THE SUNDER-BANS WHERE the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers melt into the embrace of the Bay of Bengal is a large delta spread across 40,000 square kilometres of India and Bangladesh. A five-day cruise on the Antara Ganges Voyager was a tempting idea redolent of slow travel where one could drift in a sea of timelessness, weaving in and out of one of the world's largest mangrove forests.
We boarded the Antara Ganges Voyager, an elegant 28-suite vessel, at Chandannagar (an hour and half drive from Kolkata airport), a former French colony steeped in colonial nostalgia. We hopped off a tender boat and boarded our hotel which glided like an over-sized swan on the slate grey waters of the Hooghly River, an arm of the Ganges. Steamed towels and a welcome drink were pressed into our hands and we were shown to our suite whose French balcony showcased the moving landscape. As we stood on its polished Burma teak flooring, surrounded by hand-painted murals and modern creature comforts like a mini bar, safe and a TV, it felt as if we were straddling multiple worlds-the 21st century inside the vessel, and outside it, the ancient, tangled mangrove forests bristled with unseen wildlife.
Much of our first day on board was spent watching the sights unfolding beyond the sun deck adjacent to the lounge-the skyline of Kolkata and its rural hinterland where fisherfolk, standing tall in their fragile boats, cast nets and reeled in fish from a gently flowing river. The setting sun soon gilded the clouds and painted the waterway a shade of honeygold. Everyone on the deck let out a collective gasp in response to this show.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2024-Ausgabe von Travel+Leisure India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2024-Ausgabe von Travel+Leisure India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
The Medieval Charm of Elsinore
Elsinore, in eastern Denmark, is a charming city full of surprises, such as its interesting link to Shakespeare, discovers Ami Bhat
Natural Selection
In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.
Where the Wild Things Are
Uncovering Rwanda's natural treasures-and the gift of multigenerational travel
Lunching in Leh
Turtuk, the last town of India in Ladakh, is having a culinary and hospitality renaissance, discovers Harsh Surti
FROM THE VOICE WITHIN
A hit new season of a cult show, a brand new production venture, and a baby girl-it seems Ali Fazal is on top of the world right now. Amid a new parenting journey, the actor talks to SAMREEN TUNGEKAR about his travel persona, his instincts, and what feeds the artiste within him
MONSOON IN THE WILD
For nature lovers craving the lush serenity of monsoon forests, off-season safaris in national park buffer zones offer rare rewards and vital support to local economies, discovers Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay.
Ray of Sunshine
Getting diagnosed with life-threatening ailments can spell doom, but for actor Lisa Ray, it became a testament to her resilience. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, the former model maintained a positive outlook, blossomed into a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and support, and turned author with a book chronicling her story. In a chat with Bayar Jain, she gets candid about her journey of hope and healing
Championing Change with Conversations That Matter
Aditi Mayer is a responsible storyteller who likes to look at fashion through a lens of social and environmental justice. She tells Samreen Tungekar about how she manages her own mental health and wellness despite work that promotes positive change and requires mental bandwidth
Travelling Through Conscious Well-Being
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, where data meets intuition and science aligns with ancient practices, Deepak Chopra stands as a unique bridge between these worlds. Chopra talks to Dipali Patwa about how travel, when intertwined with wellness, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.
Transcending The 'Trend'
For Rimzim Dadu, the creation of a collection is about lending the pieces a timeless quality. Samreen Tungekar talks to the designer about her creative process, and how her travels intersperse with her approach to design