Assam Dispatch3 - Upstream

Delhi- Tezpur - Steemer Ghat - Vishnath - Dhansiri Mukh -Kaziranga - Majuli Island - Sibsagar - Dibrugarh - Delhi

Day 1,Thu
Arrive New Delhi, meet assist at airport and transfer to hotel for overnight stay in Delhi.

Day 2, Fri
After breakfast, half day city tour of Old Delhi including Jama Masjid,Red Fort, Rickshaw ride, etc. Later transfer to Delhi airport forflight to Tezpur. On arrival, transfer to hotel for overnight stay athotel.

Day 3,Sat
After breakfast, transfer 30 minsto Steemer Ghat, a lovely beach below jungle-covered hills. Cruise upstream until dusk, with KazirangaNational Park on the right bank - wild elephant can sometimesbe spotted.

Day 4, Sun
The morning is spent cruising, and around midday we reachVishnath, with an Ahom-period Shiva temple. There are otherlater temples too, and we can walk through the town beforereboarding and setting off again.

Day 5, Mon
The day is spent on the river, and we have a good chanceof spotting Gangetic dolphin, as well as creating a sensationin bankside villages as we pass. We should arrive in theevening at lonely Dhansiri Mukh.

Day 6, Tue
This morning we land and take a jeep safari in Kaziranga'slittle-visited Eastern Range, with good woodland as well asgrasslands where you may spot the rare Bengal Florican.Returning to the boat, we continue our cruise upstream.

Day 7, Wed
Another day spent cruising upstream. We shall take time topause and walk through a village, getting an insight into thelife of Indian villagers.

Day 8, Thu
Around breakfast time we should reach Majuli Island,supposedly the world's largest river island, and possessingunique Hindu monasteries famed for their dance-dramaperformances- the whole island is now shortlisted for futureUNESCO World Heritage status. We visit a monastery atKamalbari and the nearby tribal museum at Auniati beforereboarding and cruising across to Neamati Ghat on the oppositebank.

Day 9, Fri
We drive for about an hour to Sibsagar, the one-timecapital of the Kings of Assam. Shan by origin (Assam and Siamshare the same derivation) but converted to Hinduism theyruled Assam for some 700 years until the 1820s, and theirculture and architecture is a strange and delightful amalgamof Indian and S.E. Asian. We shall see temples with stupa-likeprofiles, and palaces of distinctive form - note thecrocodiles and rather sexy caryatids that adorn the roof ofthe Rang Mahal. For the record book, the temple tank here isbelieved to be the world's largest hand-excavated reservoir.Later we visit the Tocklai Tea Research Station to learnsomething about the different processes of growing, pickingand processing tea. Returning to the boat we spend our lastnight on board.

Day 10, Sat
AM drive c 2 ½ hrs to Dibrugarh airport, passing throughthis typical colonial town and major base for American flightsover "The Hump" to China in WWII. Alternativelytransferred 30 mins to Jorhat airport to fly to Delhi. On arrival at Delhi, meet assist at airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Delhi. Itinerary subject to river conditions. Elephant rides subjectto availability.

Day 11, Sun
After breakfast, half day city tour of New Delhi including India Gate,Lotus Temple, Raj Ghat, Parliament House, etc. In the afternoon visitBazaars, local markets. Later in the evening, transfer to DelhiInternational airport for flight back home.