BACKWATERS OF KERALA

Houseboat cruise on the backwaters of Kerala is an absolutely unforgettable, wonderful experience. A typical house boat in the backwaters of Kerala is a huge, slow moving, exotic barge used for leisure trips. These houseboats are made up of planks and beams of Jack-wood or Anjili.

These are then coated with a black resin made from boiled cashew kernels. A houseboat is generally about 68 feet in length and has a width of around 14 feet in the middle. Eco friendly materials like bamboo poles, coconut fiber ropes, bamboo mats, coir carpets etc. are used to make the houseboats.

The house boats have fully furnished single and double rooms with sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet. Kitchen is properly protected from hazards by fireproofing and fire extinguishers. Clean good quality linen, blankets, towels etc. are used. Clean environment is maintained with a hygienic storage hold, free from insects and safe fuel storage facilities.

In addition there is also separate rest room & toilet for the crew. Traditional lanterns are used as lights in the nights. The crew includes a chef and two oarsmen. Freshly cooked Kerala delicacies with sea food specialties will be served on the boat. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people. The service of professional cooks are available on the boat.

These houseboats carry tourists through the network of natural palm fringed canals through the wide expanse of paddy fields. Particularly in the Alleppey (Alappuzha) district this network has a typical geographical feature of having the water in the level of land. This particular feature gives the advantage of getting a closer look at the village life on the shore while on a backwater ride. You can see flocks of ducks swimming around the banks and tiny birds flying across the sky.

Country boats of different kinds cross the water way and you can watch different people from various walks of life right from the milkman, newspaper boy, local politicians, priests and wedding parties. It is just a unique experience as you pierce deep into the countryside for a closer look at the God's own country.

The places detailed below are famous for backwater cruise destinations in Kerala. The boat will be cruising along wide canals and logoons during the daytime and anchored near an island during the night. The cruise will cover these places depending upon the type of package chosen.