The cruise ship MV Ganga Vilas departs Kolkata on Monday for Sundarbans

The MV Ganga Vilas, touted as the world’s longest river cruise, has docked at a jetty in Kolkata and will set off for Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Monday, an official said. The cruise ship, flagged out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jan. 13, entered West Bengal via Murshidabad earlier this week and later reached Kolkata, he said.

The ship was docked at the Indenture Memorial (IM) Jetty on the banks of the Hooghly River.

“The ship will leave Kolkata on Monday and then anchor for two days in Sundarbans, one of the largest mangrove forests in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” the official said.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Shipping, said on Twitter: “The next phase of the voyage of the MV #GangaVilas will be on the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route while passing through B’desh (Bangladesh) to Assam. All infrastructure was self-provisioned at the IM Jetty to ensure a smooth passenger immigration process.”

The MV Ganga Vilas began her journey on January 13 from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and would travel around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, navigating 27 river systems in India and the neighboring country.

Tourists traveling on the cruise’s maiden voyage visited Kumartuli, an idol-making center in Kolkata, on Saturday.

“A city tour was planned for the passengers so that they could experience the local culture,” the official added.