Click on "Register Online" to choose your cabin and get registered for this CAU Select opportunity.

CAU recommends India – Kolkata & The Ganges River, because it is produced by one of CAU’s trusted partners and features esteemed faculty from Cornell’s peers. In other words, it’s an opportunity we don’t want you to miss! Space is extremely limited.

Cruise the Ganges and Hooghly rivers for seven nights aboard the 28-cabin Ganges Voyager. Begin in Kolkata and visit areas rarely seen by westerners while enjoying breathtaking scenery along the river. This journey highlights how the Ganges and Hooghly rivers embody the heart and soul of Indian civilization through a tapestry of varied religious beliefs, devoted faith, awe-inspiring history, rich architecture, and cultural heritage.

CAU Select Tours are amazing opportunities featuring faculty from peer institutions. They do not feature Cornell faculty or staff.

You will be joined on this tour by architectural historian, Grace Gary, of the National Trust for Historic Preservation who has served as a lecturer on more-than fifty tours over a span of more-than thirty years. Additionally, she has served as executive director of Preservation Pennsylvania, Longue Vue House and Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg’s Tourism Leadership Program, and Nemours Mansion and Gardens. Grace co-authored Nemours: A Portrait of Alfred I. DuPont’s Home, with Dwight Young, published by Rizzoli.

Built in the style of the historic Clyde steamers, and featuring just 28 cabins, this luxury vessel promises a relaxing and comfortable environment to encounter remote areas and enjoy spectacular views along the river. Learn more about the ship by downloading the brochure and turning to page 7.

This pre-tour extension to the Golden Triangle begins in Delhi, the capital of modern India as well as Muslim India between the 13^th and 19^th centuries.  Continue to Agra to see the incomparable Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Marvel at the stunning architecture of the Jaipur Palace and an optional tour of the Amber Fort before taking a flight from Jaipur to Kolkata, where the main tour will commence. Find out if the Pre-Tour Extension is right for you by downloading the brochure and turning to page 6.

Upon conclusion of the main program, begin the post-tour extension in Varanasi. Situated on the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi serves as a pilgrimage site for Hindus and an important center for learning. Experience rituals and prayers along the banks of the sacred Ganges on a sunrise boat trip and an evening Ganga Aarti in Varanasi. Travel to Sarnath, a sacred site where Gautam Buddha achieved enlightenment and delivered his first sermon.  Take a flight to Delhi and drive to Agra to visit the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, it is regarded as the most spectacular monument ever built for love. Upon returning to Delhi, take a driving tour of the capital city and relax at the Taj Mahal Hotel before transferring to the Delhi airport for flights home. Find out if the Post-Tour Extension is right for you by downloading the brochure and turning to page 6.

Kolkata (Calcutta) was the capital of India for 200 years during the British Raj. On your first full day in Kolkata, visit the lively and colorful Mullick Ghat Flower Market. Then, feel the inspiration when you visit the Missionaries of Charity, a community founded by Mother Teresa in 1950 to serve marginalized members of society.

Travel by rickshaw through Kalna to the Rajbari Complex, home to Bengal’s highest number of Hindu temples. Learning to enjoy this jostling, rudimentary mode of transport is a rite of passage when visiting India.

Visit the former French colony, Chandernagore, and tour the Institut de Chandernagore Museum to study rare antiquities and to learn about daily life during the French period.

This distinctive journey provides a unique opportunity to observe village life, rural landscapes, extraordinary craftmanship, and evening cultural performances while cruising through a part of India rarely seen by Western visitors.

Depart the U.S. on an overnight flight to Kolkata, India. Upon arrival, transfer to the luxurious Taj Bengal Hotel.

(Meals aloft)

This morning, take a panoramic tour of Dalhousie Square’s heritage buildings including the Town Hall, the Governor’s House, the Writers’ building, the General Post Office, and the Reserve Bank of India. Next visit St. John’s Anglican church, built in 1756, and the Victoria Memorial Museum, which houses India’s largest collection of British historical artifacts. Continue to the Kumartuli potters’ quarter and observe as talented potters sculpt idols of gods and goddesses using clay from the nearby Hooghly River. Later embark the Ganges Voyager and enjoy a welcome dinner in the evening.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

Start the day in Kolkata with a visit to the lively and colorful Mullick Ghat Flower Market. Find yellow and orange marigolds, roses, orchids and several other flowers that serve a variety of religious and medicinal purposes in daily Indian life. Next visit the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Theresa's storied organization founded in 1950. In the afternoon, cruise past settlements started by the British East India Company between the 17th and 19th centuries. Arrive in Bandel and visit the Hooghly Imambara, a famous Shia pilgrimage center whose sundial gives accurate time even to this day.  Return to the ship and cruise onward to Kalna.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

Today ride rickshaws through the Kalna city center en route to the Rajbari Complex, which contains the highest concentration of Hindu temples in Bengal. Later stroll through a local market and visit the home of a traditional muslin cloth weaver. Embark Ganges Voyager and cruise to the shore-side village of Matiari.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

In the morning, take a walk through Matiari, where craftsmen utilize traditional methods to create beautiful, handcrafted brass items. Continue upstream and pass the battlefield of Plassey, where the British East India Company defeated the Mogul Nawabs in 1757. This evening visit Khushbagh, a charming riverside village surrounded by scenic fields. Meander through farmland to the peaceful, Moghul-style Garden built by Nawab Ali-Wardi-Khan. Later, enjoy a cultural music and dance performance.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

Experience rural India at its most idyllic on a walk through Baranagar, a quaint village home to several temples dating from the 18^th century. The Char Bangla temple here is considered among the best examples of Bengal terra cotta art. Unwind this afternoon as the ship glides along the Lower Ganges, passing banks lined with mustard fields and mango orchards. Arrive at Murshidabad, a hidden architectural gem with dramatic whitewashed colonial era structures. Here visit the Hazarduari Palace constructed in the Greek Doric style by Mcleod Duncan during the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah (1824-1838 AD). Inside marvel at colonial era antiques, artwork, and manuscripts before riding the toto (electric rickshaw) to the Katra mosque. Dating back to the early 18^th century, this mosque is known for its distinctive minarets.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

After a restful morning, stop in the village of Mayapur, the headquarters of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).  Here find a temple comparable in size to the Vatican largely funded by Alfred B. Ford, the great grandson of Henry Ford. Engage with Krishna followers and walk through the pilgrim’s bazaar before returning to the ship.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

Cruise to Chandernagore, a French colony established in 1673 as a trading post. Take a heritage walk and explore the French colonial buildings along the promenade, including Dupleix Palace, which now houses the Institut de Chandernagore Museum. At the museum find a collection of rare French antiques, personal belongings of French governor generals, and historical relics of Chandernagore. Continue to the Sacred Heart Church, designed by French Architect Jacques Duchatz. The church was inaugurated in 1884 and showcases the architectural beauty of the French period. Embark Ganges Voyager in the evening and enjoy a cultural program and farewell dinner en route to Kolkata.

Ganges Voyager
(Meals Included: B, L, D)

After breakfast, disembark and transfer to the airport for flights home or join the post-tour extension in Varanasi, Delhi, and Agra.

(Meals Included: B)

October 7 - 16, 2025
To register contact CAU partner Criterion Travel
phone 888-328-2089  |  email res@criteriontravel.com |  register online

December 7 - 18, 2025
Study Tour featuring Warren Allmon,  Director of the Paleontological Research Institution
In partnership with Lindblad Expeditions
Open to kids 7+!

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