CRUISES - River Rhapsody

By M H Ahssan

That a river can be a pleasure ground of activities was discovered as early as 19th century when Jerome K. Jerome and his two friends took a leisurely ride down river Thames, vividly depicted in his famous book Three Men In A Boat, giving an iconic status to the simple boating pastime. Boats have now been replaced by exotic cruises. In fact, river cruises score over ocean liners because they sail more into the heartland. Besides, river cruises are more affordable, and offer five-star comfort. Here’s an insight into some of the best international and domestic river cruises...

Global Waters
Exploring Egypt can be any traveller’s dream. How about living the dream by sailing across the Nile? Sounds mystical, doesn’t it? Well, one can explore the magnificence of the Egyptian civilisation and its architecture by cruising down River Nile. The cruise offers a stay of three, seven or eight nights and covers the cities of Cairo, Giza, Aswan, Kom Ombo, Edfu and Luxor. Tourists can explore the temple of ancient Thebes in Luxor, go for an excursion to the valley of the kings where king Tutankhamen rests ensconsed as a mummy, take a camel ride at Giza to visit the pyramids and see the sights around the High Dam at Aswan. One can also opt for the traditional wooden sailboat, Felucca, but it is a slower option than the luxurious motor cruise. Either way, sailing the Nile to unravel the mystery of Cleopatra, the pharaohs and pyramids is a breathtaking experience.

Similarly, there can’t be a better way to explore Germany than by sailing on the rhine. And it is not just the cruise itself but the picturesque cities that it touches that makes the journey an unforgettable experience. On an eight-day tour, tourists can float through Amsterdam and Kinderdijk (Holland), Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim, Heidelberg, Speyer, Strasbourg and Breisach (Germany) and Basel (Switzerland). Some cruises take a detour and sail through Koblenz (Germany), at the convergence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. The castles and the black forest in Germany, windmills and canals in Holland, the artworks of Pablo Picasso in Switzerland are the other attractions that this river cruise offers. Not to mention the local wines and cuisine enroute.

Some of south-east Asia’s most intriguing cities such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam can be explored on the Mekong river cruise. An eight-day Mekong river cruise takes travellers along Ho Chi Minh, Cai Be, Sa Dec, Tan Chau, Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham and Tonle river area. Like the other cruises, this one too offers the option of either a three, eight, 10 or a 13-day tour. One can visit floating markets, go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colourful port area of Cai Be, resplendent with its colonial buildings, flower gardens and local rice paper manufacturers, explore the pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Hanchey dating back to the 8th century in Kampong Cham, or just laze around in the peaceful surroundings of the Asian waterway.

Home Calling
Exploring India through waterways can be really exciting — more so if the river is the mighty Brahmaputra.

Starting from Tibet through Arunachal Pradesh, Brahmaputra flows across the Assam Valley through Dibrugarh, Neamati, Tezpur, Guwahati, and finally enters Bangladesh to join the river Padma before reaching the Bay of Bengal. The river cruise on Brahmaputra, run by an Indo-British joint venture, is an excellent way to explore the stunning beauty of the north-east. The cruise offers a choice of four, eight or ten night tours.

An eight-night tour begins at Guwahati, and sails upstream to Kurua, Ganesh Pahar, Orang National Park, Tezpur and Kaziranga. A 10-night tour includes visits to Majuli Island (Asia’s largest river island), Sibsagar and Dhansiri Mukh.

For those interested in exploring the cultural riches of India, we recommend cruising along the Ganga. Beginning from Kolkata, the cruise travels upstream to Varanasi, covering 800 miles in 15 days. Travellers can visit the former British cantonment area of Barrackpore, the battlefield of Plassey, terracotta temples in Kalna, before entering the state of Bihar through the feeder canal of Farakka. A two-day trip to the ruins of Nalanda University and Bodh Gaya makes for a nice sojourn. Stoping over at Sarnath for a visit to the Buddhist sites, the cruise finally docks at the ghats of Varanasi.

Sailing through river Hooghly, is like journeying through the heart of Bengal. Exploring the essence of bengal in Belur, Chandannagore, Mayapur, Nabadwip, Murshidabad and Kalna can be an exhilarating experience. Apart from enjoying religious and heritage sites such as the Belur Math, Iskon temple at Mayapur and the fort of nawabs in Murshidabad, on-boat activities add to the thrill.