16 Facts About Ganga Vilas Cruise, World’s Longest River Cruise Full, Trip Costs Rs.20 Lakhs

Ganga Vilas Cruise is the longest river cruise in the world. This luxury triple-deck cruise is set to travel on the world’s longest waterway going all the way from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam. The course of this unique voyage is covering 27 rivers. The cruise is making the headlines as it is supposed to be.

As per the site of the company which owns the cruise, the Ganga Vilas cruise has been built with keeping a futuristic vision in mind along with a unique design. This cruise will saunter across various prominent tourist destinations that lie along Kolkata’s Hooghly river to Varanasi’s Ganges.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Ganga Vilas Cruise:

1. Ganga Vilas Cruise is the world’s longest river cruise.

2. The cruise is set to cover a distance of 3200 km in 51 days

The Ganga Vilas cruise is supposed to cover a distance as long as 3200 km. This whole course is supposed to be completed in 51 days.

3. The cruise to cover around 50 tourist destinations

According to a statement of Jaiveer Singh, the Tourism Minister of Uttar Pradesh, issued in Lucknow, the cruise is set to cover 50 tourist destinations on its course including world heritage sites, national parks, and river ghats.

It will also cover major cities in India like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Guwahati in Assam, and also Dhaka in Bangladesh. The route connects the two major river systems, the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems via Bangladesh, and will traverse both the Gangetic and Bengal Plains, as well as the beautiful Sundarbans and Assam Valley.

4. Top-notch cruise amenities

After hearing the word cruise the first thing that pops up in our minds is definitely nothing but luxury. The Ganga Vilas cruise has been fitted with special facilities such as a spa, salon, and gym. The cruise is also equipped with a pollution-free system and noise control technology.

5. The ticket price of the Ganga Vilas cruise per day will be around ₹25,000 to ₹50,000

For the whole trip of 51 days, the overall cost will amount to around ₹20 lakhs for each passenger. The carrying capacity of the luxurious ship is 36 passengers.

6. Sewage treatment plant on the cruise

To keep the water pollution in check, the cruise has been designed with a built-in Sewage Treatment Plant so that no sewage flows into the Ganges directly. A filtration plant has also been set up in the cruise to filter the impurities out of the water of the Ganges and make it fit for bathing and other such purposes.

7. MV Ganga Vilas is the first cruise vessel to be made in India.

8. The first passengers to board the cruise

There are 32 tourists from Switzerland, who will board the vessel on its first journey. In fact, they were welcomed at the Varanasi port with garlands and the melodious tunes of shehnai. They will first visit various religious and historical places in the heart of Varanasi before setting out on the cruise.

9. The accommodation facilities of the cruise

Raj Singh, the director of the cruise told the news agency PTI in an exclusive interview that this five-star moving hotel is studded with 18 suites with a capacity of 36 tourists. Apart from passengers, it also has enough capacity to accommodate 40 crew members.

10. Dimensions of the cruise

The Ganga Vilas cruise is around 62 meters in length and has a width of 12 meters along with a draft of 1.4 meters.

11. PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Tent City’

The PM inaugurated a ‘Tent City’ on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi, developed on the basis of similar setups in Gujarat’s Kutch and Rajasthan. Over 200 tents developed there will offer the tourists an enigmatic panoramic view of the famed ghats of the holy city alongside the river with live classical music to add to the vibe, ‘aarti’ in the evening, and yoga sessions.

12. Ganga Vilas cruise service started after a delay of 2 years

The Ganga Vilas River Cruise Service was all set to start in the year 2020, but due to the pandemic situation around the world, it got delayed and now it has finally set sail on its journey on January 13. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath claims that all the tickets for Ganga Vilas have already been booked for the next 2-3 years.

13. Ganga Vilas luxury cruise, ‘Jalmahal’, has been flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi on January 13

14. How to Book Ganga Vilas Cruise?

The tickets for the cruise can be purchased from the official website of Antara Luxury River Cruises. At present, bookings are closed since the ongoing voyage is already booked by a Switzerland company. The next voyage is most likely to be held in the month of September for which booking will open.

15. Ganga Vilas cruise owner is Raj Singh

Ganga Vilas is operated by a Kolkata-based company named Antara Luxury River Cruises and it is owned by Raj Singh.

16. The reason for such initiative

PM Modi said while launching the Ganga Vilas cruise that it is going to become a major means of showcasing Indian rivers as well as the civilizations here. This cruise which set sail from Varanasi on January 13 will reach Dibrugarh on March 1.