Join ME to WE for a one-of-a-kind adventure in India’s countryside for the first four days of our traditional India cruise/tour. ME To WE is an immersive and transformative experience where you’ll explore India’s vibrant and fascinating culture through unforgettable encounters. In rural Udaipur, you’ll settle into the stunning Araveli Cottages and Tented Camp and prepare for your time with ME to WE with a lesson in basic Hindi phrases before venturing out to the local village to mingle with community members. You’ll wake up the next day to a sunrise yoga session overlooking the pink-hued Aravalli Mountain Range prior to spending the rest of your morning with women in the community learning what life is like in rural India. After savoring traditional Indian cuisine, you’ll meet a local farmer who will lead you to the project site of your sustainable development project. When your time with ME to WE ends, you’ll board the lavish Ganges Voyager II and head to the site of Kalna’s magnificent Hindu temples. Meander through Matiari’s authentic artisan village, Murshidabad’s and Baranagar’s architectural monuments and Mayapur’s captivating Temple of the Vedic Planetarium– the center of the international Hare Krishna movement. Discover why the French planted roots in Kolkata with a visit to the former French outpost before learning the enduring legacies of Mother Teresa. Visit her home, where she lived and worked for decades and marvel at the museum dedicated to her, where her Nobel Peace Prize sits proudly on display.
Itinerary
Day : New Delhi
Arrive at New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to The Oberoi Guragon.
Day : New Delhi, Udaipur, Araveli
This morning, you’ll transfer from your hotel to your commercial flight to Udaipur, where you’ll then make your way to your home for two nights, the bespoke Araveli Cottages and Tented Camp, in Rajasthan. After a brief introduction and orientation about your time with ME to WE, you’ll prepare for your interactions with locals with a lesson in basic Hindi phrases. Then, it’s off to the local village to mingle with community members. To mark the beginning of your time in Rajasthan, you’ll partake in a Hindu tradition, a Poja, a Hindu prayer ceremony that marks the beginning of an auspicious event. The blessing ensures the success and prosperity of the work being undertaken.Featured Excursions:
A little Hindi lesson and community welcome
Day : Araveli
After a blissful night’s sleep in your private cottage or luxury tent, choose to wake up to a sunrise yoga session overlooking the pink-hued Aravalli Mountain Range. Spend the rest of your morning with women in the community and learn what daily life in rural India is like. Enjoy a savory meal and cup of chai as you take in the beautiful surroundings and a traditional jhapki (Hindi for “siesta”). Then, meet a local farmer before venturing to the project site of your sustainable development project. Cap your first full day with a colorful performance showcasing local folk dance traditions.Featured Excursions:
Day in the life
Local farmer with project building
Day : Araveli, Udaipur, Kolkata
Your time with ME to WE is coming to a close this afternoon, but not before a slew of authentic Indian experiences in nearby Udaipur, often nicknamed “Venice of the East.” Explore Udaipur’s splendor with stops at the world-renowned architectural marvels, City Palace and Taj Lake Palace, followed by lunch on the shores of beautiful Lake Pichola. The majestic City Palace was built nearly five centuries ago and sits on a hill overlooking the city below, while the opulent Taj Lake Palace appears to float over the water—it can only be reached by boat. The Palace also makes a guest appearance in a 1983 James Bond film. Visit a lively Indian market, teeming with shops, motorcycles, rickshaws, and cows before checking into The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata.Featured Excursions:
Sightseeing in Udaipur and lunch on the shore of Lake Pichola with market shopping
Day : Kolkata (Embark), Kalna
Settle into your beautifully appointed suite aboard the Ganges Voyager II in Kolkata (a city formerly known as Calcutta), the gateway to your journey along the world’s holiest river, the sacred Ganges. This evening, delight in a Captain’s reception dinner and welcome onboard.
Day : Kalna
Kalna, once an important trade port on the river, is best known today for the magnificent Hindu temples built by the maharajas of Bardhaman in the late 18th and 19th centuries–which you’ll experience today. After marveling at the astonishing Rajbari temple complex, you may opt to walk with your guide through the colorful local market or return to the ship.Featured Excursions:
India’s “Temple City”
Day : Matiari
Your ship serves as a time machine today, transporting you hundreds of years into the past, as we travel to an artisan village where craftsmen use materials and techniques that have remained unchanged for centuries.Featured Excursions:
Matiari master craftsmen with an introduction to brass
Day : Murshidabad, Baranagar
Today’s adventures take you to a duo of Bengali towns—Murshidabad and Baranagar—each one boasting beautiful architectural monuments closely linked to the ruling families of the area. This evening, following dinner onboard, take in a lively and fun-filled Bollywood-style show, complete with music and dancing.Featured Excursions:
Visit to Murshidabad City
Ride by buggy to Katra Mosque
Baranagar village visit
Day : Mayapur
Few places of worship exist on such a head-spinning scale as what you will witness today in Mayapur, the center of the international Hare Krishna movement and home to the new Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, still under construction.Featured Excursions:
Hare Krishna complex and Temple of the Vedic Planetarium
Day : Bandel, Chandannagar, Kolkata
Most students of history know a thing or two about the British colonial powers in India, but few are aware that the French had colonies here, too—including one that existed as late as the 1950s. You’ll visit this former French outpost today, as well as a famous Shia pilgrimage center.Featured Excursions:
Excursion by boat to the shore of Bandel
India’s French colonial heritage
Day : Kolkata
The city of Kolkota is virtually synonymous with the enduring legacies of Mother Teresa— recently canonized as a Catholic saint—and the colonial-era British Raj, both of which you will get better acquainted with today. On this afternoon’s excursion, you’ll visit the Mother House, where Mother Teresa lived and worked for decades. See her simply furnished room and the tiny museum devoted to her, where her Nobel Peace Prize medal is on display, along with informative newspaper clippings and photos. You’ll also be able to pay your respects at her tomb.Featured Excursions:
Kolkata city tour— visit the Flower Market, colonial sites and Kumartulli
Mother Teresa’s home and tomb
NGOs Kolkata Rescue visit
Day : Kolkata (Disembark)
Your incredible Indian adventure ends early this morning, as you disembark and transfer to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport for your flight home, or extend your journey with an optional extension to Varanasi.