Alleppey (Alappuzha) Backwaters

ആലപ്പുഴ കായൽ

Kerala's most iconic experience. Board a houseboat converted from a rice barge and spend the night on waterways among coconut groves, paddy fields and fishing villages, watching the sunset and morning mist.

Alleppey is the gateway to the Kerala backwaters, a network of about 900 kilometers of canals, 38 rivers and five large lakes, the largest being Vembanad Lake. Along the shores lie the Kuttanad paddy fields, which sit below sea level, along with coconut groves and villages reached only by boat. The region is often called the “Venice of the East.” The signature experience is the houseboat, or kettuvallam, a traditional rice barge converted for tourists. Most have one to three bedrooms with bathrooms, an open-air lounge and a cook. The boat departs at noon from the Punnamada jetty in Alleppey and cruises along canals and across lakes until it moors at a village at about 17:30 for the night, as regulations forbid night navigation. It returns the next morning at 9 a.m. Meals on board are mostly fish curry and coconut-milk vegetable dishes. In peak season, prices are about 8,000 to 15,000 rupees per night for two people, including meals. If you have a tighter budget, there are alternatives. The government ferry from Alleppey to Kottayam takes about 2.5 hours and costs only about 20 rupees, with scenery as good as a houseboat's. A half-day shikara (canoe) trip, about 1,500 to 3,000 rupees per boat, can enter narrow channels that houseboats cannot reach. You can also stay one night at a lakeside resort in Kumarakom. Every August, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race sees over a hundred rowers racing long snake boats, making it Kerala's liveliest festival. Getting there: about 1.5 hours by hired car from Kochi, or 1 hour by train. Notes: book houseboats through reputable companies or hotels, and confirm the boat holds the government-issued green or gold safety certificate. Avoid touts at the jetty, buy drinks before boarding, bring insect repellent for the many mosquitoes, and bring a hat, since the boat is exposed to the sun on the water and midday is very hot.

Alleppey (Alappuzha) Backwaters

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