Slowly down the Ganges

COUNTRY:
India
LOCATION:
Golden Triangle in India, Rajasthan
HOLIDAY TYPE:
A small group adventure
DEPARTURES:
Departs every Sunday throughout the year.
PRICE:
From £735 - £895 (15 days) excluding flights
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Slowly down the Ganges

Slowly down the Ganges

Small group adventure holiday
This is a 'small group adventure' - on our group trips you'll be with a maximum of 11 like minded travellers and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world as well as seeing new places!

Because of our small group size, we're able to guarantee departures for all of our trips. Once you have booked and paid your deposit, your trip is guaranteed to go!

How Slowly down the Ganges makes a difference

In visiting the communities living in the rural plains, arid desert and spiritual cities of India, you will have a more meaningful experience when you have the opportunity to understand their backgrounds and cultural practices. By using boats, rickshaws, camels and trains, our leaders weave you through some of these environments so as to bring you into personal contact with the fascinating locals.

While camping on the banks of the Ganges or under the desert sky on your camel safari in Pushkar, care is taken to leave little trace of our campsite when we leave, so as to preserve these precious environments for others. This is achieved with a set of Responsible Travel guidelines that include burning paper rubbish when we leave, burying human waste and leaving no cigarette butts or plastic.

While staying in Roopangarh Fort, there is the opportunity to buy hand-crafted items from the local village such as bangles and shoes, which directly supports the community in this rural village.

We constantly monitor the manner in which the elephants at Amber Palace in Jaipur are treated. With the help of a local organisation, Help in Suffering, and the information gathered from our leaders and passengers, we have decided to not include the elephant ride up to the palace due to the inhumane manner in which these animals are maintained. On the Agra-Jaipur highway, there are numerous sloth bears being used to entertain tourists and they are badly abused and beaten. Through our Foundation, we support the efforts of an organisation called Wildlife SOS in their setting up a sanctuary to care for these tortured bears. In voluntarily giving up the bears to the project, the owners are re-educated and re-skilled and are compensated with motorized rickshaws or welding tools.

At the end of our journey, travellers may donate any unwanted clothing, medicines and bandages, which are distributed to a group called Goonj. This organisation is a nationwide movement that provides help to remote villages in Assam, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Uttaranchal and wherever the demand arises or disaster forces people to look for support.

Slowly down the Ganges

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The story of the provider of Slowly down the Ganges

This company started in 1989 with a passion to get travellers off the beaten track. It was started by best friends who wanted to develop a style of travel that was all together different; wanting travellers to become a part of a country - and not just tourists looking in. Wanting them to have fun, meet people, learn things, explore, and do stuff they could never do at home, to travel by anything and everything, and stay anywhere and everywhere! Fast forward two decades and they now travel to more than 110 countries and offers over 800 itineraries however their philosophy on travel is unchanged. Their core purpose is to enrich people's lives by creating unique, interactive travel experiences. Providing fun, affordable and sustainable travel adventures that are beneficial to local communities.

Holiday provider no: 10

Slowly down the Ganges

Reviewed 25 Apr 2012 by John Edwards4 star rating

It was full of excitement from beginning to end. The group gelled well, the leader was very good and the itinerary fabulous. I seemed to be on a high all the time! (read full review)

Reviewed 07 Jan 2012 by Marga Hogenboom4 star rating

The valleys of the Kings in Luxor was the most memorable part...Excellent trip. (read full review)

Reviewed 04 Jan 2011 by Rebecca Stott5 star rating

Completely fascinating. Good range of activities and places and paces...Christmas Eve on the banks of the Ganges was most memorable.(read full review)

Reviewed 09 Mar 2011 by Lisa Davies4 star rating

I especially enjoyed the relaxing days on the Ganges, lying back and watching the world go by and camping on the river banks at night. I loved the day in Agra when we visited the Red Fort and of course the Taj Mahal.(read full review)

Reviewed 08 Mar 2010 by Ingrid Gould5 star rating

From simply sitting on a sand bank on the side of Ganges watching the birdlife after enjoying a sumptuous meal prepared by a local man with nothing more than the ingredients and utensils that he had on his boat to dressing up and being treated like Kings in the Maharajas palace it was just all fantastic. (read full review)

Reviewed 15 Apr 2010 by Lucy Mark4 star rating

We felt the trip was very well planned, organised and executed. Our guide was excellent too. We have been recommending this operator to everyone!(read full review)

Reviewed 04 Nov 2009 by Iona MacRitchie5 star rating

The most memorable part was sailing down the Ganges watching the world go by, then celebrating Diwali with firecrackers and great food and company on the banks of the river.(read full review)

Reviewed 28 Sep 2009 by Tracey O'Donnell4 star rating

Drifting Slowly down the Ganges on a rowboat, sleeping on trains, the Hindu ceremony at Varanasi and camel trekking (read full review)

Reviewed 17 Feb 2009 by Redeef Neil Manasir4 star rating

Well what do I say, every day had its highlights. Lounging about on the boat drifting down the Gangees. Sunsets and dawn on the river.(read full review)

Reviewed 26 Feb 2008 by Victoria Benson5 star rating

It was absolutely fantastic. We both had a marvellous time with so many new experiences.(read full review)

Reviewed 20 Feb 2008 by Brooke Nelson5 star rating

Drifting down the Ganges, seeing river dolphins, watching the shores drift by was a real highlight, as was singing around the campfire with the Rajasthani camel drivers and lushing out at the Roopangarh Fort watching "Om Shanti Om" in the courtyard. (read full review)

Reviewed 16 Nov 2008 by Jon Bushell4 star rating

We rode out of the desert on camel back at dawn and came upon a scene of biblical proportions: in the purple brown haze of new light, thousands of camels, silhouetted in silver, were etched across the fields and slopes beyond the holy city.(read full review)

Reviewed 29 Jan 2008 by Gail Boardman4 star rating

We enjoyed it all, but the overwhelming sense of privilege experienced waking up - to hot tea - on the banks of the Ganges still takes my breath away.(read full review)

Reviewed 17 Jan 2008 by Linda Murray3 star rating

the people we met. the sarees, camels, elephants, snakes, tigers, train travel. cows and animals on the streets with all the people(read full review)

Reviewed 07 Jan 2007 by Denise Taylor5 star rating

I loved the peace of sailing down the Ganges and the food was fantastic - all the boats would get together at lunch time and food would be passed across the boats. I also found Pushkar to be a relaxing end to the holiday. (read full review)

Reviewed 20 Nov 2007 by Sian Llewellyn-Thomas4 star rating

Old Delhi is amazing, spending some cool chill days going down river and arriving into Varanasi by boat. Varanasi was just amazing.(read full review)
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