ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION (ABN) is an Indo-British joint venture, with offices in India and the UK. In 2003 ABN pioneered long-distance river cruising in India with their unique cruises on the River Brahmaputra in Assam, and in 2007 they were also the first to run cruises on the River Hugli between Kolkata and the Ganges. They were awarded the Indian National Tourism Award for Innovation in 2004-5. Their expertise in the field of river cruising on both waterways is unrivalled.

Their first luxury river boat, the “Charaidew”, with12 air-conditioned en-suite cabins was joined in 2006 by her near-identical sister ship “Sukapha”. Cruises operate in Assam from October to April, and in Bengal virtually all through the year.

Both vessels are 38m long twin-engine steel hulled passenger boats. They have been built to provide 12 generous-sized twin-bedded cabins with en-suite shower and W.C. All cabin accommodation is on the upper deck, as is a bar and saloon opening onto a front deck. A dining room with full length opening glass doors on each side is on the lower deck, while a large top sundeck offers additional comfortable open-air seating in shade or sun.

The maximum group size of 24 is well-matched to the numbers of riding elephants available in National Parks along the valley, while the need to use jeeps to access the river beaches also limits group size. The result is an ideal number for fostering a friendly house-party atmosphere onboard.