the roof of the Rang Mahal. For the record book, the temple tank here is believed to be the world's largest hand-excavated reservoir. Later we visit the Tocklai Tea Research Station to learn something about the different processes of growing, picking and processing tea. Returning to the boat we spend our last night on board.

Day 12
AM drive c 2 ˝ hrs to Dibrugarh airport, passing through this typical colonial town and major base for American flights over "The Hump" to China in WWII. Alternatively transferred 30 mins to Jorhat airport.

ASSAM DESPATCH 4 (ASSAM ADVENTURE)

This 10-night cruise covers most of the highlights of Assam, with elephant and jeep safaris looking for rhino in Kaziranga National Park, visits to the old capital of the Ahom kings and to the Hindu monasteries on Majuli Island, walks in tea gardens
and through tribal villages.

It is also available on selected dates in separate 4-night sectors, Assam Despatch 4a (Dibrugarh-Kaziranga) or Assam Despatch 4b (Kaziranga-Guwahati.

Dates (Assam Despatch 4, 10 night cruise)
20-30 Dec 2007, 19-29 Jan 2008, 14-24 Feb 2008, 16-26 Feb 2008, 13-23 Mar 2008, 15-25 Mar 2008, 10-20 Apr 2008, 12-22 Apr 2008, 18-28 Oct 2008, 13-23 Nov 2008, 15-25 Nov 2008, 13-23 Dec 2008, 15-25 Dec 2008

Dates (Assam Despatch 4a, 4 night cruise Dibrugarh-Kaziranga)
20-24 Dec 2007, 19-23 Jan 2008, 16-20 Feb 2008, 15-19 Mar 2008, 12-16 Apr 2008

Dates (Assam Despatch 4b, 4 night cruise Kaziranga-Guwahati)
25-29 Jan 2008, 22-26 Feb 2008, 21-25 Mar 2008, 18-22 Apr 2008

Day 1
Arrive Dibrugarh, a typical colonial town and major American base in WWII, then drive 2 ˝ hrs to Dikhou Mukh and embark on our ship. Alternatively arrive Jorhat airport and drive 1 ˝ hrs to Dikhhou Mukh. (Dependent on river conditions it may be necessary to board at Neamati, closer to Jorhat).

Day 2
Excursion by road to Sibsagar, the one-time capital of the Ahom kings of Assam. Shan by origin (Assam and Siam share the same derivation) but converted to Hinduism, they ruled Assam for some 700 years until the 1820s, and their culture and architecture is a strange and delightful amalgam of Indian and S.E. Asian. See temples with stupa-like profiles, and palaces of distinctive form - note the crocodiles and rather sexy caryatids that adorn the roof of the Rang Mahal. For the record book, the temple tank here is claimed to be the world's largest hand-excavated reservoir. Return to the ship for lunch and cruise for 3 hours down river to Majuli island, supposedly the world's largest river island.

Day 3
Majuli Island possesses unique hindu monasteries famous for their dance drama performances - the whole island is now shortlisted for future UNESCO World Heritage status. You will visit Auniati monastery with an eclectic museum, enjoy a typical Mising tribal lunch in a stilted bamboo hut and in the afternoon will attend a dance performance at Kamalabari monastery. Returning to the ship we cruise downstream for an hour or two.

Day 4, Tue
A day spent mostly on the river, though we shall stop and make a short visit to the tribal village of Jamuguri. By afternoon, Kaziranga National Park will be on our left - wild elephants are sometimes visible from the boat, and once, memorably, a tiger.

Day 5
This morning you will arrive at the little temple town of Vishnath, with a fine Ahom-period temple. Take a walk ashore before continuing the voyage down to a delightful mooring at Silghat, with butterflies abounding in the surrounding jungle. We disembark, and those taking Assam Despatch 4a are transferred to the Kaziranga lodge of their choice (Cruise 4a terminates). Those remaining on board make a first safari through Kaziranga National Park, taking a jeep ride through its Western Range, with good woodland as well as grassland and wetlands which can be viewed from look-out towers.

Day 6
Disembark pre-dawn and drive to Kaziranga's Central Range for an early morning elephant ride, the best way to get really close to the rhino. Kaziranga is a World Heritage site, and with a population of over 1000 rhinoceros is the best place in the world to see these beasts. There are also good populations of tiger, wild elephant, sambar, swamp deer, hog deer, wild pig and many other species. After breakfast, walk through terraced tea gardens and visit a village of the Mising tribe. In the afternoon drive to Kaziranga's little-visited Eastern Range for a further jeep safari before returning to the boat.
(Cruise 4b commences) Those taking Cruise 4b are transferred in the afternoon from a Kaziranga lodge to board the ship at Silghat

Day 7
Cruise downstream under the seemingly endless new bridge to dock at Tezpur. From here we travel on by road to visit a working tea garden at Dhekiajuli, seeing all the stages of growing and processing tea (factory not in operation between December and mid-March).
(Cruise 4b commences) Those taking Cruise 4b are transferred this morning from a Kaziranga lodge to board the ship at Tezpur in time for lunch.
After lunch on board, we visit the remains of the the 6th century Da Parbatia temple, with exquisite carved portal, then board cycle rickshaws to take us through the bazaars to Cole Park with its collection of medieval stone carving. Reboarding our ship we cruise down to moor for the night near the isolated Singri Hill.

Day 8
The day is spent on the river, traversing a lunar landscape of sand islands then closing on the range of hills beyond which lies Guwahati. In the evening we should reach the idyllic isolated village of Ganesh Pahar.

Day 9
This morning's voyage is particularly pretty, with jungle-covered hills on the south bank. Reaching Guwahati at midday, we moor opposite the city and climb up to the pretty Aswaklanta temple on the hill above before driving out to the beautifully sited temple ruins of Madan Kamdev, their erotic carving an indicator of the strong tantric traditions in the area.

Day 10
We cross to the main waterfront for a tour of Guwahati, driving up Nilachal Hill to the Kamakhya temple. With its tantric rites and animal sacrifices, the more squeamish may prefer to content themselves with the exterior. Visit the poignant Commonwealth War Graves, the museum and the bazaars before cruising down during lunch to the silkweaving village of Sualkuchi. In the afternoon drive out to Hajo, a place sacred to Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists. Visit a Moslem shrine with extensive hilltop views over the surrounding rural landscape, as well as the simple Hindu temple with its frieze of elephants and its sacred tank full of great carp, catfish and turtles.

Day 11
Walk through Sualkuchi to visit weaving workshops and see the whole process of silk manufacture, from cocoon to spinning to dyeing and finally to handweaving into exquisite saris and dress lengths before transferring to the airport for final departure.

Itinerary subject to river conditions. Elephant rides subject to availability. 11/5/07

ASSAM DESPATCH 5

Day 1, Tue
Arrive Guwahati airport and driven across the great bridge over the Brahmaputra and on to the silk weaving village of Sualkuchi, where RV "Charaidew" will be moored. Explore on foot, visiting weaving workshops to see the whole process of silk manufacture, from cocoon to spinning to dyeing and finally to handweaving into exquisite saris and dress lengths.

Day 2, Wed
This morning we cruise down to Tarabari Ghat, where we land and drive for 2 hours to Manas National Park, on the border with Bhutan, checking in to the simple Bansbari Lodge. This Project Tiger reserve is now recovering well from earlier unrest - the tiger count is now estimated at over 80, and wild elephant number some 500. We take a short boat ride on the Manas River, and will hope to see wild buffalo, wild elephant, several different species of deer and monkeys, as well as otters and some of the park's 380 different species of birds.

Day 3, Thu
An early morning elephant ride probably offers our best, though still slim, chance of seeing tiger, or even perhaps a leopard or other rarity. Bird highlights could include the Bengal Florican or the Great Hornbill. We set off mid-morning to drive around 2 ˝ hrs to rejoin "Charaidew" below the great bridge at Jogighopa. Later we travel out by road to see the peaceful archaeological site of Sri Surya Prahar. Here we will see boulders which have been carved into stupas, lingams and bas-reliefs by early Buddhists, Hindus and Jains.

Day 4, Fri
This is a day spent on the river, with a chance to enjoy the rich bird life and look out for Gangetic Dolphin. If we make good progress, we will pause at an isolated village, which we shall explore on foot (or if we are lucky, we might hitch a ride on a bullock cart), and see a side of India that the average tourist never gets to see.

Day 5, Sat
During breakfast we cruise down to the river port of Dhubri. Here we have time to take a short ride on gaily painted cycle rickshaws past the great Sikh temple to admire the town's surviving statue of Queen Victoria. Disembark mid-AM. End of Assam Bengal Navigation arrangements. Dhubri is 1 ˝ hrs drive from Cooch Behar, c. 4hrs drive from the Bhutan border at Phuntsoling, c 5 ˝ hrs drive from Siliguri/Bagdogra.

Itinerary subject to river conditions. Elephant rides subject to availability.

ASSAM DESPATCH 6

Day 1
Arrive Guwahati airport and driven across the great bridge over the
Brahmaputra and on to the silk weaving village of Sualkuchi, where RV “Sukapha” or “Charaidew” will be moored. Explore on foot, visiting weaving workshops to see the whole process of silk manufacture, from cocoon to spinning to dyeing and finally to handweaving into exquisite saris and dress lengths.

Day 2
This morning we cruise down to Tarabari Ghat, where we land and drive for 2 hours to Manas National Park, on the border with Bhutan, checking in to the simple Bansbari Lodge. This Project Tiger reserve is now recovering well from earlier unrest - the tiger count is now estimated at over 80, and wild elephant number some 500. We take a short boat ride on the Manas River, and will hope to see wild buffalo, wild elephant, several different species of deer and monkeys, as well as otters and some of the park's 380 different species of birds.

Day 3
We take an early morning elephant ride through grassland, hopefully seeing several different species of deer and monkeys, as well as otters and some of the park’s 380 different species of birds, perhaps including the rare Bengal Florican or the Great Hornbill. After breakfast, we walk through a local village, visit the nearby tea garden and see Bodo tribal handweaving, then drive through Barpeta, famous for its great Vaishnavite monastery, to rejoin our vessel at Tarabari Ghat. We cruise upstream all afternoon.

Day 4
This is a day spent on the river, with a chance to enjoy the rich bird life and look out for Gangetic Dolphin. The Garo Hills, once the abode of headhunters, rise on the south bank. If we make good progress, we may have time to pause and visit a riverside village. We should reach Sualkuchi again by dusk.

Day 5
We drive out this morning to Hajo, a place sacred to Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists. We visit a Moslem shrine with extensive hilltop views over the surrounding rural landscape, as well as the simple hindu temple with its frieze of elephants and its sacred tank full of great carp, catfish and turtles. Later we return by road to Guwahati airport for final departure, or alternatively to join the Assam Despatch 2 cruise, commencing with sightseeing of Guwahati.

ASSAM DESPATCH 7

Day 1
Met at Guwahati airport and taken on a short sightseeing tour of the city. Drive up Nilachal Hill to see the holy Kamakhya temple. With
its tantric rites and animal sacrifice, the more squeamish may prefer to content themselves with the exterior. Visit the poignant Commonwealth War Graves cemetery. Finally walk through a local market before embarking on your cruise vessel. We set sail and cruise for about an hour and a half upstream to Kurua on the north bank.

Day 2
The day is spent cruising upstream, with hills rising on either side. Battling against strong currents, we reach an idyllic stop at Ganesh Pahar, where we can explore a delightfully serene hinterland lying under jungle-covered slopes.

Day 3
Leaving the hills behind, we enjoy our first taste of the wilderness experience, sand banks like icebergs on either side. We may make a short stop to visit a bankside village, creating a sensation as we do. We moor for the night in a lunar landscape of sand islands, with hopefully the Himalayas in view and providing a contrasting backdrop in the distance.

Day 4
Rising early, we take to our country boat for another cruise up a side stream, this time into the Orang National Park. Here in this rarely visited park we mount elephants or take jeeps and ride through forest and grassland looking for rhino, deer and other wildlife. Those departing today are picked up from the park and driven on to Kaziranga. The rest return to the ship, head downstream again, and moor for the night close to Ganesh Pahar.

Day 5
We make the scenic approach to Guwahati, with jungle-covered hills rising to either side. We dock at around 1000 hrs, and are transferred to the airport for an afternoon onward flight.

Crusie Date