India

India Cruises

India

USA Today AwardWorld's Best River Cruise Suite 2023Conde Nast Traveler 2023TripAdvisor Travellers Choice 2026TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

Discover the rich culture of India's rivers

India is a world of colour and culture. The country is diverse and offers so many experiences for those wishing to find out more. Embarking on a river cruise in India allows you to see this extraordinary country in a way like you'd never imagined.

Our India cruises take place on not only the lower and upper River Ganges but soon also the Brahmaputra River Cruise.

Both of these rivers are of major importance to India, offering a place of worship as well as historically important towns and cities forming life on the banks.

The Ganges River winds 2,525km through India and across the border into Bangladesh. It begins its journey in the Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and flows through the Gangetic Plain of India and into Bangladesh before it is released into the Bay of Bengal.

The Brahmaputra is also a trans-boundary river, flowing through China, India and Bangladesh. The River enters India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, where it is called Siang. It continues across the plains where its name changes once again to Dihang. It enters the state of Assam and becomes as wide as 20 km in some parts.

Being the second most populated country in the world, India is awash with bustling towns and villages and our river cruises mean you can immerse yourself in the local's way of life. Ride on rickshaws, witness terracotta temples, visit villages and dine alongside Gangetic dolphins. Through the cuisine and the excursions, a Pandaw India river cruise really does encompass the Indian lifestyle completely.

Available

Expeditions

The Brahmaputra
Save up to 10%

Explore the Brahmaputra River

7 Nights
Guwahati - Silghat - Guwahati
RV Kindat Pandaw
Brahmaputra RiverBrahmaputra River

From

USD 4,156.20

per person

The All Ganges
Save up to 10%

14 night Ganges river cruise exploring India’s most sacred waterway

14 Nights
14 Nights on the Ganges
RV Kalaw Pandaw
Hooghly Ganges River

From

USD 9,604.80

per person

The Full Brahmaputra

All of the Brahmpautra

10 Nights
10 Nights
RV Kindat Pandaw
Brahmaputra River

From

USD 5,717.50

per person

The Kerala Backwaters
Save up to 10% and No Single Supplement on selected dates

7 night backwater expedition

7 Nights
Kerala - Perumpalam - Kerala
RV Kerala Pandaw, RV Kochi Pandaw
Kerala Backwaters

From

USD 5,145.75

per person

The Hooghly Ganges
Save up to 10% and No Single Supplement on selected dates

Spend 9 nights sailing West Bengal

9 Nights
Kolkata - Baranagar - Kolkata
RV Kalaw Pandaw, RV Katha Pandaw
Hooghly Ganges River

From

USD 3,066.75

per person

All Assam on the Brahmaputra
Save up to 10% and No Single Supplement on selected dates
10 Nights
Guwahati - Silghat - Goalpara - Guwahati
RV Kindat Pandaw
Brahmaputra River

From

USD 4,562.55

per person

Rivers of

India

Brahmaputra River

Brahmaputra River

India's Brahmaputra River is the 29th longest river in the world at 2, 948 km long, and has a discharge of 19, 200 cubic litres per second which....

Hooghly Ganges River

Hooghly Ganges River

The Ganges River is the 34th longest river in the world at 2, 620km, flowing down through the Himalayas to form the Gangetic Plain of North Indi....

Kerala Backwaters

Kerala Backwaters

The Kerala backwaters are a network of lagoons and canals lying parallel to the Arabian Sea of the Malabar coast of Kerala state in south-wester....

Our Fleet In

India

The RV Kalaw Pandaw Ship

RV Kalaw Pandaw

Sister to the Kindat and identical in design the Kalaw was launched with her in 2014 Kalaw is named after the PS Kalaw launched in 1917 and sunk....

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The RV Katha Pandaw Ship

RV Katha Pandaw

This was a radical new design, based on the old K class used in Burma from the 1880s on. This ship is the third Katha to run on the Irrawaddy. T....

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The RV Kindat Pandaw Ship

RV Kindat Pandaw

The original Kindat was built in 1886 by Yarrows in London and sank in 1920. She was named after a small Upper Chindwin town. Following experime....

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The RV Kochi Pandaw Ship

RV Kochi Pandaw

Launched in November 2025, the ten cabin Kochi Pandaw has been specially designed for the backwaters of Kerala, whilst maintaining the much-love....

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The RV Kerala Pandaw Ship

RV Kerala Pandaw

Launching in December 2026, the ten cabin Kerala Pandaw has been specially designed for the backwaters of Kerala, whilst maintaining the much-lo....

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River Stops In

India

Chandernagore View

Chandernagore

Chandannagar was established as a French colony in 1673, when the French obtained permission from Ibrahim Khan, the Nawab of Bengal, to establish a trading post on the right bank...

Guwahati View

Guwahati

If you are taking one of our Brahmaputra River Cruises , one place you should definitely consider stopping at is Guwahati. This is a large city in India, in the state of Assam.

Kalna View

Kalna

Kalna, a city and a municipality in Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal is located right by the river Hooghly (or ‘lower Ganges’) meaning there’s plenty of...

Kaziranga National Park View

Kaziranga National Park

A UNESCO accredited site, the Kaziranga National Park is located in the Nagaon and Golaghat districts of Assam in India and a stop on our Brahmaputra river cruises .

Kolkata View

Kolkata

Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, and you’ll definitely want to make the most of it you’re seeking to see every side of what India has to offer.

Mayapur View

Mayapur

One of the best things about taking a river cruise is the fact that you get to experience many amazing places during one trip. This is something you can expect with one of our...

Murshidabad View

Murshidabad

Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a tributary of the Ganges...

Patna View

Patna

Patna is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India.

Varanasi View

Varanasi

India, one of the oldest civilisations on the planet. Within its 29 states and 7 union territories, you’ll find an extraordinary variety of cultures, cuisines, arts politics and...

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From Our Travellers

Feedback

Safe and secure adventure

NORMA IRENE BEER

In the early 2000s my husband and I took a Pandaw trip from Seim Reap to Vietnam and this present trip although now a widow was still up to the standard of that earlier cruise. The crew helping us aging ladies were above and beyond what I could have imagined and made my trip a safe and secure adventure. My sincere thanks Norma Beer OAM Australia.

Food quality and variety issued forth from a small galley was deliciously impressive, and the entire staff, eager to please

Susan Rock

Pushing off from the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy, sipping on a graciously offered Singapore Sling, we read aloud, "Mandalay", by Rudyard Kipling. Comfy in those cushy wicker chairs, we realized that "where the Old Flotilla lay" referred to the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, whose steamers plied this very river's coffee-colored waters through then colonial Burma and that the Katha Pandaw, the finely finished steamer on which we were sailing, was designed and named after one of those earlier vessels.

Of the many means of getting from Mandalay to Pagan, the Katha Pandaw is by far one of the most elegant and genial, evoking the region's colorful past while offering all the creature comforts of modern-day travel. We best enjoyed watching the Myanmar scenery slide by the rails, especially at sunset, but also liked learning about local culture with a well-guided village walk.Food quality and variety issued forth from a small galley was deliciously impressive, and the entire staff, eager to please.

The Irrawaddy Mandalay to Pagan Short River Cruise

For our family's independent land-based exploration, the overnight journey from Mandalay to Pagan was the perfect complement - and certainly a highlight - of our Myanmar travels. Thank you Pandaw!

Sue Rock

This was our fifth Pandaw cruise and once again we came away with a great experience

Glenn Frank Garabedian

Krish seems to be extremely well versed in Indian history but was very difficult to understand and did not seem to understand that ancient Indian history was not the top priority of the group. He speaks softly and after a short time of trying to understand what he is saying most people just seemed to tune out. When divided into two groups, after two days the group with Krish said they wanted to be back as one group (we felt lucky to have been in Deepak's group). For breakfast, potatoes and perhaps bacon on a few days would have been welcomed. All in all, I thought the cooks did a great job. We did the 6-day pre-cruise to Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur and had a wonderful time, excellent guide Sunil Bhardwaj, , and fabulous driver Mr. Singh. Also our half-day tour in Varanasi with Neelesh Sinha was great. The company you used to arrange these tours and our transfers did a very good job with everything. I do think the excursions the first couple of days on the ship could be upgraded (unless that is all there is to see in that area) and perhaps that will happen as time goes on. We had a wonderful time on our trip. We were so glad that we did the pre-cruise as it provided a nice balance of places and things that we got to see. This was our fifth Pandaw cruise and once again we came away with a great experience - Thank you. Lynda Garabedian

Latest Story

From Our Travel Blog

A Photo Essay of the Kerala Backwaters by David Dennis

A Photo Essay of the Kerala Backwaters by David Dennis

David Dennis is a professional photographer specialising in capturing places and people. Originally from Belgium, he studied photography and fil....

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Climate in

India

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India Climate Chart

Plan your journey with our detailed climate information for India.Best travel times and weather patterns to help you prepare.

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Essential

Information

Find all the essential information you need for your journey.From booking details to travel requirements, we've got you covered.