Anyone who has travelled through Indiaby train or road will be amazed tolearn that there is actually a form ofsurface transport through the country thatoffers total serenity and comfort: for it ispossible to cruise for some 2,820 kilometresalong the rivers of India, passing greatcities, wildlife sanctuaries and historicalmonuments, and journey into the very heartof rural India by boat. Indeed once, suchrivers as the Ganges, Hugli andBrahmaputra were all vital arteries for theEast India Company, as for other empiresbefore them, and British-run passengerboats plied these rivers from the early 18thcentury until competition from the railwaysbecame just too great by the end of the 19thcentury. Passenger boats on theBrahmaputra, however, continued to operateuntil the early 1950s when the tensions thatemerged between India and Pakistan afterPartition in 1947 finally spelt the end for rivertraffic. Until that time, daily passenger boatsfrom Kolkata plied the Brahmaputra throughAssam, aboard them a complement of teaplanters, forest officers, soldiers and districtmagistrates; indeed, during the SecondWorld War, they also played a vital role inbringing in troops and evacuating casualtiesduring the great battles of Imphal andKohima in 1944. Today, however, inassociation with a pioneering Indo-Britishcruise company, Naturetrek offers you theopportunity to re-live the experience of thosedays of the Raj, aboard a luxury 24-berthvessel exclusively chartered by us to providea river cruise with a dedicated focus on thewildlife and national parks of Assam.This 10-night cruise will include most of thehighlights of Assam, with a particular focuson the wildlife, wilderness and tribal villagesand cultures that represent the key points ofinterest along the mighty Brahmaputra, foroften the riverbed is 20 to 30 kilometresacross, an empty world of grass-coveredand forested islands, sand spits andchannels, favoured only by rural fishermen and a marvellous birdlife. We will also lookout for mammals, especially when passingthrough Assam's national parks, althoughthroughout our cruise we may expect to seethe endangered and enigmatic GangeticRiver Dolphin, a real highlight of this journey. We begin our cruise, after a night in thefascinating old colonial city of Kolkata and adomestic flight, near Jorhat in Assam. Ourfirst point of call will be the GibbonSanctuary at Mariani, where we will walk inthe forest in search of Hoolock Gibbons,India's only species of ape, and a wealth ofbirdlife. Next stop will be Majuli Island,reputedly the world's largest river island andshort-listed for future UNESCO WorldHeritage status on account of its richculture. Here we will visit some of theisland's unique Hindu monasteries (famousfor their dance drama performances),experience a typical Mising tribal lunch in astilted bamboo hut, and enjoy the birds ofSakuli Bheel (lake). On other occasions wewill spend time gently cruising down theBrahmaputra, relaxing and birdwatchingfrom the sundeck, perhaps with a visit to atribal village. On our fourth day Kaziranga National Parkwill appear on the left bank and we nowhave a chance of seeing wild AsianElephants and wild Water Buffalo from theboat, perhaps even a Tiger! During the nextthree days we have the pleasure of India'sfinest national park alongside us, and in itwill enjoy an elephant ride and jeep safaris.Kaziranga is a 430 square kilometre park,consisting of broad tracts of tall elephantgrass interspersed with evergreen forests,shallow lakes and reedbeds. It is probablythe best place on Earth to observe the veryrare Great Indian One-horned Rhinocerosand it is possible to encounter as many as40 of these prehistoric-looking beasts duringa day in the field. Asian Elephants and wildWater Buffalo are also plentiful, as areSambar, Hog and Swamp Deer, and Wild Boar, the prey of the Leopards and Tigerswhich roam the park, although amid somuch cover they are always hard to see. Wemay even chance upon some of the moreelusive residents such as Gaur, Leopard Catand Sloth Bear, whilst the rare CappedLangur, Assam Macaque and HoolockGibbon form a trio of primates that inhabitthe woodlands. Despite the profusion ofmammals, the birdlife is not eclipsed and atremendously diverse bird list features manyrare or local species such as BengalFlorican and Adjutant Stork. Leaving Kaziranga, we will next exploreNameri National Park (which lies in theHimalayan foothills an hour's drive north of Tezpur) both on foot and by means of a raft journey through the park. We will also visit Orang National Park, which lies alongside the Brahmaputra,exploring it by means of a smaller boatwhich we will take up a tributary into theheart of the park where we will search forbirds and mammals by jeep.Towards the end of our river cruise we willexplore a range of jungle-covered hills andvisit the idyllic and isolated village of GaneshPahar where we will take a birdwatching walkthrough rice paddies and unspoilt forest.These pretty hills, or the Golden Langurs ofPeacock Island, are likely to be amongst ourfinal memories of the stillness and beauty ofthe mighty Brahmaputra, before we mustdisembark at Guwahati and commence ourjourney homeward. For tour memberswishing to extend their holiday, werecommend a post-tour visit to theSunderbans, the world's largest delta andmangrove swamp, renowned for itswaterbirds and man-eating Tigers!Brahmaputra Cruise A magical 14-day holiday to Assam which includes a unique 11-day wildlife cruise down the Brahmaputra River, visiting Kaziranga, Nameri and Orang National Parks, and taking in local tribal culture. Thursday 15th December - Wednesday 28th December 2011 Cost: £3,395 Thursday 9th February - Wednesday 22nd February 2012 Cost: £3,195Thursday 8th March - Wednesday 21st March 2012 Cost: £3,095Thursday 13th December - Wednesday 26th December 2012 Cost: £3,395Thursday 7th February - Wednesday 20th February 2013 Cost: £3,295*Sunderbans extension available on all tours Cost: £795 Outline itineraryDay 1Depart London.Day 2Kolkata.Day 3/12Fly Jorhat for 11-dayBrahmaputra wildlifecruise.Day 13End cruise; fly Kolkata.Day 14Fly London.Sunderbans extensionDay 14/17Sunderbans NationalPark.Day 18Kolkata.Day 19Depart Kolkata.Day 20Arrive London.Accommodation For this voyage Naturetrek chartersthe RV Charaidew. For vessel detailssee page 278. In Kolkata weovernight in a comfortable 3-starhotel, all rooms with private facilities.Food Included in the price, except formain meals in Kolkata. Allow £40. Grading Grade A. Focus Birds, mammals and local culture.Leader Sujan Chatterjee, Manoj Sharma,Nick Acheson or Tika Ram Giri,plus local guides. Business classsupplementFrom £1,950.Single room supplement £2,195 (February and December);£1,995 (March); extension: £250.Web quick search: IND02*Dates and prices subject toconfirmation in our 2013 brochure.268Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryBURMAKAZIRANGANATIONAL PARKNAMERI N.P.ORANG N.P.BRAHMAPUTRARIVERDARJEELINGBAY OFBENGALBHUTANBANGLADESHINDIAASSAMKOLKATASUNDERBANSNATIONAL PARK(EXTENSION)JORHATGUWAHATITIBETPAROBrahmaputra RiverEXCLUSIVENATURETREK CHARTERRV CharaidewKaziranga National Park

Few destinations can offer such anawe-inspiring combination of wildlifeand breathtaking scenery as theRussian Far East and the volcanic KurilIslands of the north Pacific. Thisspectacular region has largely escaped theravages of mankind and to this dayremains one of the few true wildernessesleft on Earth. Here a wide range of excitingbirds and animals, towering snow-cappedvolcanoes, virgin forest, pristine tundra anda rich indigenous culture await the wildlifeenthusiast, and what better way to explorethis land of fire and ice than by spending12 nights aboard the 'Spirit of Enderby'.This vessel is an expedition ship thatcarries a maximum of just 48 passengersand is fully equipped with inflatableZodiacs and a highly skilled crew. Fromthis comfortable base we can expect tosee a wonderful range of birds andmammals, including more than a dozenspecies of auk, millions of breedingseabirds, the mighty Steller's Sea Eagle,Sea Otter, Brown Bear and a wide range ofcetaceans which may, hopefully, includethe world's top oceanic predator, the Orca. We begin our holiday with a flight, viaMoscow, to the remote Russiancommunity of Petropavlovsk, lying on theKamchatka coastline and backed by someof the most beautiful scenery in the world.Here we board the 'Spirit of Enderby' andbegin our 12-night exploration of thisseldom visited and inaccessible region.The Commander Islands are our firstdestination, a remote group of smallislands named after the early explorer,Commander Vitus Bering, who wasshipwrecked and died here in 1741. The'Commanders' are home to a small Aleutpopulation, who are very welcoming tovisitors, and a huge population of nestingseabirds. Here we will have our firstopportunity to experience the sights andsounds of a North Pacific auk colony andenjoy such sought-after species as Tuftedand Horned Puffin, Crested and ParakeetAuklet, and Brünnich's Guillemot, plusPigeon Guillemot, Short-tailed Shearwater,Fork-tailed Storm Petrel, Red-facedCormorant and the rare Red-leggedKittiwake.We next cross back to the KamchatkaPeninsula and spend two days exploringits coastal bays, islets, rocky shorelineand forests. Backed by the snow-cappedcones of the numerous volcanoes thatgive the 'Ring of Fire' its name, thescenery here is truly breathtaking. On oneday we will head along the ZhuponavoRiver and enjoy walks over flower-filledmeadows in search of SiberianRubythroat, Pechora Pipit, LanceolatedWarbler, Yellow-breasted Bunting and Far-Eastern Curlew. We will also have our firstopportunity to look for the magnificentSteller's Sea Eagle, whilst Brown Bears,Sea Otters and Orcas are often sighted aswe cruise along the coast. SpectacledGuillemots also occur here, as do Long-billed Murrelets; the former has a veryrestricted distribution in the north Pacificand is yet another speciality of the region. The Kuril Islands are of internationalimportance on account of their hugecolonies of breeding seabirds and wehave seven days to island-hop down thechain and enjoy its breathtaking wildlifespectacles. As we cruise through thearchipelago we will use Zodiacs to goashore at convenient locations and obtaincloser views of particularly interestingstretches of coastline. Enormous aukcolonies cover the cliffs, some of whichhave been estimated to contain over half amillion birds! Tufted Puffins are common,as are Rhinoceros Auklets and CrestedAuklets (indeed feeding flocks of the lattercan number in the thousands!), whilstsmaller numbers of Horned Puffins, Ancient Murrelets and Brünnich'sGuillemots add to the variety. The teemingmasses of auks also include the rare andlittle-known Whiskered Auklet, togetherwith the equally enigmatic Crested, orJapanese Murrelet. The best place to lookfor the former is Yankicha Island whichholds the world's largest colony of this tinyseabird and, although it is one of therarest of the Pacific auks, we can expect tosee thousands of this diminutive andattractive species. The scenery here isnothing short of spectacular, the islandbeing a dramatic volcanic caldera,inundated by the sea, where the shorelineliterally steams from the meeting of coldocean waters with hot gases from thedrowned giant! As well as the auks of theKuril Islands, many other seabirds are tobe seen, amongst them vast numbers ofNorthern Fulmars, Short-tailedShearwaters, flocks of handsomeHarlequin Ducks risking life and limb onthe surf-line and even the rare Blakiston'sFishing Owl is possible on Kunashir Island,one of the most southerly in the chain.Our cruise route will depend on both thelocal weather conditions and the whim ofRussian bureaucracy and red tape, but weare assured an amazing wildlife experienceno matter which of the islands we arepermitted to explore. Our journey aroundthe 'Ring of Fire' must sadly come to anend, however, on Sakhalin Island. Here wemust say farewell to the 'Spirit of Enderby'and, with memories of wheeling flocks ofauklets backed by snow-capped volcanoesstill fresh in our minds, we board our returnflight for the long journey home. Kamchatka - A Voyage Around the Ring of FireA 16-day holiday, including a 12-night voyage to the remote and spectacular landscapesof Kamchatka, the volcanic Kuril Islands and the remote Commander Islands.Thursday 24th May - Friday 8th June Cost: from £7,595Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationRUSSIARUSSIASEA OFOKHOTSKBERINGSEAJAPANSAKHALINISLANDKURIL ISLANDSYUZHNOSAKHALINSKHOKKAIDOPETROPAVLOVSKCOMMANDERISLANDSKAMCHATKA PENINSULAOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Moscow.Day 2Fly Petropavlovsk.Day 3Arrive Petropavlovsk.Day 4Board 'Spirit of Enderby'and begin cruise.Day 5/6Commander Islands.Day 7/8Kamchatka Peninsula.Day 9/15Kuril Islands.Day 16Fly London.AccommodationThis expedition voyage will be aboardthe 'Spirit of Enderby' (see page275). Twin-bedded cabins withshared facilities are included in theabove price. Twin-bedded cabinswith private facilities are available atan additional cost. Please refer to theTrip Itinerary for a full price list. InPetropavlovsk we use a comfortabletourist hotel with private facilities.FoodAll included in the price, except forlunches and dinners in Sakhalin andPetropavlovsk. GradingGrade B. Day walks only. Sometricky landings.FocusBirds, plants, cetaceans, sceneryand a little history.Leader(s)Rodney Russ, plus Andy Smith (forgroups of 10+).Single room supplement On request. Web quick search: RUS01269Brown BearsTufted PuffinYankicha Island