Day 01 Calcutta
Arriving in Calcutta, you will clear customs and immigration. Leaving the airport, you will be met by our PL Worldways representative, holding a sign with your name on it. They will transfer you to the Oberoi Grand for the night.

Day 02 Calcutta
"What Bengal does today, India does tomorrow." Sadly this adage is no longer true. At one time, Calcutta was the proud intellectual and cultural capital of India. Its inhabitants made outstanding contributions to art, medicine, science, and social reform. Paradoxically, the same people who were so enlightened in their fields refused to accept the changes which crept in with the departure of the British. Slowly, Calcutta was left behind as India marched forward. The Bengali reluctance to work only hastened its downfall!
As we travel through the city today, we see remnants of Calcutta's glorious past, and get a sense of what the city once epitomized. We drive through North Calcutta on crowded roads, bordered by the beautiful but crumbling homes of the rich Bengalis. We will stop at the Marble Palace a private home with 99 different varieties of marble and a collection of the most extraordinary art from all over Europe. Our path leads to the University of Performing Arts, with its charming museum dedicated to India's poet laureate and Bengal's favorite son - Rabindranath Tagore. We have a cup of coffee at the famous India Coffee House, mingling with students, who hotly debate topics ranging from Bill Clinton's sex life to the price of fish. We will stroll down College Street, where we share space with trams, cows, bullock carts, students and cars. Finally, our route will arrive at the Missionaries of Charity, started by Mother Theresa, and carried on in her name by her devoted followers. Overnight at the Oberoi Grand.

Day 03 Bagdogra
This morning we will transfer to the airport for a flight to Bagdogra. Arriving, we will drive to Darjeeling. The name literally means "place of the dorje, or thunderbolt." Seeking relief from the heat of the plains, officers of the British Raj escaped to this "worthless hill", eventually turning it into a popular health resort. Today, the area is a favorite summer retreat for Bengalis. The town grew along a crescent-shaped ridge, facing the snow-covered Himalayas, and many of its hills are thickly covered with coniferous forests and terraced tea gardens. We will stay at the Windermere Hotel, a heritage property full of old fashioned memorabilia and log fires.

Day 04 Kanchenjunga / Darjeeling
Rising early, we will make the one-hour journey to Tiger Hill to watch sunrise on Kanchenjunga; Mt. Everest, and other sky-touching mountains. After returning to the hotel from breakfast, we will set out to explore the surrounding town. Darjeeling produces the "jewel" among Indian teas - the much coveted and highly priced Darjeeling Tea. In fact, it is here that the tea drunk by the Emperor of Japan is grown. We will take a tour of a tea factory, watching the tea pluckers at work, and seeing how the tea is converted from a green leaf to the form we put in our cups.
In the afternoon, we will explore "the mall", the "most happening place" in Darjeeling. The mall is a popular meeting place for local visitors, who love to try out their equine skills on skinny "tattoo ghoras", the affectionate name for the local horses. Overnight at the Windermere.

Day 05 Darjeeling
During the months of April through June, and October and November, we travel up to the Ghoom Monastery on the Toy Train. The construction of the train is somewhat of an engineering feat, as the tracks loop and curl along the steep gradients of the surrounding hills. In the old days, a person was specially employed to throw sand on the track to stop the train from slipping backward down the hill.
Ghoom is perhaps the most famous monastery in Darjeeling - Yiga Choling Gompa - a Yellow hat Buddhist monastery. Dating back to 1875. It houses famous Buddhist scriptures and a well-known image of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. We can spend some time here exploring the monastery and talking with the monks.
Darjeeling also houses a lot of other interesting places. We can visit the Tibetan Self Help Center, established in 1959 to help refugees support themselves. Aside from assorted Tibetan curios, the center produces excellent carpets, woolens, woodcarvings, and leatherwork. Prices are not a real bargain, but it is fun to watch the craftspeople at work and talk with the Tibetans. Another interesting place is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Museums, connected to the zoo. One museum traces the history of the conquest of Everest; another contains a collection of mountaineering equipment and samples of Himalayan flora and fauna. Until his death in 1986, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was Director of the Institute. The nearby zoo houses India's only duet of Siberian Tigers. Darjeeling also has a Snow Leopard Breeding Program, one of the few that has had any success in breeding. As a guidebook notes, Snow Leopards "are less keen to breed in captivity than the panda (whose disinterest in sex is legendary)!" Overnight at the Windermere.

Day 06 Sikkim
We have a long drive today across the hills to tiny Sikkim. This principality nestles between the peaks of the eastern Himalaya, dominated by Kanchenjunga - the world's third highest mountain. The name means "Five Treasures of the Great Snow." On the west is the massive Zemu Glacier, where various explorers have claimed to have seen the yeti, or "abominable snowman". We will stay at the Norkill, an old palace with wonderful views.

Day 07 Sikkim
In the morning, we will visit Rumtok, Sikkim's most well-known monastery and the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa. The Karmapa is the head of the Kagyu-pa ("black hat") sect of Tibetan Buddhism, founded in the 11th century by Marpa, the disciple of the Indian guru, Naropa. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa fled south, carrying statues, thangkas, and scriptures. At the invitation of the Chogyal of Sikkim, they settled in the lower valleys at Rumtek. The monastery, built in 1970, is the headquarters of Kagyu-pas. Faithfully replicating the traditional design of the Kagyu monastery in Tibet, Rumtek has excellent paintings and intricate woodwork. After visiting the monastery, we will return to Gantok for a late lunch. The afternoon is free to wander. You might like to take a 2 ½ mile hike via 200-year-old Enchey Monastery to Tashi Viewpoint for a spectacular view of the Himalayas. Overnight at the Norkill.

Day 08 Sikkim
Leaving behind the scenic beauty of the Gangtok area, we will head out for the day to Phodung, in North Sikkim, a part of the country that still reflects the timelessness of the area. Smaller and less ornate than Rumtok, Phodung does not attract the tourist hordes that exist in Gangtok. Moreover, the monastery sits high up on a hill, peering down on the valley below. Although the "track" to Phodung is "jeepable", you might enjoy walking the mile from the highway to the monastery. Those who wish, can also hike an additional mile to Labrang, a Nyingma-pa monastery, much older than Phodung. We can also visit the ruined palace of Tumlong, the capital of Sikkim for most of the 19th century. In the evening, we will return to Gangtok. Overnight at the Norkill.

Day 09 Calcutta
We bid farewell today to the alpine beauty of the Himalayas and drive down to Bagdogra airport for our flight to the "City of Joy" - Calcutta. Arriving mid-afternoon, we transfer back to the Oberoi Grand. At night we have our first taste of the distinctive Bengali cuisine at Aheli Restaurant.

Day 10 Calcutta / Bhubaneshwar
This morning, you will catch a train from Calcutta to Bhubaneshwar (0615/1305). On arrival, you will be transferred to the Oberoi. The eastern state of Orissa is known for its wealth of temple architecture and some stunning scenery. Bhubaneshwar, the "Lord of the Universe", has been the capital of the state since 1948. It was chosen because it was the ancient capital of the Kalinga Empire and contains the architectural legacy of the state. The afternoon is free to explore the city on your own. Overnight at the Oberoi.

Day 11 Bhubaneshwar
Today is a "temple day". The 500 temples, all that are left of the original 7000, cluster around the Bindusagar Tank and draw vast numbers or pilgrims every day. The most outstanding temple is the highly decorated Parasuramesvera Temple. Though not the oldest, it is the best preserved. The Svarnajelesvara Temple, though dilapidated, still has some excellent friezes from the Indian epic, Mahabharata. The beautifully decorated Muktesvara Temple has a wall decorated with graceful female figures; and the Brahanmesvara Temple, still in use today, contains a well-oiled image of Lakshmi and a Siva Linga in the inner sanctuary.
Six kilometers from Bhubaneshwar, the caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri date from the 2nd century, the time of the Buddhist and Jain occupation of the region. The Jain caves are some of the earliest in India - all of them excavated during the 150 years before Christ. Designed for the ascetic and spartan life of the monks, the caves were built exclusively to provide shelter and contain no concessions to comfort! The Buddhist caves, in contrast, were monasteries with beautiful carvings of religious and royal scenes.
Further on lies Dhauli, where Ashoka, after the horrors of the Kalinga war, acknowledged the value of the Buddhist teachings. His renouncement of all violence is best illustrated in the two Kalinga edicts dating from 260 BC. He gives detailed instructions to his administrators to rule his subjects with gentleness and fairness. "You are in charge of many thousand living beings. You should gain the affection of men. All men are my children, and as I desire for my children that they obtain welfare and happiness both in this world and the next, the same do I desire for all men." After Dhauli, you will return to the Oberoi for the night.

Day 12 Bhubaneshwar
Your trip today is a blend of art and architecture. Driving along the coast to Konark, you pass tribal villages, where you stop a while to admire their beautifully decorated houses. One of your stops will be the stone carvers hamlet of Chaitan. As you approach the water, you will see rising from the golden sandy beach, one of the country's most vivid archeological treasures - the Sun Temple at Konark. For a millenium, this temple has been a beacon to sailors at sea. Despite the fact that the "Black Pagoda", as it was referred to by European sailors, who wanted to distinguish Konark from the whitewashed Jaganath Temple in Puri, lies in ruins, the structure is magnificent. According to legend, Samba was cursed by his father, Lord Krishna, and suffered from leprosy for 12 years before being cured by the Sun God. To show his gratitude, he built this beautiful temple to Surya.
Puri, the popular beach resort where you stop for lunch, is one of the five holy abodes in India. Pre-Dravidian and pre-Aryan history relates that a tooth of Buddha was temporarily enshrined in Puri before being moved to Sri Lanka. Supporting the theory that Buddhism prevailed in this area, the Jaganath Temple, to the Lord of the Universe and the main attraction in Puri was believed to have originally been a stupa. The extraordinary form Jaganath takes in this temple is said to be the unfinished work of the craftsman god, Vishvakarna. Angry at Vishnu, he left his portrayal of the god incomplete. On the way back to Bhubaneshwar, you can enjoy some of the crafts of Orissa, stopping at Pipli, famous for its brightly colored appliqué work, and Raghjurpur, the center of pattachitra - folk art painted in vivid colors on palm leaves. At night, you will sleep again at the Oberoi.

Day 13 Bhubaneshwar / Calcutta
This morning, you will return to Calcutta from Bhubaneshwar. Here day rooms have been reserved for you at the Oberoi until time for departure. In the evening, we will have a farewell dinner.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO SUNDERBANS TIGER RESERVE (3 nights - 4 days)

Day 14 Sunderban
After breakfast, we have a 3-hour drive to Basanti. Here we take a boatride down the narrow streams to Sunderbans Tiger Reserve. Sunderbans, a world heritage biosphere reserve, still boasts a natural habitat for about 300 Bengal tigers, spotted deer, wild boar, monkeys, fishing cats, water monitors, sea turtles, and estuarine crocodiles. On arrival, we will check in at the Government tourist Lodge. It is important to note, that this is a wildlife park only for those who are ardent animal enthusiasts. The lodging is really very basic, and few tourists visit the area. On the other hand, the delta setting and the proliferation of wildlife make this a fascinating site to visit. In the afternoon, we will take a boatride around the area for wildlife viewing.

Day 15 Sunderban
Today we will spend a full day cruising the islands in the Sunderbans Delta. We will have a chance to really see the different flora and fauna of the area. Again, we will overnight at the Government Tourist Lodge.

Day 16 Sunderban
After breakfast and an early morning opportunity for wildlife viewing, we will take our boats back to Basanti, visiting Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower en route. From Basanti, we will drive the remaining 3 hours back to Calcutta. Here day rooms have been reserved at the Oberoi. We can wash, and then have a delicious farewell dinner before transferring to the airport for the flight home.