Join Durga Puja Carnival at Kolkata: A UNESCO mega festival - funfair, lighting, dhunuchi dance, dhak-music, pandal hopping, mouthwatering dishes, and heart-touching celebration with 20 million people
➡️ Trip summary: Durga Puja is an annual 10-day national festival celebrated grandly marking the worship of the Goddess Durga. It is the biggest festival in Kolkata joined by 20 million people in the city. Every corner of the city is illumined and grandly decorated.The scale of this festival is magnificent as millions of dollars are spent on decoration alone. The main attractions of UNESCO recognized Durga Puja in Kolkata are the decorations, sculptures, pandals, lights & illuminations, Dhunuchi dance, mouthwatering food, funfairs, the carnival, and the festive exuberance of 20 million people in the city, on road, throughout the nights, hopping pandals. A lifetime experience! ➡️Why India 🇮🇳: The most diversified country, both culturally and geographically, in the world. In a span of few miles, language changes, cuisine changes, culture changes, festival changes, history changes, climate changes. What remains unchanged is the warmth and welcoming vibe of India🙏 ➡️ Visa: Straightforward Indian e-visa service to apply online easily: Apply online --> Pay nominal eVisa fee --> Receive Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) via email --> Fly to India. So simple! (Print ETA and present at Immigration Checkpost where eVisa will be stamped on passport.) ➡️ What will we do? 1) Enjoy the deluxe facilities booked for accommodation. Swimming pool, gym, (where available). Wifi, and a very good breakfast included in most locations. 2) Enjoy the Durga Puja festival all through the trip: funfairs, lighting, dhunuchi dance, dhak-music, Pandal-hopping, mouthwatering dishes, and heart-touching celebration with 20 million people. City tour, astronomical observatories, museums, parks and more. 3) Night life: Enjoy the nightlife, pandal hopping, discotheque, Dandia light & music show or other cultural programmes on offer. Socialize and make friends, have fun! 4) Activities: pandal hopping, shopping, city tour, funfair rides, balloon shooting and other adventure sports. 5) Food: Go crazy in your food selection, North Indian, South Indian, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Punjabi, Bengali, street food, Chinese, Italian and Continental dishes. Enjoy local festive food. Come hungry! 6) Shopping: Arts & crafts, malls, puja fairs, street-side shopping etc. 7) Explore: Recreational parks, zoo, boating, water park etc. 8) Meditate, yoga, peace, spirituality: Connect with your inner self. Experience peace, meditate, yoga! Realise, I am one with the universe, and the universe is one with me! ➡️ Where will we stay? Deluxe shared rooms with cozy ambience for a relaxed experience. Real pictures included--subject to availability--or an equivalent arrangement. The intention is to connect with locals, learn about the place, and experience the culture, cuisine, and crafts; therefore, we shall lookout for residential stays with locals wherever possible. However, by informing early, a TripMate may choose to upgrade to a private room in the same facility by paying extra. (Subject to availability) ➡️ How will we get around? Cars with drivers will be booked around most destinations. Taxis, auto rickshaws, metro etc, can be used for local conveyance. ➡️ Who can join? I am seeking like-minded people who are fun-loving, sociable in nature and inclined to companionship with others. See you soon!
➡️ About me: I am a simple, happy and contented person. An explorer at heart. I love to explore different countries, cultures and people. I have a simple rule: Those who are weak, give them a helping hand; those who are good, be friends with them; those who are wicked, simply ignore!
➡️ Planning and communication: Save the trip! Ask me trip-related questions in the Q&A section, or send me a private message on JoinMyTrip! Once you join, I'll add you to the chat group for trip related questions before arrival. You'll also get to know your TripMates.🙂 ➡️ What next? Would you like to join me? Send me a message after reserving your spot, I'm looking forward to meeting you!
What's included?
Deluxe Accommodation (Shared rooms)
Airport transfers (pickup)
A very good breakfast (brunch) included
Car with driver between stops
A traditional-wear festive shopping
Health insurance for Austrians & Germans
Pandal hopping, city visit
Disco party / Dandia party
7 day-meals included
Durga puja Carnival | funfair rides
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A tech consultant by profession, an explorer at heart, celebrating life with enthusiasm! Awestruck by the panorama of the world!
You can chat with Om once you reserve your spot.
Trip Itinerary
1
Kolkata
Day 1-3
We meet up at Kolkata. Day 1-3: Shopping, city tour, Durga puja celebrations Kolkata--The city of joy: Delicious food, mouthwatering desserts and city tour. Hey, this is my city, roam like a local here! Victoria: Enjoy the chariot ride at Victoria. Birla Planetarium / Indian Museum / Zoo Party at night. Enjoy Kolkata's nightlife! Take a morning city walk. Enjoy the mouthwatering traditional dishes Kolkata is known for, particularly the sweets--Keep trying new ones! Eco Park / Nicco Park / Aquatica / Millennium Park / Kumartuli / Zoo / Botanical garden. Enjoy the grand Durga-Puja celebration!!!
2
Kolkata
Day 3-8
Durga Puja Celebration Day 3-7 Day 3 (Shasthi): Popular pandal hopping north, Durga puja fair exploration Day 4 (Shaptami): Popular pandal hopping east, Durga puja fair exploration Day 5 (Maha-Ashtami): Popular pandal hopping south, Durga puja fair exploration Day 6 (Maha-Navami): Dandia/ Disco/ Cultural function Day 7 (Visharjan): Sindur khela, dhak, dhunuchi dance, pratima visharjan Day 8 (Departure): The trip concludes here. Return back home with gifts, sweets, and loads of good memories. You can also continue the trip by joining my 5 day Sikkim trip (Gangtok & Pelling) @ €699/- extra. Just let me know. Suggested Itinerary below.
3
Gangtok
Day 8
Gangtok and Pelling are Optional ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 8: We reach New Jalpaiguri. Now starts the magical 4-hour car journey towards Gangtok (Sikkim). (Carry Passport size photos) Sikkim situated in the Eastern Himalayan region with an area of 7,096 sq km and altitude ranging from 300m to 8,586m above sea level is a wonderland blessed with natural abundance from icy cold deserts, flowering alpine meadows, to lush green forests and emerald mountain lakes. The crowning glory of this wonderland is the magnificent Mt. Khangchendzonga (8,586m), the third-highest mountain of the world. A tourist hotspot, with avenues for mountain biking, hiking, paragliding, river rafting and yak safari. The city allows you to let loose your inner daredevil and explore the mighty Himalayas. Day 9-10 Experience a pleasant and relaxing stay at Gangtok, enjoy sightseeing, local markets, Indo-Tibetian food, and above all, peace and tranquility. Just be yourself! Attractions: Nature--Banjhakri Waterfall, Kupup lake, Seven sisters waterfall, Tashi Viewpoint, Tsomgo Lake Spiritual--Do-Drul Chorten, Enchey/Phodong/Rumtek monastery, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Parks--Deer park, Himalayan zoological park, Khangchendzonga National park (A UNESCO site). Day 11 Morning we start for Pelling.
4
Pelling
Day 8
Gangtok and Pelling are Optional ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pelling is Day 11: We take a beautiful 4-hour nature drive to Pelling (Sikkim). Day 12-13 Pelling: Offering jaw-dropping views of the Himalayas and the snow-capped Kanchenjunga, Pelling, in Sikkim, is a gorgeous tourist destination. With charming houses perched atop a wooded ridge, this hill town is framed by spectacular natural forests, making it a natural paradise. Attractions: Skywalk, Rabdentse ruins, Buddha Park (Ravangla), Kanchenjunga falls etc. Enjoy the nature, visit the monasteries, waterfalls, local sites and markets. This is a place for digital detox. Be at peace, feel soulful and rejuvinated by the mother nature. Realise, I am one with the universe; the universe is one with me!
5
Bagdogra International Airport
Day 8
Gangtok and Pelling are Optional ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 14 - We travel to Baghdogra Airport to return back home. Do you have your returns planned from Kolkata or Delhi? ➡️ We met as TripMates, became friends on the way, and travelled as one family. Have a safe journey back home. Or join my next trip and continue. See you in the next trip. Namaste🙏!
Trip Summary
Accommodation
Hotel & Apartments & Other & Bed & Breakfast
8 days trip
Kolkata, Kolkata & 3 more
Transportation
Car, Other
What's excluded?
International flights
Personal expenses
Gangtok+Pelling 5-days optional @ €599/-
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