Aura of India: Kerala Backwaters: Houseboats, Ferries and Canoes at Alappuzha

A houseboat on the Kerala backwaters between palm-lined banks

Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

The backwaters near Alappuzha, Kerala, mid-afternoon.

A boat here moves only as fast as the person guiding it.

Water instead of roads

Behind Kerala’s coast lies a maze of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals, more than 900 kilometres of them, running alongside the sea. They are called the backwaters. The largest lake, Vembanad, stretches from near Kochi to below Alappuzha. Along the narrow canals are coconut palms, rice fields that lie lower than the water beside them, and houses whose front door opens onto a small jetty.

How people use it

For the people who live here, the backwaters are the road. Children go to school by boat, the fish seller comes by canoe, and state water-transport ferries run between villages like buses. The big houseboats, called kettuvallams, were once rice barges carrying grain to the port. Now they carry visitors, with bedrooms and a cook on board. In August, long snake boats with around a hundred rowers each race on Punnamada Lake for the Nehru Trophy.

Why people come

The backwaters are the reason many visitors from abroad choose Kerala at all. The draw is a change of speed: a day with nothing to do but watch the banks go by. Indian families come for a night on a houseboat, and for the food: karimeen, a pearl-spot fish fried in red spice, with rice, and toddy, a mild palm wine sold in small toddy shops by the water.

Getting on the water

Kochi has the nearest big airport, with flights from across India, the Gulf and Southeast Asia. Alappuzha, the usual starting point, is about two hours south of the airport by road and has a railway station. Kumarakom, on the eastern shore of Vembanad, is quieter. Houseboats are booked by the night. A small canoe, or the public ferry from Alappuzha to Kottayam, are cheaper ways into the narrow canals the big boats cannot enter.

Three ways onto the water

A houseboat is the slow, private way. Guests usually board around noon, cruise through the afternoon and tie up for the night by about half past five, when the channels are left to the fishermen and their nets. Lunch, dinner and breakfast are cooked on board. One night is enough for most people; two lets the second day start on the water.

A canoe, paddled or with a small outboard, goes where the houseboats cannot: into the narrow canals between villages, past back doors and washing steps. Two or three hours in the early morning is the usual trip.

The cheapest way is the State Water Transport Department boat from Alappuzha to Kottayam, a 29-kilometre route across Vembanad Lake and the paddy country. It runs several times a day from the jetty near the KSRTC bus station in Alappuzha, with departures listed at 7.15, 9.35 and 11.30 in the morning and 2.30 and 5.15 in the afternoon.

Kuttanad, the fields below the water

South and east of Alappuzha lies Kuttanad, where rice grows on land won from the lake, much of it below sea level. Earth banks hold the water back, and pumps drain the fields before planting. From a boat you look down into the paddy, and the houses stand on the narrow banks between field and canal.

The R Block, one of these reclaimed islands, lies on the ferry route to Kottayam; its fields were laid out on a Dutch model of polders. The ferry also passes the finishing point of the Nehru Trophy race on Punnamada Lake. Vembanad itself, a Ramsar wetland, runs for about sixty kilometres from the Thanneermukkam barrier to Alappuzha. From Kottayam, the road climbs east towards the spice and tea hills of Kerala.

On the water

Houseboats must anchor by early evening, so the cruising happens in the afternoon.
Check that the boat is licensed and carries a life jacket for each person.
A canoe gets into the small canals. Take one for two hours in the morning.
The ferry to Kottayam takes about two and a half hours and costs very little.

Stay long enough for the sound to change: engines at first, then only water on the hull, and birds.

Plan your visit

Entry fee	None to see the backwaters. Houseboats are priced by the night, by size and by season. The public ferry is very cheap; check the fare at the jetty.
Cruising hours	Houseboats usually cruise from about noon and anchor for the night by about 5.30 pm, a local rule that keeps the channels clear for fishing nets.
Best time	September to March, after the heaviest rain. The south-west monsoon runs from June to about September. The Nehru Trophy snake boat race is usually held in August.
How to reach	Alappuzha is about two hours by road south of Kochi airport and has a railway station on the coastal line. Kumarakom, on the eastern shore of Vembanad, is reached from Kottayam.
Nearest airport and station	Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery; Alappuzha or Kottayam railway stations.
Where to stay	Alappuzha town, near the beach or along the canals; Kumarakom for the quieter eastern shore; village homestays in Kuttanad.
Safety	Choose a houseboat approved under Kerala Tourism's classification scheme, and check that there is a life jacket for every person on board.

Open Alappuzha, Kerala in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Can houseboats cruise at night?

No. Houseboats on the Alappuzha backwaters anchor by about 5.30 pm and start again the next morning, so the cruising happens in the afternoon.

Is one night on a houseboat enough?

For most people, yes. A day cruise without the night is shorter and cheaper, and a canoe trip shows the narrow canals the big boats cannot enter.

How long is the ferry from Alappuzha to Kottayam?

About two and a half hours for the 29-kilometre route, which crosses Vembanad Lake and the Kuttanad paddy fields. Check the day's times at the SWTD jetty in Alappuzha.

When is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race?

Usually in August, on Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha, though the date has moved in some years. Check the date before you book.

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Kerala Backwaters: Houseboats, Ferries and Canoes at Alappuzha