ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION (ABN) is an Indo-Britishjoint venture, with offices in India and the UK. In 2003 ABN pioneeredlong-distance river cruising in India with their unique cruises on the RiverBrahmaputra in Assam, and in 2007 they were also the first to run cruises onthe River Hugli between Kolkata and the Ganges. They were awarded the IndianNational Tourism Award for Innovation in 2004-5. Their expertise in the fieldof 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-identicalsister ship “Sukapha”. Cruises operate in Assam from October toApril, and in Bengal virtually all through the year.

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

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

Food on board is a mixture of Assamese (milder than mostIndian cuisine) and continental. Wines, beer and spirits are available.

BENGAL CRUISES. The waterways of the old BengalPresidency now lie in the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, and inindependent Bangladesh. Here in the north of the region the rivers Ganges andBrahmaputra meet head to head and then flow out to the sea through the world’slargest delta. The rivers meet the sea through a maze of low-lyingmangrove-covered islands, the famous Sunderbans, home of the Royal BengalTiger. Inland however on the rich agricultural land lie prosperous towns andvillages, rich in history and culture. Cruises go north from Calcutta on theintimate River Hugli, and can be linked with cruises on the Ganges proper from FarrakkaBarrage on the Bangladesh border up to the historic city of Patna.