Backwaters: Houseboat Paradise★★★
The Backwaters are Kerala's crown jewel — a 900-kilometer network of lagoons, lakes, canals, and rivers that runs parallel to the Malabar Coast. It's a world of water, rice, and coconut palms: Villages only accessible by boat, rice fields reaching the water's edge, and a tranquility found nowhere else in India.
The classic backwaters experience is a ride on a Kettuvallam (traditional houseboat, literally: "tied boat"). These converted rice barges have one to three bedrooms, a sun deck, a kitchen with a cook, and a crew of two to three people. As you lie on the deck and the landscape glides by, the cook prepares freshly caught fish with coconut curry and rice. It is one of the most relaxing experiences India has to offer.
Houseboat Options
- Standard Houseboat (1 bedroom): From 6,000 ₹ (~68 €) per night (for 2 people including full board). Simple but comfortable — AC bedroom, sun deck, traditional kitchen.
- Premium Houseboat: 8,000–15,000 ₹ — larger, better equipped, often with a rooftop jacuzzi.
- Luxury Houseboat: 15,000–30,000 ₹ — private pool, butler, gourmet chef. The "Oberoi Vrinda" offers the most luxurious experience.
The most popular route starts in Alleppey (Alappuzha) and leads through the Vembanad Lake into the narrow canals around Kumarakom. Some boats continue to Kollam (8 hours). The narrower, less traveled canals offer the more authentic experience — ask your boatman for the "small canals".
A cheaper alternative to a private boat is the public ferries that run between Alleppey and Kottayam (10–20 ₹, 2.5 hours). Even more intimate: A canoe tour through the narrowest canals (3–4 hours, from 500 ₹ per person), reaching villages too narrow for houseboats.
💡 Tipp
Do NOT book your houseboat from the touts at the Alleppey boat jetty — quality is unpredictable and prices are inflated. Better: Book online in advance or get a recommendation from a guesthouse in Alleppey. Weekdays are quieter (and cheaper) than weekends. In August, the spectacular Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race takes place — longboats with 100 rowers in a furious race.
Achtung
On popular weekends and Indian holidays, the main canals around Alleppey can become surprisingly crowded — dozens of houseboats side by side, with engine noise and diesel fumes. For a quieter experience: choose the canals around Kumarakom or Kollam.
