Victoria Memorial - Calcutta

DAY 1 : Arrival at Calcutta (India) by air / rail and welcome in traditional Indian style at 3 Star Hotels of repute. Enjoy the exotic mouth watering Indian / Chinese cuisine at lunch. One half day sightseeing covering Victoria Memorial, Jain Temple, Dakhineshwar Temple and Belurrmath. Continental dinner will be served at the end of the day. Couples can enjoy at the discotheque.

DAY 2 : Enjoy your bed tea and breakfast at your leisure but be ready for departure by 8:30 a.m.. Departure for the Sunderbans wild life sanctuary home of the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger by coach & launch. Arrival at Sunderbans at 12 noon. Experience the adventure of a life time. Navigate through the dense mangrove forests. Who knows, you may come face to face with a tiger or a hungry crocodile ! By 2 p.m. you must be tired and hungry ? Relax and enjoy the sumptuous Bengali lunch spread out for you. 5 p.m. is time to return to the limits of human habitation before it gets dark. Back in the Hotel by 5:30 p.m., enjoy the evening with tea, coffee and snacks. Dance to the beat of the drums. Yes ! We have arranged a bonfire party for you in the middle of the forest. 8:30 p.m. is time for savouring the delicious dinner waiting for you at the table.

DAY 3 : You breath in the unpolluted air and venture out for a brief morning walk. While you were out enjoying the crisp morning air, our chefs have been preparing a hearty Continental breakfast. Have a quick shower and tuck in to your breakfast, because soon it'll be time to leave. Departure at 9:30 a.m. for Shantiniketan via Calcutta. Welcome back to Calcutta. It's 1 p.m. and time for lunch. Enjoy the Chinese cuisine prepared specially for you by chefs from Tangra (the mini Chinatown in the suburbs of Calcutta). Get, set go ! Board the luxury coach to depart for Shantiniketan, a picturesque town 180 kms away from Calcutta. En route, you have the opportunity to experience the Indian countryside. We halt briefly to see the Palace of the erstwhile Maharaja of Burdwan and the 108 Shive Temple, a very auspicious place according to Hindu religion. At 6 p.m. we will take a break for a sip of tea under the shade of the Banyan trees within the precincts of the Shiva Temple. Hold your breath, for you are now crossing through the Ilambazar forest. You may glimpse a wild animal or two. By 8 p.m. we are crossing the Ajoy river, that separates the district of Burdwan from the district of Birbhum, in which Shantiniketan is situated. 9 p.m. we arrive at Mark Meadows Shantiniketan. Reception in traditional tribal style. Enjoy your welcome drinks to the beat of tribal drums. You can even try your dancing skills with the tribal Santhal dancers. Have a swim and a shower before dinner. The buffet dinner prepared by the expert chefs of Mark Meadows is waiting for you.

DAY 4 : 'The morning shows the day' as the saying goes. You look around but can see no chimneys, factories or ugly concrete structure, only green meadows. Sip your bed tea in the comfort of your room and then you can venture out for a walk or a jog within the green precincts of Mark Meadows. 8:30 a.m. and a generous buffet breakfast is spread out for you in the restaurant. Have a hearty meal for a hectic fun-filled day follows. By 9:30 a.m. the coach is ready to take you on a voyage of discovery, to beautiful Dubrajpur, mysterious Bakreshwar , amazing Massanjore and holy Tarapeeth. At 10:30 a.m. we approach Dubrajpur hillock, according to Hindu legends an abode of the Lord Shiva. You also get to see a marvelous spectacle of nature, a pair of balancing rocks, popularly known as 'Mama - Bhagna' (Uncle and Nephew). At 11:30 a.m. we board the coach once again. Our next stop will be Bakreshwar. We're in Bakreshwar by 12:30 p.m.. You can experience a wonder of nature, the hot springs. Magma heats the ground water, that bubbles up in the form of natural springs. The sulphur rich water is said to have therapeutic properties. We'll have our lunch, specially prepared by the catering unit of Mark Meadows, here in Bakreshwar at 1:00 p.m.. 1:30 p.m., we'll be leaving for Massanjore. We reach Massanjore at 3:00 p.m.. Enjoy the scenic natural beauty and witness an engineering marvel, the dam. and the huge reservoir of fresh water created by it. At 4:00 p.m., we depart for holy Tarapeeth. Holy Tarapeeth is a Peethasthanam (a major centre of pilgrimage) of the Goddess Kali. It is also an auspicious centre where Tantra Sadhana (supernatural powers) is practiced by Tantriks. Have no fear however, for you will be escorted by experienced guides you will take care of everything. You must have a darshana of Ma Kali ('Ma' - the universal mother of mankind), before we return. The hectic and adventurous day is drawing to a close. Relax with a cup of hot tea before we board the coach to go back to Shantiniketan. We reach Mark Meadows at 9 p.m.. We know you are tired and hungry, so your dinner is waiting for you in the cool environs of the lawns. Relax and unwind. Tomorrow is another long day.

DAY 5 : Today, after breakfast at 9 a.m., we shall be visiting the Viswa Bharati University founded by Poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. When founded, it was a radical idea, where classes used to be held under the open sky, under the shade of trees. Till today, this practice continues. At 9:30 a.m., you will first be visiting the Uttarayan Complex, which consists of the Residence of Guru Rabindranath Tagore & the Museum, where rare photographs, manuscripts, personal articles including the Nobel prize and other citations of Rabindranath Tagore are preserved. Other buildings in this complex are Shyamali - a mud house built in using classical construction technology of the 2nd & 3rd centuries B.C., and even today a subject of research by leading universities worldwide, and Udhichi - a rare example of Chinese - Japanese architecture. Next, we go on to the Kala Bhavan (Art Building) and the Sangeet Bhawan (Music Building), both again examples of the classical mud construction technology of an ancient era. Our next visit will be to the Deer Park. An unspoiled sanctuary of forests where deer abound. At 12:30 p.m., we leave the park to visit to the Upasana Griha (Prayer Hall) and the Khoai, a rare example of wind eroded banks. After lunch at 2:30 p.m. you will be boarding the coach to leave for our next destination - Mukutmanipur / Vishnupur. Now it is 6:30 p.m. and you are on your way to Mukutmanipur / Vishnupur, which you will be reaching shortly. At 7 p.m. you will have reached picturesque Mukutmanipur, where you will be staying for the night. Here, again a sumptuous Bengali dinner has been arranged for you, which will be served at 8:30 p.m.. After dinner, there will be a spectacular display of fireworks. Exciting, isn't it ?

DAY 6 : You wake up early in the morning to the sounds of twittering birds. What a pleasant morning ! The waiter knocks, with a refreshing cup of tea. At 8:30 a.m. breakfast will be served in the restaurant, and we'll be leaving soon after. You arrive at Vishnupur at 10 a.m.. Vishnupur is famed for the complexes of terracotta temples situated here. These temples are several centuries old, and the terracotta bas-reliefs are very delicate and fine. It is a fine example of the classical art & architecture of Bengal. After a break for lunch and relaxation you board the coach for your next destination for the day, namely, 'Hazarduari' or the 'Palace with a thousand door' at Murshidabad. Now, you are on your way to Murshidabad, criss-crossing rivulets and canals and the green expanse of the Indian countryside. It's 7 p.m. and we are approaching Beherampur (Murshidabad), where we will halt for the night. At 8:30 p.m. dinner will be served in the restaurant, so there's enough time for you to shower and change before dinner. By 9:30 p.m. dinner should be over. Goodnight.

DAY 7 : After breakfast at 8:30 a.m., we will be leaving for the Hazarduari Palace complex by 9 a.m.. Now that you have reached Hazarduari, you have 2 hours to explore and appreciate the architectural beauty of the main Palace and other buildings in the complex. Your coach is now ready to take you back to your Hotel for lunch, after which we will leave for our next destination - Siliguri. It is 2 p.m. and the coach is now rolling out for Siliguri, where we shall be reaching by 6 p.m.. The approach road to Siliguri goes through dense forests , picturesque tea gardens and over numerous bridges. You must be enjoying this journey thoroughly. As we get closer to Siliguri, you can see the small town traffic on the roads - cycles, cycle rickshaws, taxi, jeeps, etc. We'll stop over at Siliguri for the night. Dinner, delicacies and favourites from North India, will be served for dinner at 8:30 p.m.. It's 9:30 now, and we recommend a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we shall be visiting the Jaldapara wild life sanctuary early in the morning.

DAY 8 : Wake up call at 6:30 a.m.. Tuck in to your breakfast for we shall be leaving sharp at 7:30 a.m. for the Jaldapara wild life sanctuary. The road to Jaldapara again winds through areas of great scenic beauty. You wouldn't like to miss a single frame of this journey. By 12 noon you have reached Jaldapara. Our next journey will be deep into the forest reserve but not on wheels this time, but on the backs of elephants ! The convoy of elephants that will take you into the depths of the forest are getting ready. Hold your breath and follow the instructions of the group leader otherwise you may land up in trouble - the jungle plays by different rules. Hunting & poaching is strictly prohibited, though you may shoot with your camera. It is 2 p.m., and you are exhilarated as well as exhausted after your forest sojourn. Packed lunch will be served here, before we embark on the return journey to Siliguri town. At 7:30 p.m. we enter Siliguri town and head straight for the Hotel, where dinner is waiting. It's 9:30 p.m. and we recommend that you retire, for tomorrow we climb the hills up to Darjeeling - the Queen of the Hills.

DAY 9 : The coach is scheduled to leave for Darjeeling at 9 a.m., after breakfast. You reach Darjeeling at 12 noon. Lunch has been arranged at the Hotel where we will be staying. You are free to explore the picturesque town of Darjeeling, nestled amidst the Himalayas. Shop for bargains in the Mall, ride a mountain pony, or just sit and soak up the atmosphere and view the magnificence of the mighty Kanchenjunga. You can also visit the mountain Zoo housing some rare species of animal, including the Snow Leopard, the Mountaineering Institute and the Botanical Gardens. Don't forget to taste the wonderful Darjeeling tea and Tibetean momos. Dinner will be waiting for you back at the Hotel.

DAY 10 : Departure early in the morning while it is till dark (4:30 a.m.) for witnessing the magnificent sunrise at Tiger Hill. Return to Darjeeling at 7 a.m. Tuck in to your breakfast. We, check out from the Hotel and leave for Mirik at 8 a.m. We reach Mirik at 10 a.m. Mirik is a beautiful place with forested mountains encircling a lake. You can enjoy boating on the lake. A picnic lunch has been arranged specially for you. Next, we visit a tea garden. We leave for Siliguri at 5 p.m. Arrival at Siliguri at 7 p.m. Dinner will be served at the Hotel at 7:30 p.m. Departure at 8:30 p.m. by coach for Calcutta.

DAY 11 : Arrival at Calcutta at 7 a.m. Check in at the Hotel. Day free for shopping. Or you may choose to relax. Transfer to Airport / Railway Station. We hope you cherish your parting gift and preserve it as a memory of a great holiday experience.

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Note : The tour itinerary is subject to change without notice. All accommodation is 3 star or equivalent. All above subject to Force Majeure Clause.