Vivada Cruises Sunderban West Bengal, Sunderban Cruises West Bengal, Cruises in Sunderban West Bengal

A Journey Through Wilderness..

Unleash the adventurous self in you! Imagine, sailing through the call of the wilds, dense mangrove forests and the footprints of the elusive tiger! And all this, in a sprawling luxury ship…

Welcome to sunderban cruises, that unfolds the details of a magnificent day and night River Cruise to the

Sunderbans brought to you by Vivada Inland Waterways in collaboration with West Bengal Forest Development Corporation.
The cruise promises the combines of luxury with eco-tourism, adventure sports, leisure and nature trek on a 400-km tri.

Sunderbans in a nuttshell :

'Sunderbans’ – located at the Southern tip of West Bengal, India is an enchanting land of rich bio-diversity, natural flora and fauna and dense mangrove forests. The Sunderbans is the largest delta, the largest Mangrove Swamp and the largest Estuarine National Park in the World. This vast delta covers 4264 Sq. kms. of land area in India (the larger area forming a part of Bangladesh) and has one of the largest Tiger Reserves in the World covering 2585 Sq. kms.

Ensconced between Rivers Brahmaputra and the Ganges - the two great Indian rivers, and River Meghna in Bangladesh, Sunderbans was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 for its great natural wealth. The climate in the Sunderbans is moderate with high humidity. Monsoon starts around June and continues till September. The annual average rainfall is between 65 and 70 inches.

The Cruiser.

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, and a Queen suite.

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 actiivty 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 has an exclusive lounge for conference with all the facilities and a library.

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.

All Rooms are River Facing

Air conditioned with individual controller
Attached Bath with Hot & Cold Water
Intercom facility
Personal Coffee/Tea Maker
Locker on request
The suites have extra bed provision

Bar and Restaurant

Capacity 80 Pax
Terrace restaurant
Cuisines from all over the world
Live Kitchen to try out local recipes

Activity Rooms

Gym
Massage Rooms
Steam cum Sauna
Juice counter
Library and TV
Loungers
Gift Shop

Other Specification of M.V Paramhamsa

Length 55 mtrs
Breadth 12 mtrs
Draft 1.5 mtrs
Speed 12 Knots
Classed under Indian Registry of Shipping

Destinations Covered .

Starting from the Strand Road Jetty (Millennium Park), the ship cruises along small and picturesque locales adjacent to Kolkata like Budge Budge, Falta, Raichak, Diamond Harbour and Kakdwip to come to a break at Namkhana, a fishing town of South Bengal, where the ship stops and then cruises through Hatania - Doania River.

You will get an opportunity to marvel at the rare Olive Ridley turtles and the lazy crocodiles basking in the sunshine when the vessel stops at the Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project which is a hatchery cum sanctuary, home of the biggest Estuarine Crocodiles.

The Lothian Island, a place famous for its White-Bellied Sea-Eagle, Black-capped kingfisher, Whimbrell, Tern and Curlew offers an exciting walk, through the island.

The Kalas Beach a densely wooded island where the Matla River meets the Bay of Bengal. We have forest guards to guard from the Man Eaters.

Bonnie Eco-Tourism Camp - West Bengal Forest Department provides the tallest watch tower and well appointed cozy accommodation here, in case you want to stay back and enjoy.

The vessel will touch Nethidopani where there is an enchanting 300 year old temple which men of every caste and creed to pray. Enroute, you will also get to see the imposing Dobaki.

Sajnekhali Forest Range, the very popular walk and intrepretation centre, Sudannakhali and Bali Community Centre. A village where one can understand the unique relationship between man and man eaters. How poachers have turned conservators and how community work helps in preserving the nature.

The most enchanting of all destinations covered by the cruise is however, Burirdabri – a thick canopy of green forest and home to the world’s most elusive and majestic Royal Bengal Tiger.

Cuisine .

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 adventurous ambience on the first deck, offer a combination of delectable gourmet from a variety of oriental and continental dishes. You can take your pick from lip-smacking cuisine which has a special sea-food section on the sumptuous crabs, lobsters and fish.

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 theinnovative. 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) will be at your service to wash down your sumptuous meal with.

Enjoy the exotic, juicy Kebabs in the evenings on the open deck (Hooghly in Raimangal), or have a leisurely sip at a stimulating cup of Cappuccino at our Coffee Shop (Hiron Point) perched on the terrace!

You may also try your own recipe at the live kitchen counter as well!

Fact Files.

Vessel Facts

Classification:IRS
Port of registration: Kolkata, India
Built in: 2006
Length: 53 mts
Breadth: 12 mts
Draught: 1.5 mts
Speed: 12 knots (maximum)
Number of cabins: 32

Navigational Systems:

Mini SATCOM
Radio Telephone
GSM Mobile
VHF
Eco sounder
Radar

Sunderban Facts:

Place: 24 Paraganas district, West Bengal

Best time to visit: September to March. The region has a tropical climate with hot summers and cold winters. Maximum and minimum temperatures during the summer are 42°C and 37°C respectively. In winters, the maximum and minimum temperatures are 29°C and 9.2°C respectively.

Nearest airport: Nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport at Kolkata.

Distances from Major Cities

Delhi: 1350 km
Mumbai: 1710 km
Kolkata: 112 km
Bangalore: 1605 km

Main attraction: Royal Bengal Tiger, Crocodiles, Olive ridley turtles, Migratory Birds

Sunderbans Tiger Reserve:

Established in 1978 spread over an area of 2608 sq. kms.
Sixty percent of the demarcated area of the Sunderbans sprawling actually over 9630sq.km, is in Bangladesh.
The national park with a core area of 1330sq.km, has been designated as a World Heritage Site in 1985 and is a part of the Project Tiger.
The Sunderbans has three wildlife sanctuaries at Sajnekhali, Lothian Island and Haliday Island.

Travel Tips

Carry all the basic medicines along.
Carry all the essentials including mosquito repellent cream, light clothes, sun hat, thick rubber sole boots etc.
Don’t forget your camera

3 Nights and 4 Days Itinerary :

Departure from Kolkata (Millennium Park Jetty) Friday 2pm.
Return to Kolkata Monday Forenoon.

Day 1:

Check in at the Millennium Park Jetty by 1.30pm. M.V. Paramhamsa will cast off at 2.00 pm, once all the guests have checked in.
The cruiser set 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.
The busy fishing harbour will give an insight into the lifestyle of the fisherman. The guests can buy fresh fish and other sea foods to be cooked in the live kitchen counters for the dinner.
After the interaction with the fishermen, the cruiser enters Sunderbans to navigate through the narrower creek of Hatania – Doanina. The guests will have the first glimpse of the dense mangrove and the vast river system with several creeks flowing into the main rivers.
In the evening, the guests will have several choices – watching wildlife film shows or a talk with a wildlifer and a gala dinner with music from modern and traditional Bengal. The guests can also cook their fresh catches at the live kitchen counters with the chefs guiding them to the Bengali style of cooking.
The cruiser will drop anchor at Namkhana for the night.

Day 2:

At 5.30 am the guests can see the spectacular early sunrise, while cruiser sails towards the east. This day the guests will experience the lifestyle of Sunderbans, their traditions, culture along with the rich Bio diversity of the region.
The guests will visit watchtowers, go for a canopy walk at some of the islands – Boni Camp, Nethidopani, Dobanke, Sajnekhali, along with a wildlifer, who will guide the guests to experience the forest, site animals and birds; explain various mangrove species and tell the interesting stories of the islands.
Later in the evening before the sunsets, the vessel will anchor at a beautiful Sunderban village. The guests will see farming, paddy being husked, collected honey being packed, fishing, prawn culture and various occupations of the region.
After the sunset, the guests will enjoy a traditional dance drama Bon Bibi phala, a rich folklore performance of Sunderbans.
Later in the evening, the guests will enjoy a traditional Bengali meal while the folk songs of Bengal mesmerize the night.
The guests can also indulge in star gazing from the skydeck; soak in the serenity and tranquility.

Day 3:

On this day, the cruiser will almost make a circumbulance of Sunderbans on its journey back to Kolkata. The vessel will sail south and then towards the west, through wide rivers which are almost like sea.

Passing through the beaches of Kalash, one can watch the play of tide in these wide rivers.
Our next stop would be at Lothian Island or to Bhagavatpur crocodile project, which are on the opposite banks. At Lothian, there is an interesting forest trail and at Bhagavatpur, there is a breeding center of the estuarine crocodiles.
The dinner is served on the cruiser with live music.

Day 4:

The vessel again will cross over Namkhana as per the tide and will head back home. The vessel will reach Kolkata in the forenoon depending on the tide.

Package Price from 28th December to 31st December, 07 and 18th January to 21st January, 08 and 29th February to 03 March, 08 and 21st March to 24th March, 08 and 11th April to 14th April, 08 :

Rs.15,000 or $350 for the Main Deck rooms (Deluxe Rooms) + 4.94% service tax and
Rs.18,000 or $400 for the First Deck rooms (Luxury Rooms ) + 4.94% on half twin basis.

Valid from 1st October 2007 to 31st March 2008 :

FIT Rates:

Main Deck – Deluxe Cabins USD 735 + 4.94% service tax extra
First Deck – Luxury Cabins USD 885 + 4.94% service tax extra

Package Inclusions:

Rates are for 3 Night 4 Day package per Adult pax on half twin basis and include.
All Meals
Guided Tours
Entry Fees
Entertainment

Notes:

Third person sharing the room: 40% extra
Child below five years sharing the room: 20% extra
4.94% service tax extra
20% advance is payable 90 days prior to the sailing date
Final balance is payable 30 days prior to the sailing date

Cancellation Charges:

15%: More than One month before the sailing date
50%: Between One month to Fifteen days before sailing date
100%: Less than Fifteen days before sailing