RV Katha Pandaw reached Varanasi, India last week sailing 14 nights up the Ganges River from Kolkata covering about 1000 km. It was a great moment for all guests to sail past the river ghats of the oldest city in the world.
Fares for the 14-night "Spend Christmas in India" (Upper Ganges River) from Kolkata to Varanasi start from US$5,022 (from US$4,464 for members).
Katha Pandaw is one of Pandaw Cruises' smaller boats (in the K-class fleet) built in Saigon and launched in 2011. Its shallow draft allows navigation on Irrawaddy River in Middle Burma. Initially, riverboat's cruise itineraries were from homeport Mandalay, also including sections of Upper Chindwin River.
In 2019, the ship was relocated to India for Lower Ganges River cruises leaving from homeport Kolkata. The boat was named after Myanmar's port town Katha located on the Irrawaddy River. Katha Pandaw became the 3rd Pandaw ship (together with Kalaw and Orient) relocated from Myanmar to India in 2019.