MV Ganga Vilas: Here’s how the Varanasi-Dibrugarh cruise will look like

3200 km लम्बे रिवर क्रूज़ के साथ पर्यटन में एक नए दौर का आगमन!

कल, श्री @narendramodi जी काशी से डिब्रूगढ़ के बीच विश्व के सबसे लंबे रिवर क्रूज MV #GangaVilas का उद्घाटन करेंगे। 27 नदियां व 50 पर्यटन स्थलों को छूता यह क्रूज़, एक रोमांचक यात्रा का पर्याय होगा। #LongestRiverCruise pic.twitter.com/0IVOT0lfF0

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 11, 2023

The voyage is packed with visits to 50 tourist spots, including World Heritage spots, national parks, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam.

With the launch, Union Minister of Road and Transport Nitin Gadkari said India will “gain a huge boost in inland water transportation” and “accelerate tourism”.

India is set to gain a huge boost in inland water transportation by launching the world’s #LongestRiverCruise, named MV Ganga Vilas. It will sail from Varanasi to Dibrugarh via Bangladesh across 27 river systems and take 51 days. pic.twitter.com/MWDhVk2qNm

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) January 11, 2023

It will make pit-stops to cover various historical, cultural and religious spots, including the famous Ganga Arti in Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath; and even Majuli, the largest river island in Assam. The travellers will also visit the Bihar School Of Yoga and Vikramshila University. The cruise will also traverse through the Sunderbans In the Bay of Bengal delta, as well as Kaziranga National Park.

The vessel has three decks,18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the luxury amenities. The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire length of the journey. It will cost approximately Rs 25,000 per person per day, the operators told The Indian Express.

It will explore forty historic sites on the banks of the river Ganga including, Mahabodhi temple, Hazarduari Palace, Katra Masjid, Bodh Gaya, Chandanagar church, Char Bangla Temple and more.

The project is in line with the prime minister’s endeavour to boost river cruise tourism and herald a new age of tourism for India. The PMO has added that the cruise has been curated to bring out the best of India to be showcased to the world.

(with inputs from PTI)