Kolkata (India)

Day 1: Thursday 27 December

The urban sprawl of Kolkata glows bright in the steamy heat of the night – a sensation few travellers are fortunate enough to encounter. Make your way to the Taj Bengal where we spend three nights.

Kolkata

Day 2: Friday 28 December

Kolkata, playfully known as the City of Joy, pulses with vibrancy. We enjoy our first taste of Bengali cuisine during lunch before delving beneath Kolkata’s surface. Hand-pulled rickshaws trundle through streets bustling with rogue cows and daring motorists, forced to manoeuvre around them. We visit the Victoria Memorial, and St Paul’s Cathedral, then pay homage to Mother Teresa at the former temple of Nirmal Hriday and Sishu Bhawan Centre. A Welcome Dinner this evening takes place at our hotel.

Kolkata

Day 3: Saturday 29 December

As Kolkata stirs to another day, we rumble through the city along the oldest operating tram network in Asia. We’re occupied by the varied exhibitions at the Indian Museum, then transit Howrah Bridge. Brace yourself for the bedlam of Mallick Ghat Flower Market. Petals and garlands of bright blooms adorn a heady pathway through some 2,000 stalls. Our final stop is Kalighat Kali Temple, a grand edifice dedicated to the goddess Kali.

Embark MV Mahabaahu

Day 4: Sunday 30 December

Heading for the north eastern state of Assam, we fly into Jorhat and transfer to Naemati Ghat where we are welcomed aboard the MV Mahabaahu. Over high tea, onboard experts recount the intricacies of Assam’s revered tea ceremony. As the sun slides beneath the Brahmaputra River, the first of many dinners is served.

Sibsagar

Day 5: Monday 31 December

Sibsagar, translated as ‘the ocean of Lord Shiva’, is strewn with ruins of the ancient Ahoms. Eager to explore, at Talatal Ghar our guide takes us back to a time when wrestling bouts and buffalo fights regaled royals and their guests. We then gaze to the top of Shiva Dol. A lunch of traditional Assamese fare awaits us at a tea estate. This evening we celebrate with a toast towards the New Year. Resolutions are made over an ostentatious dinner and we turn towards the exciting new horizons. 

Majuli Island

Day 6: Tuesday 1 January

Having arrived at Majuli Island before daybreak, we invite you to start 2019 with a Your World experience.

• Join a swamp-side bird walk in search of owls, orioles, changeable hawk-eagles, adjutant storks and more.

Once on the island, we are whisked to a 15th-century satra, a monastery that preserves a form of Hinduism known as Vaishnavism. Here, colour and music collide in a cultural performance featuring local singers and dancers. In Kamalabari Satra, we meet the local priests before sailing for a Mishing village where women are renowned for their expertise in handloom weaving.

The sky begins to darken and stars shimmer above us. We dock on a deserted island and while away the evening on the beach in front of a bonfire.

Kaziranga National Park

Day 7: Wednesday 2 January

We edge into the eastern realms of Kaziranga National Park. Lush, green and on the World Heritage-list, it’s home to two-thirds of the world’s Indian rhinoceros. A boat safari on small vessels gets us close to local wildlife.

Later, an onboard chef reveals secrets of Assamese cuisine and local spice blends during a demonstration.

Biswanath Ghat

Day 8: Thursday 3 January

Ambling through the village of Biswanath Ghat, we visit a Shiva temple and spend time exploring on our own terms. A short drive leads us to our next port of call, a tea estate where we can stretch our legs and observe workers pruning the bushes. We learn how Assam tea is produced and relish a freshly brewed cup. En route back to the ship, we call in at The Assam Co-operative Jute Mill. 

Kaziranga National Park

Day 9: Friday 4 January

It’s back to Kaziranga today where an early morning Jeep safari increases our chances of encountering its star species. But it’s not all about the rhino. The park is also home to as many as 180 different species of mammal including elephants, deer, bison and Bengal tigers. We relax during breakfast at a resort in Kaziranga then drive to Bagori on the Western Range of the national park. Here, our safari continues. Our open-top Jeep heads for watering holes, known locally as beels, hoping to catch sight of elephants and their young. Perhaps, despite their shyness, even a tiger.

Umananda Island

Day 10: Saturday 5 January

Breaking up a full day of sailing, we drop anchor at an island occupied predominantly by Bengali Muslims. Meet the locals and learn about their traditional farming practices. Also stop at Umananda Island, known as ‘Peacock Island’. It is the smallest inhabited island in the world and home to one of the most endangered species of primates, the golden langur. These notoriously hostile creatures are only found in certain areas of western Assam and the neighbouring Black Mountains of Bhutan. We step ashore and make our way to the Kamakhya Temple.

Tonight’s Alvida Bhoj, a Farewell Dinner, promises to be a festive affair, with a traditional toast raised to our crew and their gracious Assamese hospitality.

Disembark MV Mahabaahu

Day 11: Sunday 6 January

Back on land in Guwahati, we say goodbye to India and head for Bhutan on a morning flight that whisks us into the Himalayas. Landing in Paro, we drive to Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, sprawled across the western slopes of the Wang Chuu River valley. We pause at Buddha Point on the way to our hotel, the Taj Tashi. 

Thimphu

Day 12: Monday 7 January

A city tour reveals a distinct lack of traffic as we take in the sights of Thimphu. Highlights include the National Library and the Institute for Zorig Chusum. After lunch at our hotel we spend time at the King’s Memorial Chorten. Before the day’s end, we call upon Tashichhodzong, a monastery and fortress that houses the Bhutanese government, as well as the offices of the king.

Punakha

Day 13: Tuesday 8 January

Eyes locked on the landscapes, we ascend Dochula Pass into the lush Punakha Valley. Foamy white waterfalls froth from the crevices and 108 memorial chortens (shrines) perch precariously from mountainsides that nudge the clouds. We visit Punakha Dzong, the palace of great happiness and bliss and take a gentle walking excursion through rice fields to the Fertility Temple. 

Paro

Day 14: Wednesday 9 January

As mist lifts from mountains, we drive to Paro, winding through the skyscraping peaks. This is a community that exists in harmony with its surroundings. After checking in to our home for the next three nights, the Zhiwa Ling Hotel, we enjoy a friendly archery match. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and competitions are held regularly in most villages.

Paro

Day 15: Thursday 10 January

Taktsang Monastery is arguably Bhutan’s most photographed icon. Mushrooming from a cliffside, the spectacular structure, also known as the Tiger’s Nest, is well worth the early morning hike. As we walk, the haze around us lifts and strands of colourful prayer flags flutter in the cool breeze. In the afternoon we head for 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the kingdom’s oldest and most sacred shrines.

Paro

Day 16: Friday 11 January

Among turning prayer wheels and a rainbow ripple of flags, we stop and inhale the serenity of Rinpung Dzong. Constructed in 1646, the complex houses the monastic body of Paro. Our next stop is the former watch tower of Ta Dzong, now home to the national museum.

Paro’s valleys are embellished with clusters of colourful farm houses, traditionally built without a single nail. On an afternoon visit to a nearby village, our understanding of rural Bhutanese life is further enhanced.

Paro

Day 17: Saturday 12 January

Farewelling a world beautifully lost in its own traditions and culture, we depart Paro on an early afternoon flight to Bangkok.