Vivada Cruise – Destination: Sunderbans Kolkata has been a gateway for travelers to the East and North East of India for a long time. As a destination it offers a vast bouquet of choices ranging from Pilgrimage tours, history trails to wildlife destinations. Now there is yet another reason to visit East India , especially Kolkata as the state-of-the-art cruiser M. V. Paramhamsa offers to take you on an unforgettable journey into the Sunderbans – the world’s most mysterious forest. With complete on board services, the cruiser offers services and facilities of international standards.

Sunderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest delta nestled between the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and is also one of the largest tiger reserves of the world. Sunderbans is all about impenetrable mangrove forests, winding rivers, lush sundari trees, somnambulant crocodiles, spotted deer and the rare Olive Ridley Turtles.

The cruiser has 20 Deluxe Rooms on the main deck and 12 Luxury Rooms on the First deck, all air-conditioned with attached bath and hot & cold running water. The amenities include tea and coffee maker, intercom and locker on request. The cruiser offers regional Indian and western delicacies at its various restaurants and coffee shop and has a well stocked bar.

You can rejuvenate yourself with exotic Ayurvedic treatments in the massage parlours besides steam and sauna facilities or have a workout at the gymnasium.

Enrich your mind with the choicest of books and wildlife movies at the library or have a games session at the lounge. Explore the art gallery and artisan’s workshop for paintings, sculptures and a unique collection of tribal and modern art forms, some of them performing live or just laze around on the Sun deck. Onboard entertainment programmes showcase the best of rural Bengal and the folklore and folk songs of coastal Bengal . Piyali - the Gift shop- is an ideal place to take back lovely mementos of the Cruise.

The cruiser sets sail every Friday from the Strand Road Jetty ( Millennium Park ) in Kolkata, on a 3 nights / 4 day journey through the Sunderbans sailing along the beautiful Ganges River . The check-in on the cruiser is a day prior to the sailing day and one can have some good time exploring the cruiser. The first anchor is at Bhagabatpur for a visit to the Crocodile Project. A gala dinner is hosted the same evening on the cruiser accompanied with music from modern and traditional Bengal .

The following day is the day to experience the lifestyle of the people of Sunderbans, their traditions and culture along with the rich biodiversity of the region. One can visit watchtowers, go for canopy walk at some islands - Bonnie Camp, Netidhopani/Dobanki, Sajnekhali. Later in the evening the vessel anchors at Bali , a beautiful Sunderban village. One can experience farming, paddy husking, honey packing, fishing and various occupations of the region. After sunset one can enjoy a traditional dance drama Bono Bibir Pala, a rich folklore of Sunderbans. Later a traditional Bengali meal with Bengali folk songs are organized.

The fourth and the final day is for the cruiser to begin its journey back to Kolkata. Depending upon the tides the cruiser may anchor to allow for a visit to locales which were not visited on the previous days. The arrival at Kolkata is at 2100 hrs.