ABN Sukapha, 7 night Brahmaputra River Island Cruise - Assam Despatch 3 ex Silghat (Kaziranga) to Dibrugarh or Jorhat

7 Night Brahmaputra River Island Cruise - Assam Despatch 3 ex Kaziranga to Dibrugarh or Jorhat aboard ABN Sukapha.

SILGHAT TO DIBRUGARH/JORHAT - Assam Despatch 3

DAY 1
Arrive at Jorhat airport and drive 2 ½ hrs to Silghat, a picturesque beach below jungle-covered hills and close to Kaziranga National Park. Alternatively, arrive at Guwahati airport and drive 4 ½ hrs to Silghat.

DAY 2
After an early breakfast, you`ll be driven to Kaziranga`s Central Range for a morning jeep safari.
Covering an area of approximately 430 sq kms, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kaziranga National Park is home to the world`s largest population of the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros as well as the Indian Wild Water Buffalo. It has also earned the distinction of having the highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers (one every five sq. km.), making this park an incredibly rich biodiversity hot spot. With its marshy swamps and thickets of elephant grass, the park supports large populations of Indian elephants, Indian bison, swamp deer, and Capped Langurs.

Kaziranga National Park frequently draws comparisons to the Serengeti in Africa due to the park`s abundance of wildlife and birds and is considered a birding paradise. Bird species found here include the Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-shouldered Kite, White-tailed Eagle, Himalayan Griffon and many more.

Returning to the ship, you`ll cruise upstream with Kaziranga National Park on the right bank to anchor for the night at Vishnath.

DAY 3
This morning you`ll visit Vishnath, known for its Ahom-period Shiva temple. Walk through the town before reboarding and setting off again, with Kaziranga still on the far bank. Keep an eye out for wild elephants which have been spotted, and once, memorably, a tiger.
A leisurely afternoon of cruising down the river offers a good chance of spotting the endangered Gangetic dolphin, as well as observing life in the bank side villages as we pass. Arrive in the evening at Dhansiri Mukh.

DAY 4
This morning, you`ll dock and take a jeep safari to Kaziranga`s little-visited Eastern Range, with grasslands much favoured by rhinos where you might also spot the rare Bengal Florican. Return to the boat and continue your cruise upstream.

DAY 5
Today brings another opportunity to watch life unfold on the riverbanks as you cruise upstream. The languid pace of life onboard the boat offers a rare opportunity to sit and watch the world slip by, chat with fellow guests, or catch up on your reading. You`ll have time to stretch your legs with a walk through a bank side village, gaining an insight into life in rural India.

DAY 6
You should reach Majuli Island around breakfast time. One of the world`s largest river islands and a microcosm of Assamese culture, Majuli is much-photographed but little-visited. It is a stronghold of the peaceful religion of neo-Vaishnavism and the elegant island satras - some for celibate monks, some for families - showcase a unique way of life where the faithful live simply, offering worship through gayan-bayan (songs and musical instruments) and readings.

You`ll visit a monastery at Auniati with its eclectic museum, then attend a dance performance at Kamalabari monastery before cruising across to Neamati Ghat on the opposite bank. In the afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to visit a nearby village.

DAY 7
Today you`ll visit a tea estate in Jorhat, and observe the journey from tea bush to cup. (Please note that the factory is inoperative between December and mid-March.) Later, you`ll be driven to Sibsagar, the one-time capital of the Ahom kings of Assam.

Shan by origin but converts to Hinduism, the Ahoms ruled Assam for some 700 years until the 1820s. Their culture and architecture is a unique and intriguing amalgam of India and Southeast Asia. You`ll see temples with stupa-like profiles and palaces of distinctive form. The temple tank here is believed to be the world’s largest hand-excavated reservoir and quite the feat of engineering, as you`ll see. Return to your ship, which will have cruised up to Neamati Ghat, close to Jorhat.

DAY 8
This morning, you`ll be driven to Dibrugarh airport, a journey of around 4 ½ hours, passing through this typical colonial town and a major base for American flights over 'The Hump' to China in WWII. Alternatively, there’s the option of a 1 ½ hour drive to Jorhat airport.

This itinerary, including the cruise and approximate driving duration, is subject to river and weather conditions. Kaziranga National Park comprises low-lying grassland, which may not be visit-able when the river is at or near flood level.

Our second ship "ABN Sukapha" joined "ABN Charaidew" in Assam in October 2006. We have respected the fragile environment of the River Brahmaputra and resisted the temptation to build a larger ship. Our maximum group size of 24 is well-matched to the numbers of riding elephants available in National Parks along the valley, while the need to use jeeps to access the river beaches also limits group size. The result is an ideal number for fostering a friendly house-party atmosphere on board.

For "ABN Sukapha" we kept as closely as possible to the design of "ABN Charaidew", both from popular demand and reasons of practicality, thereby retaining many of the features which make our original vessel so popular, but also adding a small spa. The overall dimensions of "ABN Sukapha" are similiar to "ABN Charaidew" and she is also powered by twin engines. Her 12 cabins are equally roomy and we have retained the much appreciated comfortable chairs by the picture windows for relaxing in privacy. The spacious saloon has French windows opening onto a front balcony deck and the dinning room again has glass doors down each side. Specially-commissioned furniture and locally-woven soft furnishings match those on "ABN Charaidew". Again, the large sundeck offers the opportunity to relax on comfortable cane rattan chairs and sunloungers.

“A meeting of minds” best describes the first encounter between Andrew Brock and Ashish Phookan in Guwahati, Assam in 2001. Neither knew the other had been pondering how to initiate river cruising on the river Brahmaputra; both jumped at the chance to explore together this exciting idea. The Indo-British joint-venture company, Assam Bengal Navigation, was formed in 2002 with Andrew and Grania Brock, and Ashish and Jahnabi Phookan, bringing together expertise in tourism, experience of global markets and in-depth knowledge of North East India.

Anyone who has travelled by train or plane through India, or who has been driven on Indian roads, will be amazed to learn that there is actually a way to travel through the country in total serenity and comfort. Yet it is in fact possible to cruise for some 1750 miles on the rivers and inland waterways of India, passing through great cities, alongside wildlife sanctuaries and historical monuments and into the heart of rural India. ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION are pioneers in this exploration.

ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION is an Indo-British joint venture, with offices in Guwahati and the UK. In 2003 ABN pioneered long-distance river cruising in India with our unique cruises on the River Brahmaputra in Assam, and in 2007 we were also the first to run cruises on the River Hugli between Kolkata and the Ganges. We were awarded the Indian National Tourism Award for Innovation in 2004-5. Experience counts for everything here, and our expertise in the field of river cruising on both waterways is unrivalled.

Our first luxury river boat, the “ABN Charaidew”, with 12 air-conditoned en-suite cabins was joined in 2006 by her near-identical sister ship “ABN Sukapha”. Cruises operate in Assam from October to April, and in Bengal virtually all through the year. In February 2014 our fleet increases with the launch of “ABN Rajmahal”, a 22-cabin boat specifically designed for water levels on the Ganges.

ASSAM CRUISES, BRAHMAPUTRA. Wildlife and wilderness are the main features of a cruise in Assam on the vast Brahmaputra river – the river bed is often 20 or 30 km across, an empty world of sand spits and water with marvellous bird life and the occasional Gangetic Dolphin. The cruises here also give access to a number of India’s National Parks, including Kaziranga, perhaps the finest of all, and Manas, a Project Tiger reserve on the Bhutan border.

BENGAL CRUISES, GANGES and HUGLI. The waterways of the old Bengal Presidency now lie in the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, and in independent Bangladesh. Here in the north of the region the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra meet head to head and then flow out to the sea through the world’s largest delta. Inland, however, on the rich agricultural land lie prosperous towns and villages, rich in history and culture. This is village India at its best, completely unknown to tourists. Cruises go north from Calcutta on the intimate River Hugli, and can be linked with our cruises on the Ganges proper from the Bangladesh border up to the historic city of Patna.

ASSAM JUNGLE LODGES. At Manas National Park ABN now has its own jungle accommodation, “The Bansbari Lodge”, situated right at the entrance to the Park. The 16 large twin-bedded rooms all have attached bathrooms and the lodge is simply but comfortably furnished.

At Kaziranga National Park, the “Diphlu River Lodge” opened in January 2008 and is run by ABN. In prime position, its cottages provide premier quality accommodation for a total of 24 guests. The airconditioned cottages are built on stilts with generous thatched verandahs and en-suite bathrooms, and have fantastic views directly overlooking the river and the National Park.


WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
Cruises operate from January through to the end of April, and from July through to December. Every month has both advantages and disadvantages, and we give below a rundown of the different seasons.

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER
During these months we sail on the Hugli and Ganges only. There is some rain, but usually for not more than an hour or so at a time. Water levels are high, so grounding is rare, and rural India is looking its incomparable best, lush and green in wonderful clarity of light, with both blossom and tropical fruit abounding. Temperatures are high, with high levels of humidity.

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Water levels remain quite high, and Brahmaputra cruises start at this time. However foliage is still dense, and flood plains are still often under water, so Assam’s wildlife viewing is usually poor until about the beginning of November. Tea gardens and factories though will be in full swing, usually until early December, while this time offers the best chance of a glimpse of Himalayan snows. Rain should be rare and temperatures moderate, but sun not always guaranteed.

JANUARY FEBRUARY
Water levels are low on the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, so groundings can occur, while morning mists can delay getting under way. For those who dislike heat, December and January are good months. As leaves shrivel and fall, wildlife viewing starts to improve.

MARCH APRIL
Low water levels on the Ganges can cause problems, although the Hugli should not be affected. Temperatures start to rise, although without much humidity, and by April sudden brief storms can occur. In Assam wildlife viewing is probably at its best, and activity returns to the tea gardens.