Brahmaputra River Cruise Itineraries Compared
Three nights or ten, lower river or upper — the routes on sale in Assam.
Compare RoutesBrahmaputra River Cruise Itineraries Compared
The routes on sale in Assam fall into four shapes. The table below uses the itineraries published by the operators for the current seasons; names and lengths are theirs, and our cruise advisors confirm the current version before you book.
| Itinerary (operator) | Nights | Route | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmaputra Taster (Assam Bengal Navigation) | 3 | Guwahati round trip | Sualkuchi silk looms, Kamakhya temple, Pobitora jeep safari via the Mayong River |
| Silk & Rhinos (Assam Bengal Navigation) | 4 | Guwahati to Silghat | Silk villages and Kaziranga |
| Rhinos & More (Assam Bengal Navigation) | 7 | Guwahati to Silghat | Tezpur, a float trip in Nameri National Park, three Kaziranga safaris, a tea garden |
| River Island Cruise (Assam Bengal Navigation) | 7 | Silghat to Neamati Ghat, Jorhat | Kaziranga, Biswanath, river dolphins, Majuli, Sivasagar |
| Brahmaputra Maximum (Assam Bengal Navigation) | 10 | Jorhat to Guwahati | Sivasagar, Majuli, Kaziranga, Tezpur, Nameri, Sualkuchi |
| The Brahmaputra (Pandaw) | 7 | Guwahati round trip | Silghat and Kaziranga |
| All Assam on the Brahmaputra (Pandaw) | 10 | Guwahati round trip | Adds Goalpara downstream |
Short: Three or Four Nights
The three-night taster never leaves the Guwahati area, yet packs in a lot: a silk-weaving town, the hilltop Kamakhya temple and a jeep safari at Pobitora, a small sanctuary with a dense rhino population. It is the easiest way to add the river to an India tour that is already full.
The four-night option runs one way to Silghat, so you finish beside Kaziranga and can extend with a lodge stay in the park.
One Week: Lower River or Upper River?
Lower river (Guwahati to Silghat)
Choose it for wildlife. Days on board alternate with Tezpur’s temple ruins and gardens, a gentle raft float in Nameri, and Kaziranga from the Central, Burapahar and Western ranges by jeep. The Kaziranga river cruise page explains how this works.
Upper river (Silghat to Jorhat)
Choose it for culture. After Kaziranga the ship heads upstream past Biswanath’s temples to Majuli and the old Ahom capital at Sivasagar. See the upper river.
Most first-timers lean to the lower river because of the rhinos; repeat India travelers often prefer the quieter upper river.
Ten Nights or More
A ten-night voyage covers both halves without changing ships, and costs less in transfers than two separate trips. Pandaw’s ten-night loops start and end in Guwahati; Assam Bengal Navigation’s runs between Jorhat and Guwahati, so you fly in to one airport and out of the other. Ask our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise for an open-jaw flight quote; Airfares for Less is useful for comparing domestic connections.
Itinerary Questions
Which Brahmaputra itinerary is best for seeing rhinos?
Any route that moors at Silghat. The week-long lower-river trips published by Assam Bengal Navigation include three jeep safaris across different Kaziranga ranges; shorter tasters use the smaller Pobitora sanctuary instead.
Can I combine two Brahmaputra cruises?
Yes. Assam Bengal Navigation says its four- to ten-night cruises can be joined to make journeys of up to fourteen nights, for example a lower-river week followed by the upper river.
Do routes ever change?
Often. Every operator states that itineraries depend on river and weather conditions, and moorings shift with the sandbars. Treat a published route as the plan, not a guarantee.
Compare Brahmaputra Itineraries for Your Dates
Send us the month you want to travel and how many nights you have. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will tell you which routes have space and send free quotes.
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