Along waterways (from Allahabad)

geeree

Has anyone had any experience with traveling on the Ganga in a boat? I've been staying by that river in Allahabad for the last three years and we were wondering how a journey by boat would be.

I hear people have been going to Varanasi from here in this manner. But the boatmen whom I asked keep telling exorbitant travel-time and cost (20 days and Rs 70,000). I was thinking of taking a relatively small ride up to Sirsa (where the Ganga meets the Tons). The time and cost are manageable for this (12 hours and about Rs 2,000). A fishermen told me that September would be a good time for this.

Anyone has any advice or experience to share?

Girish

Khandoma

No personal experience, sorry. Just wanted to suggest this great book : "Slowly Down the Ganges", by the British travel writer Eric Newby ( published by Picador). The guy and his wife travelled 1,200 miles downriver, from Hardwar to the Bay of Bengal. Your travel plan is much more reasonable, and the book was written in the 1960's, but still, it might give you some flavour as to what to expect.

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arunchs

Well, slowly down the Ganges is set nearly 40 years ago, but things would not have changed much... According to Newby, this stretch should not be hard to make, but do read the book.

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machadinha

I think there's very little conclusive on it on this forum, but you might try this thread Is it possible to boat down the ganges? & further links pointed to there.

In the light of this, leave your findings here by all means.

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wonderwomanusa

That exhorbitant price probably is meant to disourage you from a trip the boatmen really don't want to make. And of course, it has to cover their lost earnings in the Allahabad area, and transporting the boat back to Allahabad, against the current which at this time of the year must be quite strong.

geeree

Thanks for the references. What had inspired me was Ilija Trojanow's Along the Ganga: To The Inner Shores of India. But maybe I should take a look at Newby sometime. I will post newer findings here once I go through the references and talk to the boatmen.

Girish