This is a sail through rivers of Bengal from Gour
dynasty, to the Ganga Sagar and through the creeks of Sunderbans, a
distance of more than 1000 km covered in six nights.
In this we cover Kolkata, Belur math, Chandannagar, Bandel, Chinsura,
Serampore, Mayapur, Nawadwip, Palassy, Murshidabad, Kalna, Dakshineswar,
Botanical gardens, Ganga sagar, Namkhana, Bhagavatpur, Lothian island,
Nethidopani, Dobanke, Sudhayanakhali Bali village
 It
is an experience
- Of various faces of the river - small, big and as large as a sea. some
places very narrow as if hugging the shores with all its love, some
places so wide as if allowing total freedom.
- Of various moods of the river – somewhere quiet, somewhere restless;
Serene, calm and yet full of life; full of activity
- Of monuments, architecture, lush green fields, winding rivers, the
mangroves and the wilderness.
- Of the art, culture, cuisine, lifestyle, music, dance
The
Cruises
The cruiser vessel M.V. Paramhamsa
is a four-decked vessel
Under Deck: Houses
all utilities - kitchen, engine room, cold storage, washing and laundry
room, crew accommodation, fuel and water tanks, sewage treatment plant
etc.
Main Deck: Has 20
air-conditioned luxury passenger rooms with attached bath.
First Deck: Has 12
luxury Family Rooms, the Bar and Restaurant, the massage parlour with
Steam and sauna facility and has a Promenade Deck which is converted
into activity area like Gym etc.
Sun Deck: This is the
top deck of the ship. This part has been exclusively created for Nature
viewing, sun lounging, Entertainment, Star gazing through Telescopes,
night vision Binoculars etc. It can also accommodate open-air
conferences with all facilities.
 Guest
Rooms: 20 luxury rooms of
135 sq ft in the main deck and 12 Luxury Suites of 162 Sq ft in the
first deck.
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All Rooms are River Facing
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Air conditioned with individual controller
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Attached Bath with Hot & Cold Water
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Intercom facility
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Personal Coffee/Tea Maker
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Locker on request
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The suites have extra bed provision
Bar and Restaurant
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Capacity 80 Pax
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Terrace restaurant
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Cuisines from all over the world
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Live Kitchen to try out local recipes
Activity Rooms
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Gym
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Massage Rooms
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Steam cum Sauna
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Juice counter
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Library and TV
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Loungers
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Gift Shop
E-Zone
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24hours wireless internet facility
Cruises Overview
Vivada offers weekly
sailings of four days and
three nights package, traversing the terrain of Sunderbans, East to West
and North to South.
Feast your eyes with the beautiful beach, river, village, forest,
numerous creeks and islands rich in flora and fauna. You can enjoy a
journey through the wonderful world of wildlife and the fabulous culture
and traditions of rural Bengal.
With Nature at its best, tranquil
yet wild, Sundarbans beckons both
the young and oldwho are adventurous and dare to take the challenge
of the unknown. It is also ideal for the ones seeking tranquility in
cruising through the quiet waters of Sunderbans.
While it is the most ideal setting for the families it
could also be the most suitable venue for the businesses
of the corporate icons with
full fledged conference facility on board.
Cusine
 Nature's
beauty is not the only feast on the Cruiser. Our delectable cuisines
offered by Chefs of repute prepare you for a memorable gastronomical
journey. Our spacious Multicuisine Restaurant (The
Mangrove) set amidst an
serene ambience on the first deck, offer a combination of delectable
gourmet from a variety of oriental and continental dishes.
Here, in the prime location of the ship, aroma drifts, delicacies
enthuse, service enthralls. We fuss over our guests with traditional
Indian hospitality and
lay out a lavish buffet for the gourmet in you.We pamper our guests with
an amazing array of Regional
Indian favourites which
has a good mix of the traditional and the innovative. On offer are also
Pan Asian culinary delights from the Chinese and Thai to
the Oriental and an exquisite range of Western
delicacies.
So, be it a vegetarian's delight or a non-vegetarian's lip-smacking
preparations, the Sunderban specials of prawn, shrimp and crabs will
always be standing by, if you choose to sample ethnic taste.
Our well-stocked bar (Matla) with
a wide collection of choicest liquors will be at your service to wash
down your sumptuous meal.
Enjoy the exotic, juicy Kebabs in the evenings on the Open Deck (Hooghly),
or have a leisurely sip at a stimulating cup of Cappuccino at our Coffee
Shop (Heron Point) perched
on the terrace!
You may also try your own recipe at the live
kitchen counter as well!
Entertainment
 The
evenings will be lit up by the various entertainment programmes on
board. An enriching time on the deck can be spent by enjoying the
various shows planned for the evening.
The programmes will showcase rural Bengal through various folk songs and
cultural activities.
Itinerary
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Day 1 -
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Check in at the Millennium
Park Jetty by 8.30
AM. M.V. Paramhamsa will
cast off at 9.00 AM, once all guests have checked in.
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The cruiser sets sail along the beautiful Ganges towards the south,
passing through the various heritage sites for seven hours to reach Namkhana,
a fisherman's cove and the Gateway to Sunderbans. The guests can
unwind, relax, soak in the beauty of the river, read books in the
library, interact with artisans or take an Ayurvedic massage.
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The cruiser will drop anchor at
Namkhana for the night. The guests will have several choices – watching
wild life film shows or a
talk with a wild lifer and
a dinner with music frommodern and traditional Bengal.
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Day 2 -
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At 5.30 AM the guests can see the spectacular sunrise,
while the cruiser sails towards the east. This day the guests will
experience the lifestyle of the people
of Sunderbans, their traditions, culture along with the rich
Biodiversity of the region.
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The busy fishing harbour will give an insight to the lifestyle of
the fishermen. The guests can buy fresh fish and other sea foods to
be cooked in the live kitchen counters.
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After the interaction of the guests with the fishermen, the cruiser
enters Sunderbans to navigate through the narrower creek of Hatania
– Doania. The guests
will have the first glimpse of the dense
mangrove and the vast
river system with several creeks flowing into the main rivers.
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The first excursion will be to Lothian
Island, a forest trail or visit to the
Crocodile project at
Bhagabatpur. Thereafter, the vessel will turn towards the
towards North-East.
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The vessel will again drop anchor at the confluence of the River
Malta and River
Bidya. From here the guests will be transferred to a small creek
boat for a ride through the creeks and shore visits to some of
exotic Sunderban islands – Nethidopani / Dobanki,Sajnekhali,
along with a Wildlifer, who will guide the guests to experience the
forest, sight animals and birds, explain various mangrove species
and tell interesting stories of the islands.
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Later in the evening before the sun sets, the vessel will anchor.
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After sun sets, the guests will enjoy a rich mythological folk drama
by the local artists.
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Later in the evening, the guests will enjoy a traditional Bengali
meal.
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The guests can also enjoy a romantic night with star gazing from the
sky deck, soak in the serenity and tranquility of nature.
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Day 3 -
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This morning there will two exciting shore visits – First a visit toBali,
a beautiful Sunderban Village. Guests will experience farming, paddy
husking, honey packing, fishing and various occupations of the
region. And..
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Second to Sudhonyakhali,
an island most visited by the Royal
Bengal Tigers.
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As we traverse back we will visit some of the other exotic locales
not visited on the previous day like Lothian
Island, orCrocodile project at Bhagabatpur before
starting the return journey to Kolkata.
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Day 4 -
Sailing through the various Ghats of the River Ganges, the cruiser
will pass the magnificent confluences of the rivers Rupnarayan and
Damodar and cross the ancient port of Diamond Harbour and the distant
Industrial town Haldia, on the opposite bank. The cruiser would reach
Kolkata by 11:00 AM.
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Day 5 -
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The vessel sails down the Howrah Bridge, the unique
Cantilever Bridge across the river Ganga joining the two metropolises
of Kolkata and Howrah. Sailing past the Howrah Railway Station, one of
the busiest in the world, and various heritage sites on the banks of
the great river, including the numerous temples and bathing ghats, the
historical point of Job Charnock, house of Dolls, Nimtolla Ghat and
oldest Gun & Shell Factory in India at Cassipur the tourists arrive at
Belur.
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Here the visitors disembark to visit Belur Math, a
‘shrine built’ by Swami Vivekananda, in honour of his great master
Ramakrishna Paramhamsa Deb, The visit will give an insight Sri
Ramakrishna’s equality of religious.
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By dusk the visitors embark the vessel to sail up the
river to Chandannagar, a colony of the French till 1950. At the
Chandannagar Strand, the ancient French colony comes alive with bands
recreating French flover. After a tour of the French Architecture of
historical importance in the Strand like the Church, the Clock Tower
and the old hotels, now housing the Civil Court and various educations
the visitors embark the vessel to be treated to a French Dinner,
befitting the ambience and the aroma of the French settlement of yore.
The vessel sails as the visitors dine and later anchors at Triveni for
the night.
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Day 6 -
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As the vessel sails, rural Bengal unfolds itself in all
its beauty, bounty and glory. The Forenoon is spent on board and
activities include a talk about the magnificent Ganga heritage by a
well-known Historian.
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The vessel reaches Mayapur, the headquarters of ISKON.
The visitors disembark at the divine abode of Lord Krishna. The rich
vegetarian lunch at the divine temple at Mayapur tantalizes the taste
buds with its purity and simplicity. The Hare Krishna cult of the
Gaudiya Vaishnav philosophy believes that Mayapur is the place of Sri
Chaitanya and it is the spiritual capital of the world.
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Nabadwip, the ancient capital of Lakhsman Sen, the
famous ruler of the Sen dynasty, situated in the western bank due to
the changing course of Ganga, was a great center of learning and
intellectual prowess, referred to as the Oxford of Bengal and the
place where Chaitanya Deb was born in 1486. This was captured by
Bakhtiyar Khilji, to pave the way for Muslim Rule in Bengal.
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The visitors enjoy a stroll through these twin towns of
Chaitanya faith and return to the vessel for a quiet evening to let
the divine feeling sink in. At night the vessel cruises to anchor at
Lal Bagh in front of HazarDuari, the Palace with thousand doors.
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Day 7 -
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Murshidabad is one of the oldest cities of West Bengal
and has a rich heritage. It was the capital city of Sasanka, the great
king of Gaur. The Nawab Murshid Ali Khan made Murshidabad the capital
city of Sube Bangal, comprising of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It was
last capital of independent Nawabs of Bengal and the first capital of
Bengal under the British.
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The visitors start the day with a pleasant walk through
Khushagh, an idyllic Mughal style Garden enclosing the tombs of
Siraj-ud-Dauiiah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal and his family.
The visitors return to the vessel for breakfast. As the recharged
visitors come back on land they visit places of historic interest like
the Nizamat Kila (the Fortress of the Nawabs), also known as the
Hazaarduari Palace (Palace of a Thousand Doors), built by Duncan Mc
Leod of the Bengal Engineers in 1837, in the Italianate style, the
Moti Jhil (Pearl Lake) just to the south of the place, the Muradbagh
Palace and the Khushbagh Cemetery, where the remains of Ali Vardi Khan
and Siraj Ud Daulah are interred. After visiting the Hazar Duari
Museum collections of pictures, china, weapons and other objects the
visitors see the great Katara Mosque and the 18th Century marvels of
the Nashipura Palace and the palace of Jagat Sett, both built in
classical Georgian style by rich local merchants and represents the
other side of the coin of the "White Mughal" period when English and
Indian cultures came close to fusion.
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In the afternoon, after a sumptuous lunch the visitors
have a delightfully expensive shopping experience of Murshidabad silk.
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Since the vessel will be in port throughout the day the
visitors can also plan to explore the city of silk on their own.
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After a day well spent, the cruiser bids good bye and
passes through the historic battleground of Palassey, where Robert
Clive’s men defeated Siraj-ud-Daullah’s soldiers ushering in British
Rule in India. Entertainment at nightfall is the highlight of the
evening as the cruiser winds its way back and the visitors carry with
them pleasant memories of - historical past and enjoy the
delightful cuisine.
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Day 8 -
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Visitors enjoy an early morning trip to the ancient
terracotta temples at Kalna. One may choose to take a cycle rickshaw
ride or have a lovely morning walk breathing in fresh air. The old
Shiva temple with concentric rings made up of 108 srinelets enthralls
the visitor with return to the vessel and head back to Kolkata. The
visitors cast a last, long, lingering look behind to have a clear look
at the Dutch Cemetery at Cainsura and the Portugese Church at Bandel.
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The cruise ends at about 3Pm at the Millennium Park,
Kolkata.
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All tours are guided tours with the historian, life
guards, wildlife experts, full service for drinks and munching snacks
while on excursions.
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