Luxury cruise Ganga Vilas reaches UP's Varanasi, to be flagged off by PM Modi on Jan 13

The Ganga Vilas luxury cruise, which left Kolkata on December 22, reached Ramnagar Port in Varanasi on Tuesday. The cruise which was scheduled to reach Varanasi on Saturday arrived late due to bad weather

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the 51-day river cruise, to be flagged off by him on January 13, is a unique opportunity to connect with the country's cultural roots and discover beautiful aspects of its diversity. He was reacting to Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's tweet about what has been described as the world's largest river cruise.

The minister said, "A trail through India's ancient heritage on some of the mightiest rivers of the world. Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, will be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi ji Jan 13. Join this majestic journey." The Ganga Vilas luxury cruise, which left Kolkata on December 22, reached Ramnagar Port in Varanasi on Tuesday. The cruise which was scheduled to reach Varanasi on Saturday arrived late due to bad weather, said sources.

The cruise will move from the Ramnagar port to Sant Ravidas Ghat where it will be given a grand welcome. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually flag off the MV Ganga Vilas Cruise Yatra on January 13. The luxury triple-deck cruise will travel on the world's longest waterway from Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam. The cruise will have a capacity of 80 passengers with 18 suits.

This cruise will go on an adventurous journey for 51 days and pass through Bangladesh for 15 days. Following this, it will go to Dibrugarh through the Brahmaputra river in Assam. The luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 kms and pass through 5 states in India and Bangladesh.

This cruise will pass through a total of 27 river systems of UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Assam. The cruise will pass through three major rivers Ganga, Meghna, and Brahmaputra. The cruise will enter the Bhagirathi, Hooghly, Bidyavati, Malata, and Sundarbans river systems in Bengal.

In Bangladesh, it will pass through Meghna, Padma, and Jamuna in Bangladesh and then enter the Brahmaputra in Assam. According to an official statement, the 51 days cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sights, National Parks, river Ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam. (With Agency inputs)