All about Ganga Vilas, the world’s longest river cruise that will be launched tomorrow

The MV Ganga Vilas

A luxury cruiser will set off on a historic tomorrow, winding through some of India's most famous cultural and religious sites. The MV Ganga Vilas will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi on January 13 and will reach Dibrugarh in Assam on March 1.

Touted the world's longest river cruise, it is planned around 50 tourist spots, that include national parks, world heritage sites and the cities of Patna, Guwahati, Kolkata and even Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

Those on board Ganga Vilas will get to experience Varanasi's famous Ganga Aarti, visit Sarnath, the site revered by Buddhists, and see Majuli, the hub of Vaishnavite culture in Assam. Tours of the Sunderbans and the Kaziranga national park are also part of the journey, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said.

The cruiser will have three decks and 18 suites, which can house 36 tourists. The first batch of tourists will be from Switzerland.

(Image credit: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways)

The 62-metre-long ship will be equipped with pollution-free systems and noise control technology.

Waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal said MV Ganga Vilas will put India on the global river cruise map

"The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is a step towards unlocking the huge potential river tourism in the country has to offer," he said. "Our rich heritage will get further transcended in the global stage as tourists will be able to experience the spiritual, the educational, the well being, the cultural as well as the richness of the biodiversity of India".

He described Ganga Vilas as the beginning of a "new era" in India's river cruise tourism

MV Ganga Vilas is a product of Kolkata-based Antara Luxury River Cruises.