World Longest Luxury River Cruise from Varanasi to Assam via Bangladesh to Begin from January 2023.
From Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, the goverment proposes to run the world's longest luxury river cruise.
The government hopes to launch the service next year 2023 to boost the development os India's inland waterways.
Starting on January 10, 2023, the cruise will cover 4000 km long and take 50 days to complete the journey from Varanasi. It will pass through Kolkata and Dhaka before reaching Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district of India's eastern state Assam on March 1.
During the journey of 50 days, the cruise will cover 27 river systems and visit over 50 tourist sites, including World Heritage sites. This will be the world's longest river voyage by a single river ship.
Sarbananda Sonowal, the of ports, shipping, and waterways, said it would put India and Bangladesh on the map for river Cruising.
National parks, santuries and the Sundarbans delta will be visited during the cruise. A stunning Ganga aarti can be witnessed at the Assi Ghats of Ganga in the Varanasi by cruise passengers.
In addition, they can be explore the world's largest mangrove forest in the Sunderbans and Mayongs black magic. 18 luxury suites and other luxurious amenities will be available on the cruise.
Public private partnerships are expected to operate the Varanasi - Dibrugarh cruise. Inland waterways Authority of India has signed an agreement with Antra Luxury River Cruises and JM Baxi River Cruises. This operators would decide the ticket price without the Centre's intervention.
With the amendment to the Indian Vessel Act, cruise lines would have national permit to move seamlessly across states. This cruise will start in Varanasi and reach Patna on the 8th day passing through Buxar, Ramnagar, and Ghazipur. Before entering India, the cruise will cover almost 1,100 km in Bangladesh. This will be possible under the Indo-Bangladesh protocol route, which has already opened trade and transit channels connecting the two countries on the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.
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