Sacred


waters The Ganges is more than just a river – it’s the very essence of Indian life, finds Rachel Roberts


DESTINATIONS GANGES | CRUISE


f travelweekly.co.uk


or first-time visitors to India, the nation can be overwhelming and more than a little daunting – complex, frustrating, bewildering and sublime all in the same moment. After all,


this diverse country is home to nearly 1.4 billion people, living in circumstances that range from grinding poverty to extreme wealth. As a confirmed India fan (I’ve been lucky enough to visit six times so far), I’ve come to fully embrace this country’s perplexing contradictions, travelling by rail, tuk-tuk and bike, and staying in beach huts, basic hotels and homestays. So I was curious to sample the softer introduction on a Ganges cruise with Uniworld.


CRUISE CONTROL The seven-night luxury cruise is part of a 13-night tour, India’s Golden Triangle & The Sacred Ganges. I joined the rest of the tour group – predominantly wealthy Australian and American retirees and a sprinkling of Brits – at Kolkata to embark on the Ganges Voyager II (page 90), our elegant, colonial-style floating home for the coming week. From here, the capital of West Bengal, we would take a


round-trip north along an 80-mile stretch of the Ganges to discover ancient architecture, holy sites and local life. If any of this already sounds familiar, TV presenter Jane McDonald helped garner publicity when she took the same journey on TV series Cruising with Jane McDonald, which aired last summer.


² 16 JANUARY 2020 89


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