SINGAPORE, 1 October 2024: Pandaw, a leading river cruise specialist in Asia, is promoting a ‘No Single Supplement’ offer by adding more dates for solo travellers to book a sailing without the need to pay extra.
“Our now famous ‘Pandaw Spirit’ aboard all vessels means that single travellers often leave with lifelong friends and future Pandaw travel companions as well as a profound appreciation for our wonderful destinations,” the Pandaw sales team explains. “With new dates added due to high demand, now is the perfect time to book an Asian river adventure with Pandaw while the offer lasts.”
Solo travellers can enjoy Pandaw’s signature river cruise, the ‘All Ganges: Varanasi to Kolkata’, exploring India’s iconic river and holy cities. Sailing between Kolkata in West Bengal and the sacred city of Varanasi, this essential Indian experience is now available for a limited time with no single supplement for new dates added in February and March 2025.
In 2019, Pandaw inaugurated an ‘all Ganges’ voyage of one thousand miles from Kolkata to Varanasi. Due to navigation challenges and the obstruction of numerous pontoon bridges, it has been decided to sail as far as Patna and then overland to Varanasi.
The sailing does cover the best of the Ganges, from the colonial splendours of Kolkata through the enchanting rural arcadia of West Bengal along the Hoogly and the great expanse of the Ganga itself with its pristine bird and wildlife and cultural treasures dotted along the banks. Though in the days of the British Raj, paddle steamers plied this route regularly, with the advent of the railways in India, river navigation was abandoned, and the rivers were allowed to silt up. Thanks to a multi-million dollar investment from the Indian Government, channels have been dredged and buoyed, and hi-tech GPS-based aids installed, enabling seasonal navigation. No vessel could be more appropriate for a voyage on ‘All the Ganges’ than Pandaw’s shallow draft K-class ships.
Varanasi, said to be the oldest inhabited city on the planet, is the most sacred city of Hinduism and a place of overwhelming beauty. At the same time, it is poignantly moving with its cremation ghats. Varanasi is surely the goal of any ‘passage to India’ and at the other end of the holy river stands Kolkata, in all its Raj-like magnificence. Between lies several of the most important Buddhist sites in the country, fascinating cities great and small, and expanses of the river teeming with bird life, not to mention the Gangeatic dolphin.
From September 2024, Pandaw’s India expeditions are all-inclusive, with complimentary local beers, spirits, mixers, and soft drinks for all guests. House wines are also included during lunch and dinner, subject to availability.
However, the Upper Ganges segment of this itinerary passes through the state of Bihar, where it is illegal to serve alcoholic drinks.
To book visit pandaw.com or contact the Pandaw sales team at [email protected].
