Essence of Eastern India

Fly to Kolkata (Calcutta). Arrive the following day and transfer to the Oberoi Grand for an overnight stay. Afternoon at leisure or take an optional half-day city tour. (N)

Midday flight to Dibrugarh and drive to Mancotta Heritage Chang Bungalow for a 2-night stay. Take a guided tour of the tea estate. This evening enjoy a traditional Assam folk dance. (B, L, D)

Optional morning tea tasting before driving to Naharkatiya to visit the village of Namphake. Visit the monastery and interact with the local Tai Phakial people. See the traditional houses built on bamboo stilts. Later drive to Digboi to visit the WWII Cemetery. (B, L, D)

Visit the Ahom monuments and the temples of Sivasagar; both belong to the Ahom dynasty, which dates back 600 years. Drive to Nimatighat where you will board a private ferry to Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island. Stay overnight on the ABN Charaidew 1, a de luxe 12-cabin houseboat. (B, L, D)

Explore the Vaishnava monasteries and visit the local tribes. Take a private ferry back to the mainland and drive to Kaziranga National Park. Stay 2 nights at the Diphlu River Lodge. (B, L, D)

Morning and afternoon 4x4 safaris. You are likely to see herds of Indian elephants and one-horned rhinos in close proximity. Optional evening visit to the Kaziranga Biodiversity Centre. (B, L, D)

Head to Tezpur and visit the Mahabhairab temple. One of the biggest and oldest Hindu shrines in the world, it attracts hundreds of devotees every day. Continue to Nameri National Park. Take a short jungle walk before checking into the Wild Mahseer planter’s bungalow for an overnight stay. (B, L, D)

Full-day drive to Shillong, a hill station set in a cradle of tall pine conifers, pineapple shrubs and heather-clad hills. Check in at the Ri Kynjai hotel for 3 nights. (B, L, D)

Full-day tour of Shillong and the surrounding area. Visit Mawlynnong, a picturesque village known for its living root bridge. Continue by boat along the Umngot river at Dawki on the border of Bangladesh. (B, L, D)

Full-day visit to Jowai, a village known for its monoliths and remnants of the Jaintia Kingdom. Visit the palace, the Durga temple and the biggest collection of monolith stones in the world. (B, L, D)

Drive to Guwahati for an overnight stay at the Radisson Blu. En route, visit Kamakhya temple, the silk weaving village of Sualkuchi and the ancient pilgrimage centre of Hajo. (B, L, D)

Transfer to Guwahati airport and fly to Kolkata. Overnight at the Oberoi Grand. (B)

Transfer to the airport and fly home. (B)