Maha Kumbh 2010

TransIndus is pleased to announce two special festival departures of its Golden Temple and the Himalaya tour. The March and April departures take in the Maha Kumbh festival in Haridwar, staying 3 nights in luxury tented camp, set up specially for the Maha Kumbh.

Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage. It occurs four times every twelve years and rotates among four locations: Prayag (Allahabad) at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and mythical Saraswati river, Haridwar along the Ganga river, Ujjain along the Kshipra river and Nashik along the Godavari river.

Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. The major event of the festival is a ritual bath at the banks of the rivers in each town. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardised.

Kumbh Mela is the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and sadhus) attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. The sadhus are seen clad in saffron sheets with plenty of ashes and powder dabbed on their skin per the requirements of ancient traditions. Some called naga sanyasis may often be seen without any clothes even in severe winter, generally considered to live an extreme lifestyle.
How long: 15 days

How much: 13 Mar departure £2045 & 3 Apr £2095 per person

Cherry Blossom Season in Japan

Japan turns pink and white in spring with the arrival of cherry blossom season, during which some of the most popular and important festivals take place. Friends and families come together to sit under the trees and celebrate; singing, eating, drinking and talking late into the evenings as lanterns illuminate the parks.

Join in the celebrations on our 14-day tour The Japan Experience

New Pandaw Cruise Specials

Reviving the old Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in 1995, Pandaw were the company first since the Second World War to offer pioneering cruises on Burma's spectacular Irrawaddy River. In 2002 they took the Pandaw concept to the Mekong River in Indochina and now have two Pandaws plying between Saigon in Vietnam and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. More recently Pandaw inaugurated new cruises on the Rajang in Borneo and Ganges in India.

Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Superb 8-day Pandaw cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap. Tour Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, visit a Cham tribal village and relax while sailing along the Tonle River.

Full itinerary >>

How long: 8 days

How much: from £1250 per person (excludes international flights)

When: Departures in Feb & Mar

Offer: SAVE 20%

Rajang River Cruise
Get into the heart of Borneo on this dramatic and exciting 9-day Pandaw cruise, as you explore life along the Rajang River. Visit Teresang Market and the Pelagus Rapids, trek through the jungle and much more.

Full itinerary >>
How long: 9 days

How much: from £1096 per person (excludes international flights)

When: Departs 10 Jan 2010

Offer: SAVE 20%

Featured Hotel - Pod, Chennai

Located in the heart of Chennai, Pod is a stylish, 20 room boutique hotel furnished with state of the art, contemporary decor.

An open walkway takes guests from the free-standing glass-cube reception through to the hotel courtyard, with its dramatic lap pool, sun loungers and ancient rain tree.

Each room at Pod includes a pre-programme channel for the latest movies and music, wi-fi and complimentary mini-bar.

Hotel website >>

Featured Hotel - The Dune Eco-Village & Spa

A 35 acre eco-friendly beach hotel situated on the Coramandel coast of Tamil Nadu, South India, just 15kms from the heart of Pondicherry.

30 unique bungalows have been partly built using reclaimed building material from South Indian colonial houses, Chettinad palaces and Kerala planter's mansions. The hotel features two restaurants that serve healthy gourmet fusion food, prepared using vegetables organically farmed on the property.

The Dune is also home to AIR (Artists in Residence) a programme providing work studios for artists from all around the world. Hotel website >>

Travel Foundation in Sri Lanka

If you're heading out to Sri Lanka or are thinking of going then why not build one of these worthwhile projects into your itinerary:

Dickwella Lace Centre - watch traditional lace-making demonstrations and visit the local museum. More >>

Trees For Life - take a 2km rainforest trail walk with a local naturalist to spot wildlife and visit a tree nursery to plant a tree. More >>

City Walking Tours

As part of our on-going efforts towards Responsible Travel in our destinations we thought we'd take this opportunity to mention the city walking tours we offer in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Here at TransIndus we feel that the best way to explore the culture and history of these great cities is on foot.
More >>