River cruising is the new way to see India

On January 13, 2023, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Antara Cruises’ MV Ganga Vilas ship, an 18-suite vessel, set to travel 1,988 miles of waterways in India and Bangladesh.

On  January 13, 2023, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Antara Cruises’ MV Ganga Vilas ship, an  18-suite vessel decorated with Indian textiles and crafts, set to travel 1,988 miles of waterways in India and Bangladesh. With floor-to-ceiling windows, a sun deck, gourmet vegetarian food and a spa, the ship offers guest luxury and  elegance.

The journey spread across 51 days makes it the world’s longest river cruise, according to the organisers. The journey will cover cities and towns and more than 50 tourist spots like Buxar, Patna, Murshidabad, Kalna, Kolkata,  and Dhaka. From the iconic Ganga aarti to the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans, and the iconic flower market in Kolkata, the cruise will offer a mix of experiences — culture, spiritual and wildlife. The longest cruise doesn’t come cheap — tickets to board the MV Ganga Vilas costs between Rs 4.2 million (42 lakh)-4.5 million (45 lakh) per guest, and it is completely booked until 2024.

River-cruising has been around in Europe for a long time with companies like Avalon that ply cruises on rivers like the Rhine and the Danube. But it is fairly recent in India, though, the country has some long, navigable rivers like the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Narmada. They have been used in the past for transportation and navigation. And river cruises can give travellers a new way to see the rich and diverse landscape of the country, other than through road trips or train journeys.

“River-cruising as a concept is relatively new to India, however, it has great opportunities, especially given the culture and community, and history, developed and thrived around its river systems since time immemorial. For  millennia, our inland waterways have been instrumental for trade, economy, spiritualism, carrying travellers far and wide to share tangible and intangible riches,” says Raj Singh, founder-group chairman, Antara Luxury River Cruises.

The rise of river tourism is also bringing attention to important issues like  river cleanliness and safety. In 2014, the government launched the National Mission for Clean Ganga initiative to address the major contributors to the pollution in the country’s longest river. Ten passenger-ship terminals are  being built along National Waterway-2, an 891 km section of the Brahmaputra river. River tourism can also be a valuable source of income to the communities living on the banks of these great rivers. The pace of life on a river is unhurried, giving a chance to travellers to connect with the country’s cultural roots and experience at leisure vignettes of rural India, alight at small villages, and learn about the livelihoods that the river supports.

Antara Cruises also offers other cruise itineraries aboard the MV Ganga Vilas that are shorter in duration: from Kolkata to Murshidabad (West Bengal) runs for eight days and costs Rs 292,875, while a trip from Kolkata to Varanasi spans 12 days and costs Rs 437,250.

Cruising in Kerala

In south India, Adventure River Cruises takes guests on a seven-day  immersive river and canal cruises in the backwaters of Kerala, covering a journey of 150 km from Kochi down till Thotapally, and then up till Allepey, covering temples, churches, marketplaces, traditional dance and martial art schools and Ayurvedic medicine centres. From visiting unique metal mirror craftsmen in the town of Aranmula, to the bird sanctuary in Kumarakom and bell-metal craft makers of lamps and cauldrons in the village of Mannar, this is a unique voyage of discovery.

Cost: Approximately Rs 40,000 per night, per cabin on MV Vaikundam. Visit: adventurerivercruises.com

Another cruise in Kerala’s waterways is operated by CGH Earth, a group which owns many boutique properties in south India. Their cruise takes a round trip from Alleppey to Kumarakom on the Vembanad Lake in Kerala, considered the Venice of the east. A traditional ketuvellam — a houseboat used in the past for carrying grain and spices has been refurbished into a houseboat with modern amenities, powered by solar energy. From watching local fishermen at work with their Chinese nets to toddy-tapping, coir factories and paddy fields, this is a slow journey that’s rewarding.

Cost: Single-cabin houseboat is at Rs 28,000, and two-cabin houseboat at Rs 39,330, for double occupancy, per night, with breakfast, and taxes additional. Visit: www.cghearth.com/spice-coast-cruises

Cruising the Brahmaputra

On the mercurial Brahmaputra river in India's east, Adventure River Cruises, operates small ship cruises on MV Mahabaahu, a boat with 23 rooms decorated with local art and crafts, a sauna, sun deck and gourmet food, where you can take both upstream and downstream cruises between Jorhat and Guwahati. Personalised service with cruise director Neena Morada in charge of a dedicated crew, makes it a special experience.

The downstream cruise which starts at the tea city of Jorhat, makes land excursions to Sivsagar, the capital city of the Ahoms, who ruled over Assam for six hundred years. It also takes guests to Majuli, world's largest river island and also the cultural capital of Assam, where a sect of Hinduism called Vaishnavism thrives. One can visit the monasteries called sattras where the monks dance and sing, worshiping Lord Krishna, in the classical dance form called Sattriya.

There is also the Bhaona form of folk theatre, where masked performers perform scenes from the Ramayana and Dashavatar accompanied with music and dance. Passengers also get to visit the villages of the Mishing people who have Tibeto-Burmese roots and live in bamboo homes on stilts and subsist by fishing, weaving and agriculture.

The cruise them passes the Kaziranga National Park with a boat cruise to begin with, followed by an elephant safari through grasslands, and a Jeep safari to see the one-horned rhinos, tigers and a prolific bird population. The cruise ends in Guwahati with a farewell dinner and a visit to the famous Kamakhya temple.

What's unique about the cruise is the opportunity to visit remote villages, interact with the locals, buy colourful textiles with tribal motifs, and unique experiences like dinner on a sandbank, floating oil lamps on the river, nature walks, yoga sessions and talks by naturalists.

Cost: MV Mahabaahu has four types of cabins starting at around Rs 37,000 per night, per person, with meals and excursions excluding alcohol, laundry, etc. They have both upstream and downstream cruises in Assam. Visit: adventurerivercruises.com

Most of the river cruises in the north, run between October and April because of water levels in the rivers.