ASSAM BENGAL NAVIGATION, is an Indo-British joint venture, with offices in Guwahati and London. In 2003 ABN pioneered long-distance river cruising in India with unique cruises on the River Brahmaputra in Assam, and in 2007 it was also the first to run cruises on the River Hugli between Kolkata and the Ganges.

The first luxury river boat, the "Charaidew" with 12 air-conditioned en-suite cabins was joined in 2006 by her near-identical sister ship "Sukapha". The ships operate on the Brahmaputra from October to April, and on the Hugli during the summer months.

Wildlife and wilderness are the main features of a Brahmaputra cruise - the river bed is often 20 or 30km across, an empty world of sand spits and water with marvelous bird life and the occasional Gangetic Dolphin. The cruises here also give access to a number of India's National Parks, including Kaziranga, perhaps the finest of all, and Manas, a Project Tiger Reserve on the Bhutan border.

The Hugli is a more intimate waterway, bordered by villages and rural landscape of jute fields and mango orchards. The emphasis here is on monuments and culture, whether Hindu, Muslim or Colonial.