Cruising the River Ganges with Uniworld

I recently spent three nights aboard the beautiful Ganges Voyager II on the sacred River Ganges with luxury river cruise line Uniworld. My colleague Victoria wrote about our incredible pre-cruise Golden Triangle tour here and my colleague Andy wrote all about the ship itself in detail here. I'm excited to tell you all about the excursions we experienced throughout our three days on board...

Our first morning wake up on the Uniword Ganges Voyager II was in the settlement of Kalna, we disembarked with a short walk past a morning game of cricket to our electric rickshaw meeting point. It wasn’t as hectic of a ride as Victoria would have mentioned about Delhi; this offered a great way to travel the southern part of India.

Kalna offers vast green scenery with small lakes, one of the most extensive markets I have ever witnessed and some fascinating historical grounds that we were to experience. We first attended the 108 Shiv Temples known as the Naba Kailah Mandi. We then proceeded too visit the Lalji Mandir, Raj Bari and Pratapaswar; all in the same grounds. With the knowledge of our local tour guides we were shown the in depth and true history of this part of India.

We embarked back upon the plush Ganges Voyager II and set sail for Chnadannagar; a French Colony in the heart of India. We attended the local museum and leant of how the settlement of Chandannagr had been established by the French in 1673 then taken ove by the British and back to the French again. From here we attended a traditional Catholic church which was amazing to see in the exotic destination.

The highlight of this port was attending a guided tour of the Chandannagar college museum hosted by the students, this gave us an inspiring history not only of the college but also the background to what life is like locally. Back to the ship we went by tender boat; in time for our evening meal and more much needed naan breads; probably the best in the world.

The trip of a lifetime was coming to an end and with our last full day ahead of us we arrived back in to Kolkata, formally Calcutta. We docked on a small tender boat to see the locals bathing in the Holy River. From here we walked through to the Kolkata flower market; the vibrant colours, flower and smells all attacking the senses at once. It really was something to behold!

From here we walked onto the main bridge and oversaw the bazaar’s normal Monday morning routines going on. There was chai tea boiling in the street, produce being carted one place to the next, incredible pottery and something we had now become accustomed to...the endless beeping of car and bike horns! This was true destination immersion all wrapped nicely in a Uniworld blanket with a staff escort.

We then boarded the plush Uniworld coach and set off to the Calcutta Rescue School; something of note is that Uniworld visits and contributes to the success and upkeep of this school. The school was set up by Dr Jake Pregger, a British doctor who was inspired to help here during his visits to India in the 1970s.

The Calcutta Rescue now operate three clinics, two schools and two vocational centres and provides 150 jobs locally. To say I have never seen a school like this is an understatement; it was decorated with vivid street art with references for the children to live by. Many of the children attended the school were from the Kolkata streets and this was there light to help them live a changed life and succeed. The school itself provides meals, uniforms, treatment and transportation all provided by the charity.

There is no place to start with the last excursion of the day which was attending the tomb of Mother Theresa; as we entered an air of peace and calm passed over me. We one by one quietly attended to pay our respects and leave a prayer to Mother Theresa.

On the way back to Ganges Voyager II we stopped to see Queen Victoria’s memorial. This is like no memorial I have ever witnessed; stunning gardens, grounds, ponds and the show piece itself the Makrana Marble structure that in fact has a larger central chamber than the Taj Mahal. An utterly show stopping way to finish not only the day but our whole time in India.

If this looks like something you'd love to experience yourself, don't hesitate to get in touch! Just give us a call on the number above and I'll be happy to chat with you about my experience.