Senast uppdaterad: 2011-06-14

Itinerary

Day 1

Meeting at our hotel in Delhi.

Day 2-3

Train Shatabi Exp at lunchtime directly to Bharatpur and Keoladeo Ghana National Park, one of the worlds finest bird sanctuaries. Before check in at your hotel you will be taken by an electric bus inside the sanctury for a walk at sunset.

The easiest way to get to Keoladeo Ghana is by rickshaw. You can also rent a bicycle. During two days you will have ample opportunities to see all the species of mammals and lots of birds. Here you are permitted to walk freely without any restrictions of your movements. Keoladeo Ghana is said to have the world's greatest concentration of wadingbirds. The peak-nesting season is in November - December. In January the number of birds have doubled with all the chicks. This national park is easily accessible and you will be able to see a lot during a short time. Primarily waterbirds, resident as well as migratory. Here are ducks, herons, storks, cranes, kingfishers and many birds of prey. All are well represented both by number of species and by number of individuals. Here are also three species of deer, fishing cats, wild boars and python. There are no tigers or leopards in Keoladeo Ghana. Use your time carefully - it is in the early morning when both birds and mammals are most active. Inside the park you can walk on your own or use a bicycle. More about Keoladeo Ghana

Day 4

In the morning you will have time to again visit the sanctuary. After lunch bus to Agra. A visit to the mausoleum Taj Mahal, is a must, as well as Agra Fort. In the evening night train Mahakaushal Exp to Katni.

Day 5-7

Arrival Katni. Bus to Bandhavgarh National Park, one of India's most famous national parks. The landscape is hilly with grass meadows,bamboo and monsoon forests. This is the the kind of Indian "jungle" descriped by Kipling and Jan Lindblad. The chances to spot a tiger are good. Other animals you can see are; chital,sambar, barking deer,barasingha, monkeys and leopard. Due to safety you are not allowed to walk in the park, you move by jeep or elephant.

Day 8

In the morning train Kamayani Exp to Varanasi which is the holy town for Hindus and Buddhists and centre for North Indian culture. Arrival in the evening.

Day 9-10

Pilgrims come here to be intoxicated by the divinity of the holy river of Ganga. The religious intensity is overwhelming and to walk to the river bank early in the morning is fascinating. Here you will find a lot of what is connected with the old India. If you ask your tour leader he can probably arrange a program with classical music. With some luck one of the great masters of sitar will perform. Most important, however, is that you, early in the morning, latest by 05.30, walk to the riverfront to see the morning rituals performed by pilgrims on the banks of the Ganga. Varanasi is the prime holy place for Hindu devotees who come here to pay tribute to the Gods. Just a few kilometres outside the city, in Sarnath, you will find one of the most important historical places for Buddhists. Here Buddha started his preaching of the path to enlightenment. The great Emperor Ashoka (ca 300 BC) was highly inspired by Buddhism and still today there are remains of magnificent stupas and monasteries built by his architects. There is also a Jain temple and plenty of new built temples inside the Thai, Chinese, Burmese and Japanese monasteries. Sarnath is easy to reach. Choose between rickshaw, bus or bicycle. Nighttrain Kalka Mail to Kolkata.

Day 11

Arrival in the morning. An exciting day in Kolkata, that previously only was associated with misery, has changed dramatically during the last years. You find a rich cultural life and a rich history.

Day 12

In the morning you start off by bus for the border. Here your Bangladeshi tour leader will be waiting for you. You will not recognize him, but he will easily spot you. Few westerners enter Bangladesh this way.
For those really interested in nature Sudarbans - the largest mangrove unbroken forest of the world and situated at the Ganga/Bhramaputra estuary - will be a unique experience for life. At the same time we will try to make it into a small introduction to Bengal culture. Only local food and local dishes will be served. No spaghetti, no corned beef! Only the cooks will make it less spicy. You will also get the chance to eat South Asian style, using your right hand. Your tour leader will show you. Coffee, tea and pure drinking water are available 24 hours. We guarantee a pleasure to both your stomach and your tongue. Do try the Asian style toilets which are also available on this big boat and find out how easy to use them and how more hygienic compared to toilet paper. Everything together will be a true ecological experience.
For December tour the tourleader will be Hasan Mansur. He will lead this tour for nostalgic reasons. Hasan is a close friend since 35 years of Christian Jutvik, owner of Läs & Res. They have travelled together in Sundarbans several times.
For January tour the leader for Bangladesh part has yet to be decided.
Your new tourleader will have a vehicle ready for transferring you immediately to a place called Harier Gofe in Narail district to board the waiting boat M.V. Chhuti. The boat has 20 berths in cabins for two or four in each. Our group will occupy the number of cabins needed and the rest will be sold to local people with an interest in nature. The crew of eight people will take care of all your needs for food and water. Alcoholic drinks you will have to bring yourself.
Late in the afternoon you will have the unique experience of watching the fishermen using their trained otters to catch fish. As far as we know this system of catching fish can only be witnessed here in Bangladesh and it is disappearing fast.
After that the boat will begin the cruise following the Bhairab River to the south. Subject to the weather condition, the boat will continue cruising till it arrives at Chandpai Forest station lying on the edge of the forest. Immediately you will start for the forest. Here the boat will anchor and do some formalities including payment of forest entry fees and picking up two armed forest guards to stay with you for the whole journey. More about Sundarbans.

Day 13

Early morning you go by paddled country boat a dinggy, downstream close to the forest. The big boat will later pick you up. All the movements of the boat depend on the tide. To move against the tide is very slow (and hence expensive).
You have entered the famous Sundarbans the biggest area of mangroves in the world. Today it is completely unspoiled and nobody lives here. It is vast, it takes a full day to reach the sea. Local people get permits to do fishing in designated areas, cut the nipah palm leaves which is used for tatching their houses. In late spring also the honey collectors. Those are the ones most at the risk of the tiger. This is by far the richest tiger habitat in the world with an estimated 400 tigers. A problem is that many of them are man eaters and every year many people are killed by tigers. That is why you have to walk in a group, obey the orders of the tour leader and the guards. Tigers mainly hunt at night and then you will be safe on the boat.
On meandering narrow rivers you travel south to reach Kachikali Forest station, also called tiger point. Here the boat will stay for two nights. You are now at the shores of Bay of Bengal.

Day 14

The day will be spent on excursions. You will be walking on vast meadows. The chances of getting a glimpse of a tiger is however very slim indeed. Your best chance to see a tiger is when it is crossing a river. Crocodiles basking in the sun is a frequent sight. You will see herds of chital or spotted deer and wildboar. Footprints of tigers are guaranteed. Lots´s of birds; herons, beaters and kingfishers of different species. You will also use the dinggi to penetrate into narrow creeks to really get close to the mangroves. Here giant monitor lizards can be spotted on the river banks or lying on a tree hanging out over the water.

Day 15

Before breakfast you make an excursion at the break of the day. Return to boat for breakfast. After that you will make a long walk to Kotka Forest Station. You walk through meadows, patches of forest and along the shore. Bring swimming gear. One shallow small river has to be crossed. In the evening your boat will start going back north, riding on the high tide.

Day 16

Arrive Khulna in the morning and take a public bus to Dhaka. Now you will get an idea of the Bangladeshi rural scene and also cross the Jamuna River by ferry boat at Daulatdia Ghat in Faridpur for crossing over to Paturia Ghat. The actual crossing shall take only 30-40 minutes. However due to congestion the total time with the waiting may take more than two hours. After that you will reach Dhaka within two hours.

Day 17

A day trying to get an idea of this enormous city with more than ten million inhabitants. The traffic is a mess of heavily scratched busses and more than a hundred thousand cycle rickshaws. Why not visit the main river port Sadarghat, central mosque Baitul Mukkaram and the railway station Kamalapur to see the overloaded trains slowly entering the station.

Day 18-19

In the middle of the day you fly to Kathmandu in Nepal. You stay in Bhaktapur, 16 km outside of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur is a small, traditional town without modern buildings. The royal palace is outside the hotel window, as well as the temple where the locals conduct their morning rites. Take the opportunity to make a days excursions in the Kathmandu valley.

Dag 20-22

By bus to Chitwan National Park in South Nepal. You explore a beautiful national park, with crocodile, bear, tiger, leopard, birds, deer and rhinos. You get to see animals best during longer hikes, but moving by canoe or elephant are options. A jeep safari is however not very eco friendly. In Indian national parks you are generally not permitted to walk on your own feet. In Nepal you are. Chitwan is an Eldorado for the nature enthusiast. More about Chitwan.

Dag 23-24

Return to the Kathmandu valley. Again you stay in Bhaktapur.

Dag 25

Tour is finished.