by James Ruggia
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Thu January 15, 2015
PHOTO: Pandaw River Expeditions is celebrating 20 years Asian river cruising with discounts in 2015. (Courtesy of Pandaw River Expeditions)
In order to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Pandaw River Expeditions is offering discounts on some of its cruises for those who book before Jan. 31. The savings are available on sailings on the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers in Myanmar; the Red River in Vietnam; the Mekong in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos; and the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Hooghly Rivers in India.
"A Pandaw river expedition is exceptional value for money as all meals, excursions, crew gratuities and local soft drinks, beer and spirits are included in the price on Pandaw-owned ships," said Hugh Clayson, Pandaw's Commercial Director. "Unlike many operators we often have no or low single supplements for solo travelers."
Pandaw cruises strive to be relaxed and casual, which gives them a real point of distinction from the other cruise lines they compete with. The company began in 1995 when historian Paul Strachan and Roser Strachan began chartering Irrawaddy River ships to run cruises. In 1998, they purchased The Pandaw, a steamer built in their native Scotland, and sought to revive the spirit of the old Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, which operated on the river from 1865 until the Japanese conquest of Burma in 1942.
In recent articles in Vacation Agent and Agent@Home, I mistakenly asserted that Belmond's Road to Mandalay single handedly pioneered the Irrawaddy for Western cruisers. In fact, Pandaw was there in 1995 with its charters as well.
In 2003, Pandaw began running cruises in Vietnam and Cambodia on the Mekong. Today the company operates eight ships in Myanmar: RV Kalaw Pandaw - 20 cabins, RV Kindat Pandaw - 18 cabins, RV Katha Pandaw - 16 cabins, RV Pandaw 2 - 24 cabins, RV Indochina Pandaw -30 cabins, RV Orient Pandaw -30 cabins, RV Zawgyi Pandaw - six cabins, reaching Bhamo during the entire season and the RY Kalay Pandaw - five cabins, the only ship which can ply the Chindwin River during the entire season. The ships are replicas of colonial steamers used by the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company and fit perfectly to the country's history.
On Oct. 27, Pandaw will sail the RV Rajmahal on the most sacred stream of all, the Ganges, on a 16-night cruise called The Holy Ganges and The Hooghly Rivers. The one-off itinerary will sail from Varanasi all the way to Kolkata. Along the way, passengers will visit the Dasaswamedh Ghat steps at sunset for the Varanasi Ganga Aarti rites and explore the city's streets.
After a three-night land program, guests board the 22 cabin ship at Sujata Kuti. Passengers will explore locations along the river including Sikh temples and Buddhist monasteries. Pandaw guests will also visit the bridge at Mokameh before sailing onto the Rajmahal Hills.
As the ship enters the Hooghly River, excursions include such destinations as the Katra Mosque and Nashipara and Katgola Palaces. In Kalna, tri-shaws take guests to see some of Bengal's most attractive terracotta temples, as well as well as a fine Shiva temple before travelling onto the historic city of Kolkata.
The 22-suite RV Rajmahal features a crew to passenger ratio of 2 to 1, making the service standards extremely attentive. Pre and post- extensions are available in Delhi (including a day trip to the Taj Mahal) and Kolkata. The $5,100 per person double price available for booking through Jan. 31 represents a saving of 15 percent.
The price includes a two-night stay at the Taj Gateway Hotel, Varanasi, a one-night stay at Hotel Royal Residency in Bodh Goya and a 13-night full board cruise from Patna to Kolkata. Also included are airport transfers, excursions, crew gratuities and on board lectures.
On The Mekong and Irrawaddy
The 14-night Irrawaddy (Rangoon to Mandalay) is priced from $4,290, a 25 percent saving with no single supplement. The discounted price is only valid on the Aug. 2 departure aboard the Pandaw II. The seven-night Chindwin (Monywa to Homalin) cruise-only price of $2,975 represents a 15 percent saving on the Aug. 8 and 15 departures aboard Kalay Pandaw. The seven-night Mandalay Pagan Packet (Mandalay to Pagan) is priced cruise-only from only $950 with no single supplement on all departures from July 18 to Oct. 17 aboard the Kalaw Pandaw.
The seven-night Classic Mekong (Saigon to Siem Reap) is priced cruise-only from $1,942, a 25 percent saving and no single supplement on Oct. 4 and Dec. 5 and 12 aboard the Mekong Pandaw.
The 10-night Laos Mekong (Vientiane to Chiangrai )is priced cruise-only from $2,600, a 20 percent saving on the Dec. 11 departure aboard the Laos Mekong. The 10-night Mekong Unexplored (Saigon to Siem Reap) is priced cruise-only from $2,196, a 20 percent saving on the July 8 and 18 departures aboard the Mekong Pandaw.
The seven-night Mighty Brahmaputra (Guwahati to Jorhat) is priced cruise-only from $2,805, a 15 percent saving on selected departures from Jan. 31 to March 13, 2016 aboard the MV Mahabaahu.
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