Ganga Vilas Cruise to cost Rs 12.59 lakh per person: 10 highlights of world’s longest river cruise

2. The ship is about 62 metres long and 12 metres wide. It has three decks, 18 suites and a capacity of carrying 36 passengers.

3. The cruise is equipped with amenities such as a spa, salon, gym, music, cultural programs, an open-air observation deck, personalised butler service, etc., to provide a luxurious experience.

4. According to reports, there is a sewage treatment plant (STP) on the cruise to prevent pollution in the Ganga river. The ship also has a filtration plant which purifies water for bathing and other purposes.

5. Itinerary of the cruise:

Day 1: Launch from Varanasi

Day 8: Reach Patna via Buxar, Ramnagar and Ghazipur.

Day 20: Reach Kolkata via Farakka and Murshidabad.

Till Day 35: Dhaka, Bangladesh (halt for 14 days).

Day 50: Reach Dibrugarh via Guwahati and pass through Sibsagar.

6. The cost per day for one person on the MV Ganga Vilas is $300 (nearly, Rs 24692.25), New Indian Express quoted Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal as saying.

. Since the fare is the same for Indians and foreigners, the 51-day journey will cost $1,53,000 or about Rs 12.59 lakh per person.

7. The journey will cover around 3,200 km in 51 days from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh. The cruise will traverse 27 river systems in the two countries.

8. Some of the famous sites or places that the tourists will get to experience include, the ‘Ganga Aarti’ in Varanasi; Mayong, which is known for its Tantric craft; Majuli, the largest river island and hub of Vaishnavite culture in Assam, the biodiversity-rich World Heritage Sites of Sunderbans in Bay of Bengal delta, and the Kaziranga National Park.

9..The MV Ganga Vilas will set sail with 36 tourists from three countries, including Switzerland and Germany.

10. To help the vessel operators, the Centre is set to build a ship-repairing centre at the Pandu terminal under Cochin Shipyard Limited.