Sampan Travel

15/04/2026

14/04/2026

Our 39 Hours to Kohima trek over the Naga Hills, ends at the iconic Kohima War Cemetery.

This is where the men of the Assam Regiment, whose withdrawal from Jessami led by Lt. Col. "Bruno" Brown, arrived in April 1944, on the eve of the Battle of Kohima.

This ferocious battlefield is often referred to as "The Battle on the Tennis Court" as Allied and Japanese soldiers fought over the width of the tennis court of Deputy Comissioner Sir Charles Pawsey. The site of Pawsey's bungalow (and his tennis court), is where the Cemetery is today.

Brown and his men arrived at the Bungalow in Kohima at 15:00 on 3 April 1944. 82 years later, our bold walkers did the same.

A small programme was held upon our arrival, and on the 4 April we returned for a wreath laying ceremony, led by Charlotte Carty (granddaughter of Brown), and veterans of the Assam Regiment.

Find out more here:
https://www.sampantravel.com/journeys/39-hours-kohima-india-endurance-trek/

Photos taken by our brilliant Head Guide

08/04/2026

Five hundred years ago, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Bengal by sea, initiating a period of upheaval and destruction. Word had spread among traders that Bengal was a land of abundant natural wealth. In 1580, the Portuguese secured permission from the Mughal Emperor Akbar for the foundation of a Portuguese settlement at the highest point on the river that seafaring vessels could safely navigate. This settlement became the city of Hooghly. (One likely origin of the name “Hooghly” is the Portuguese word "gola", denoting the storehouses on the river’s banks.)

Robert Ivermee () writes that “the boom of Portuguese Hooghly would last just fifty years.” Emperor Shah Jahan, grandson of Akbar, was concerned by the growth of Portuguese influence. In 1632, his forces destroyed the city. However, a precedent had been set.

Towards the end of the 1600s, the Danish had settled at Serampore and the French at Chandannagar, both on the western banks of the river. While the efforts of Danish missionaries ultimately withered, the ideas of the lumières birthed with the French Revolution, were later elevated as a counterweight to British imperialism. Robert Ivermee argues that the settlement of Chandannagar was championed as an island of liberty, equality and fraternity in “an English-dominated sea of despotism and despair.”

In the twentieth century, ideas of representative government and human rights rooted in Enlightenment philosophy would be mobilised by Indian nationalists in the guise of the Bengal Renaissance.

In November 2026, Sampan is launching our "Great Hooghly Bazaar". Cruising up the Hooghly, we’ll explore India through the prism of the river: it’s spirituality, its history and its ecology today.

Onboard the ABN Rajmahal, there will be a programme of curated talks and panel discussion with writers, filmmakers and environmentalists who’ve thought deeply about the world through which this river runs – including Robert Ivermee himself.

Booking is open. Contact us at [email protected]



https://www.sampantravel.com/journeys/specialised/great-hooghly-bazaar/

05/04/2026

Some early snaps from our 133km hike over the Naga Hills, remembering the men of the Assam Regiment in 1944.

The walk was completed in 39 hours, from the village of Jessami in Manipur to Kohima.

Photos taken by our brilliant Head Guide

More here:
https://www.sampantravel.com/journeys/specialised/39-hours-kohima-india-endurance-trek/

05/04/2026

In February 2027, .robert is back with us in Myanmar on our WW2 "Beyond the Chindwin" 12-day journey.

Booking is now open.

We follow in the footsteps of General Slim’s Fourteenth Army as he reconquers Burma in WW2. This battlefield tour of the Burma Campaign incorporates expert local guides and private film screenings. This journey honours the men that fought and explores how WW2 led to where Myanmar is today.  

In 1944, Slim’s Fourteenth Army was hardened from the victorious but brutal battles of Kohima & Imphal in India. In November of that year, Slim established bridgeheads on the east bank of the Chindwin River at Kalewa. The following year they crossed the river in force and fought the Japanese back to Rangoon. It was the dramatic conclusion to the Burma Campaign. A gruelling theatre of war that amassed in its tide men and women from all corners of the globe. 1945 was also the year in which Aung San, young Burmese nationalist, marched his Burma Independence Army to join Slim. Aung San would fight against the Japanese and in doing so, ultimately liberate his country.

Sampan guarantees small groups and a bespoke service beyond the parameters of this itinerary. We like extensions; we love customization. Contact us and reserve your spot.  

This tour next takes place 3-14 February 2027. Booking is now open.

hello(at)sampantravel.com


More here:

26/02/2026

Join Sampan on this 14 day journey up the hidden road into the former Buddhist Kingdom of Sikkim. Explore Darjeeling with Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, first man to summit Everest. We will delve into the history of Sikkim in its Tibetan Monasteries and the Palace at Gangtok, before spending 3 days hiking through the woods.

Sikkim, squeezed between Nepal and Bhutan, tucked under the belly of Tibet, is one of India’s smallest and most remote states. Once an independent Buddhist Kingdom, this hidden land used to encompass the towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. It was the principal thoroughfare of the Old Tibet Tea Trail, launching pad of British expeditions of the Great Game, and holy grail for keen botanists such as JD Ho**er. That road is now lost. But Sikkim remains.

Our journey starts in Darjeeling, where Jamling will lead us to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute before taking lunch at his family residence. Here we will hear stories about Jamling’s father and the heritage of Sherpas and the Himalayas. We will be given access to the family’s private museum and that evening over drinks Jamling will present a screening of his movie “Everest”.

We will next journey to Kalimpong, described by Indian Prime Minster Nehru in the 1950s as a “nest of spies.” In the years between the British left and the Indian annexation of Sikkim, during the crux of the Cold War, Kalimpong was home to a cast of colourful characters, including the Dalai Lama’s brother and Foreign Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Gyalo Thondup.

We will then enter Sikkim – described as a “beyul” or “hidden land” by early Tibetan travellers. After exploring Gangtok and learning how Sikkim came to be annexed by India in 1975, we will spend three nights hiking through the quiet woods of Sikkim, visiting monasteries and staying overnight in small Sikkimese cottages.

Our tour will end at the Glenburn Tea Estate. Overlooking the hills of Tukdah, the Glenburn Tea Estate is at the pinnacle of hospitality in the Darjeeling area. Our final two nights will be spent in the lap of luxury, sipping “silver tips” in porcelain cups.

Sampan’s The Hidden Road journey will take place 18 April – 1 May 2026. More here:

Hike through the foothills of the Sikkim Himalayas and explore Darjeeling with Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of the Tenzing Norgay.

18/02/2026

In November this year, we launch “The Great Hooghly Bazaar” – a literary journey up Bengal’s mightiest river.

We will be joined on the river by historian Robert Ivermee, author of “Hooghly: The Global History of a River”.

In his book, Robert writes:

“During its time in the global spotlight, the Hooghly was witness to the best and worst of human nature. It saw curiosity, generosity, and friendship, along with beauty and creativity in the production of art and literature or scientific and technological innovation. Simultaneously, it witnessed violence, cruelty, greed, and exploitation, often accompanied by pretensions of cultural, religious, or racial superiority.”

Bengal was one of the richest provinces within the Mughal Empire (1526-1857), governed by the Nawabs in Murshidabad, on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, 200 kilometres north of where today lies Kolkata.

Five hundred years ago, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Bengal by sea, initiating a period of upheaval and destruction. Word had spread among traders that Bengal was a land of abundant natural wealth. In 1580, the Portuguese secured permission from the Mughal Emperor Akbar for the foundation of a Portuguese settlement at the highest point on the river that seafaring vessels could safely navigate. This settlement became the city of Hooghly.

Robert writes that “the boom of Portuguese Hooghly would last just fifty years.” Emperor Shah Jahan, grandson of Akbar, was concerned by the growth of Portuguese influence. In 1632, his forces destroyed the city. However, a precedent had been set.
Towards the end of the 1600s, the Danish had settled at Serampore and the French at Chandannagar, both on the western banks of the river. While the efforts of Danish missionaries ultimately withered, the ideas of the lumières birthed with the French Revolution, were later elevated as a counterweight to British imperialism. Robert argues that the settlement of Chandannagar was championed as an island of liberty, equality and fraternity in “an English-dominated sea of despotism and despair.”

In the twentieth century, ideas of representative government and human rights rooted in Enlightenment philosophy would be mobilised by Indian nationalists in the guise of the Bengal Renaissance.

Robert will be with us throughout our 7 days on the River Hooghly, taking part in a programme of curated talks and panel discussion with other writers, filmmakers and environmentalists who’ve thought deeply about the world through which this river runs.

Booking is now open. Contact us to see the full itinerary and reserve your cabin.



More here: https://www.sampantravel.com/journeys/specialised/great-hooghly-bazaar/

09/02/2026

Over millennia, Bengal’s Hooghly River has drawn to it both secular migrants and pilgrims in search of the sacred. It has inspired poets and powered empires. Traders and adventurers from across the world have journeyed here. As a result, the settlements on its banks are a melting pot of ancient tradition and global influences.

 

In his seminal book "Hooghly", Robert Ivermee writes that “During its time in the global spotlight, the Hooghly was witness to the best and worst of human nature. It saw curiosity, generosity, and friendship, along with beauty and creativity in the production of art and literature or scientific and technological innovation.”

The Hooghly has also seen violence and cruelty. In 1947, the great Partition saw Bengal split in two. The Hooghly became the western boundary that dissects the Ganges Delta between India and Bangladesh, making this region what Sam Dalrymple describes as one of the most fortified and fenced zones on the planet.

In November 2026, Sampan is launching "The Great Hooghly Bazaar". Cruising upstream, we’ll explore India through the prism of this river. Excursions will be complemented with curated talks by writers who have thought deeply about the world through which this river runs.

Starting and ending in Kolkata, aboard the ABN Rajmahal () we will make morning excursions to the Hooghly Imambara, Plassey, and the Mughal city of Murshidabad. Afternoons will be peppered with talks and panel discussions. There will also be plenty of time to sit, read, have a drink and watch the life of the river pass by.

The Great Hooghly Bazaar is a floating exploration of ideas – with great food in good company – on one of the world’s most interesting rivers. We hope you can join us.

The Great Hooghly Bazaar takes place 24 November – 4 December 2026. Booking is now open. Contact us at hello(at)sampantravel.com to see the full itinerary. 

More information here: https://www.sampantravel.com/journeys/specialised/great-hooghly-bazaar/

Photos from ABN & Parker Hilton.