One of the world's great rivers, the treacherous Brahmaputra, or Tsangpo as known in Tibetan, with its shifting sand basin, runs for 1800 miles from its source in the Tibetan Himalayas to its delta in the Bay of Bengal. At its narrowest part during our journey, it is a mere 1 km (0.6 mile) wide, and widening to 4-5 km (3-4 miles) at its widest. Poor roads, desolate and infantile tourist infrastructure is perhaps why the region so exciting.

The Brahmaputra cruises feature visits and attractions such as wildlife viewing (both by jeep and on elephant back), village walks, visits to tea gardens, exploring country towns in cycle rickshaws, barbecues on deserted river islands, dance performances, and visits to craft workshops.

The Brahmaputra Cruise offers a combination of 7-night, 10-night and 4-night cruises, named for the Assam Dispatch service, the daily mail-cum-passenger service that once plied from Calcutta up the Brahmaputra to Dibrugarh. Cruises can be combined to give 14-night duration. The cruises are as follows:

ASSAM DISPATCH 2
This 7-night cruise starts at Guwahati and terminates at Silghat near Tezpur and Kaziranga. Highlights are Orang and Kaziranga National Parks, and temples in Tezpur.

ASSAM DISPATCH 3
This 7-night cruise starts at Silghat and carries on upriver to Neamati, accessed from either Dibrugarh or Jorhat airport. Highlights are Kaziranga National Park, the Hindu monasteries on Majuli Island, famed for their dance drama, and the palaces and temples of Sibsagar, the old capital of the Ahom kings. This also combines 4 nights in lodges and hotels with 7 nights of cruising. Covering both Manas and Kaziranga National Parks, together with Majuli Island and Sibsagar.

ASSAM DISPATCH 4
This 10-night cruise starts at Neamati, reached from either Dibrugarh or Jorhat airport, and terminates at Guwahati. Highlights are the old capital of the Ahom kings at Sibsagar, Majuli Island with its Hindu monasteries, Kaziranga National Park, temples at Tezpur and Madan Kamdev, and the silk weaving village of Sualkuchi.

ASSAM DISPATCH 5
This 4-night cruise starts at Guwahati and terminates at Dhubri, around 4 hrs drive from the Bhutan frontier or 5 ½ hrs drive from Bagdogra/Siliguri, and is ideal for combining a short cruise with Bhutan, Sikkim or Darjeeling. Highlights are Manas National Parkand the archaeological site of Sri Surya Prahar.

ASSAM DISPATCH 6
This 4-night cruise starting and finishing in Guwahati is ideal for those who want a taste of river cruising. Alternatively, taken together with Cruises 2 or 4, you can enjoy an 11 or 14 night cruise over virtually the full length of the Brahmaputra's course in Assam. Highlight is Manas National Park but there are also good opportunities to see Assam's rural way of life.

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