- The Indian Government is also looking to construct additional berthing facilities.
- India has already seen a 20 per cent rise to 443 river cruise voyages in the 2024/25 season.
- Now the Government has ambitious plans to triple the number of river cruise passengers to 1.5 million over the next few years.
The growing popularity of river cruising in India has spurred the Indian government to explore the opening of more than 50 waterway routes across the country.
In order to boost river cruise voyages among international visitors, India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is conducting feasibility studies about opening up more than 50 routes across 47 waterways in the country.
India has already seen an increase of almost 20 per cent to 443 river cruise voyages in the 2024-25 season.
Now the government has ambitious plans to triple the number of river cruise passengers to over 1.5 million over the next few years.
But it can only achieve these figures if more rivers and navigable waterways are open and additional berthing facilities are constructed.
Today, international visitors only cruise the Ganges and Brahmaputra in north-east India. The waterways of Alappuzha in Kerala are also looking to attract foreign tourists.
On the popular Ganges River, most river ships ply between Kolkata and Patna while some sail the Upper Ganges to reach Varanasi.
The Brahmaputra, one of the world’s biggest rivers in the world, usually sail between Jorhat and Guwahati before joining the Ganges-Hooghly and ending in Kolkata. This has been a particularly popular route among international travellers as they are able to explore attractions such as tea plantations, Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries and national sanctuary parks for elephants and rhinos.
Most international river cruise companies operate the Ganges and Brahmaputra routes including APT, Scenic, Uniworld and Pandaw.
APT offers a variety of cruises covering Kolkata and the Lower Ganges and a longer itinerary to visit the Golden Triangle, Kolkata, Varanasi and Lower Ganges. Your adventure starts in Kolkata then sail aboard APT’s Ganges Voyager which has only 28 suites. You will visit Kalna, the City of Temples and take a rickshaw ride to town to visit some of Bengal’s most distinctive terracotta temples including the Rajbari royal palace complex. The best time to cruise the Ganges is between October and March when temperatures are cooler and more comfortable for sightseeing.    Â
Scenic has a 17-day luxurious India tour and river cruise from Kolkata to the Lower Ganges and its Hooghly tributary where grand colonial cities, spiritual landmarks and rural Bengal life unfold. The cruise aboard Scenic Aura will visit grand palaces, sacred temples and colonial river towns including Kalna with high tea at Kathgola Palace. They can also immerse themselves in the artisan villages in Matiari and Phulia where traditional brass, copper and weaving techniques have endured for centuries.
Uniworld has a 16-day luxurious cruise aboard Ganges Voyager II from Kolkata to the Lower Ganges followed by a land tour visiting New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Mumbai. The seven-night river cruise will be followed by six nights onboard the luxury train The Maharajas’ Express with one night stay in New Delhi and one-night in Mumbai. Highlights include a safari at Ranthambore National Park, a sanctuary for the Bengal tiger, leopards and gazelles.
Viking will start cruising in India late next year when the line launches the 80-passenger Viking Brahmaputra which will sail between Guwahati and Nimati Ghat in Assam. Viking is offering an eight-day cruise as part of a 15-day Wonders of India itinerary which has a land program in New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Highlights of the river cruise include rhino-spotting in Kaziranga National Park.
