MV Ganga Vilas cruise launched. Check ticket prices, other details

Ganga Vilas Cruise: The 62-metre-long ship is equipped with pollution-free systems and noise control technology. (Image: antaracruises.com)

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

“The inauguration of the MV Ganga Vilas cruise will take India's tourism to global heights. Foundation stones have been laid for several other inland waterways projects worth more than Rs. 1,000 crores,” PM Modi said.

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, government sources claimed. 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 has three decks and 18 suites, which can house 36 tourists. The first batch of tourists will be from Switzerland.

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

Ticket prices and bookings

Tickets can be booked on the website of Antara Luxury River Cruises, the company that operates the ship. The inaugural cruise is fully booked, Raj Singh, founder and CEO of the cruise company, told Moneycontrol.

The cruise is fully sold and will not be open to the public for two years, said Kashif Siddiqui, director of sales and strategic marketing, India at Antara.

Siddiqui gave a break-up on the package complete with expeditions, sightseeing and entertainment as Rs. 42,500 plus taxes per person on twin-sharing and Rs. 85,000 plus taxes per suite per night. The whole package, according to him, is priced approximately at Rs. 40 lakh plus taxes.

He said suites on the ship were sold for Rs 38 lakh for double occupancy for the entire trip of 54 nights around a year ago.

In Pics: Ganga Vilas: 51 days, 3,320 km and 50 tourist spots—a cruise in luxury

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.