River cruise over Ganga and Brahmaputra all set to take off

The World's longest river cruise -- 'Ganga Vilas' -- from Varanasi to Dibrugarh via Bangladesh on January 13, coversa journey of 3200 km in 50 days and passing through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh, the cruise ship will give tourists a chance to visit over 50 architecturally important places, including world heritage sites

Additionally, this cruise will also pass through national parks and sanctuaries, including the Sundarbans Delta and the Kaziranga National Park. To make the experience on the cruise enjoyable, there will be facilities like music, cultural programs, a gym, a spa, an open-air observation deck, personalised butler service, etc.

According to the official website, the cruise vessel Ganga Vilas -- with a capacity of 80 passengers --  has 18 suites and all other associated facilities. "The cruise will meander across various prominent destinations that lie along Kolkata’s River Hooghly to Varanasi’s River Ganges,.

According to the timetable released earlier, Ganga Vilas Cruise will start its journey from Varanasi on January 13th and will reach Patna on the 8th day, passing through Buxar, Ramnagar and Ghazipur. From Patna, the cruise will set sail for Kolkata and will reach the West Bengal capital on the 20th day via Farakka and Murshidabad. The next day, it will set off for Dhaka and enter the Bangladesh border. It will remain in Bangladesh waters for the next 15 days.

Finally, it will come back to India through Guwahati before sailing through Sibsagar and reaching its final destination at Dibrugarh, home town of the Union Shipping minister.