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Day 0 – Mon 9 Nov
We’ll meet at London Heathrow airport at 07.15 to check in for British Airways flight BA147 arriving at Calcutta…
Included: Flight and in-flight meals. Not included: travel to Heathrow, incidentals
Day 1 – Tue 10 Nov
... at 01.15 and taken to our hotel. Next morning the melee that is Calcutta will hit us full on! We’ll take a cruise on the River Hooghly (one of the mouths of the Ganges) to see temples, and much of the old British river front. In the afternoon a private chartered tram will take us around the city. This has proved an immensely popular part of previous tours. We are actually part of the local bazaars without all the push and shove of walking through them. In the evening you can eat at the hotel, or maybe find yourself a nearby restaurant.
Included: Breakfast, river cruise, charter tram ride.. Not included: other meals, incidentals.
Day 2 – Wed 11 Nov
Today is a free day in Calcutta. Why not visit the Victoria Memorial, conceived by Lord Curzon to commemorate the empire at its peak, or the site of the infamous ‘black hole’ where the imprisonment and subsequent death of many captured British personnel inspired Robert Clive to victory at the battle of Plassey in 1757. Calcutta is a chaotic and fascinating city, and we can help you choose your activity for the day and provide guides where required. After dinner at a central city restaurant, we’ll be taken to Sealdah station to board the overnight Darjeeling Mail to New Jalpaiguri from where…….
Included: Breakfast, dinner, train to NJP. Not included: Other meals, sightseeing, incidentals.
Day 3 – Thu 12 Nov
…we transfer to our hotel in Bengal’s second city, Siliguri. The morning is available to relax and freshen up after the overnight train journey. This area of India is famous for its tea, and since the East India Company introduced it from China in the mid 1800s India has become the largest producer of tea in the world. So this afternoon we’re off to a local tea estate where we’ll be shown how tea is grown and processed, and where we’ll be able to ‘take afternoon tea’ in much the same way as generations of British officials. In the evening we’ll be having dinner in a most unusual venue – on the small steam train which runs up to Darjeeling. We won’t be going that far tonight though!
Included:Transfer to hotel, breakfast, lunch, visit to tea estate, dinner on the train. Not included: incidentals.
Day 4 – Fri 13 Nov
To reach the hill station of Darjeeling the British built the small Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in the early 1880s. Remarkably this railway is still operating much as it did then, and today we’re taking a private charter behind one of its 100-year old steam engines for part of the journey. Known locally as the Toy Train, it will take us to 7,500ft in the Himalayan foothills. There will be ample opportunity for photography – we have a bus available on the parallel road for the photographers, and it’s possible to change between bus and train frequently. We arrive in Darjeeling in time for afternoon tea and, subject to good weather, a view of the Himalayas.
Included: Breakfast, steam train, road travel, dinner, accommodation. Not included: Other meals, incidentals.
Day 5 – Sat 14 Nov
The day will be free in Darjeeling – a classic British hill station, built to create a home-from-home for British Indian residents. There’s lots to do in Darjeeling – the Tibetan Refugee Centre, the bazaars, the Mountaineering Institute, catch up with emails, send postcards, or just look at the stunning view – we can help you decide.
Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, accommodation. Not included: Sightseeing, incidentals.
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