Kerala houseboat cruise
| country: | India |
| location: | Kerala |
| price: | From Rupee 4000 - 7300, approx £46 - £84 per night per couple. Children up to 10 years free. |
read 3 travellers reviews
description
The Backwaters of Kerala are a network of lakes, canals and estuaries and deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea.
The backwaters of Kerala are a self supporting eco-system teeming with life. The canals connect the villages together and are still used for local transport. Over 900 km of this labyrinthine water world is navigable. Kumarakom and Alleppey are the prominent Backwater tourist attractions in Kerala.
A cruise along the palm-fringed waterways of Kerala in a luxury houseboat is the most enchanting holiday experience in India today.
You will skim past ancient Chinese fishing nets, water lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic homes, temples, churches and coconut groves. A guided tour down the backwaters would provide you with a complete and most enchanting experience on the backwaters of Kerala and will also reveal to you some interesting facts about the life of local village people. There is a Kerala that lives along these backwaters throbbing with its own unique culture. For you, as a visitor to Kerala it can be incredibly different and unusual experience just floating in the backwaters in a country craft.
Traditionally, houseboats were called Kettuvallams, which means a boat made by trying together pieces of wood. Unbelievable as it may sound, not a single nail is used in the making of a Kettuvallam. Jack wood planks are joined together with coir rope and then coated with black resin made from boiled cashew nuts shells.
The houseboat contains well furnished bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, sun deck, lounge/dining room and a hygienic kitchen. In the royal kitchen, we prepare delicious Kerala food. Two boatmen and an expert cook will retinue your trip. To make your trip more comfortable, we have provided modern facilities like electric lights, fans, European style bathroom and showers etc in the boat.
Food and Beverages served in the Houseboat
Welcome drink, fruits. Lunch: rice, seven types of vegetable dish and fish fry. Evening Tea: tea / coffee, snacks Dinner: chapatti, chicken curry / dal curry, white rice & 4 types of vegetable dish. Breakfast: toast, omelette, steamed banana or appam / idiappam / poori, egg curry / vegetable curry, steamed banana. We provide home grown organic vegetables & fruits for the guests on cruise.
Cruise Route: Alleppey - Kumarakom
Cruise through the Punnamada Lake, the venue of the famous Nehru Trophy Snake boat race. Enter the enchanting waters of the Vembanad lake, enjoy the panoramic views and the glimpses of life along the banks. Stop by the Pathiramanal Island. Visit Chavara Bhavan, the old wooden house where Kuriakose Eelias Chavara was born. Night stay at Alleppey backwaters.
By air: We are 85km from Cochin (COK) International Airport.
By rail: We are 13km from Kottayam Railway Station.
The backwaters of Kerala are a self supporting eco-system teeming with life. The canals connect the villages together and are still used for local transport. Over 900 km of this labyrinthine water world is navigable. Kumarakom and Alleppey are the prominent Backwater tourist attractions in Kerala.
A cruise along the palm-fringed waterways of Kerala in a luxury houseboat is the most enchanting holiday experience in India today.
You will skim past ancient Chinese fishing nets, water lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic homes, temples, churches and coconut groves. A guided tour down the backwaters would provide you with a complete and most enchanting experience on the backwaters of Kerala and will also reveal to you some interesting facts about the life of local village people. There is a Kerala that lives along these backwaters throbbing with its own unique culture. For you, as a visitor to Kerala it can be incredibly different and unusual experience just floating in the backwaters in a country craft.
Traditionally, houseboats were called Kettuvallams, which means a boat made by trying together pieces of wood. Unbelievable as it may sound, not a single nail is used in the making of a Kettuvallam. Jack wood planks are joined together with coir rope and then coated with black resin made from boiled cashew nuts shells. The houseboat contains well furnished bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, sun deck, lounge/dining room and a hygienic kitchen. In the royal kitchen, we prepare delicious Kerala food. Two boatmen and an expert cook will retinue your trip. To make your trip more comfortable, we have provided modern facilities like electric lights, fans, European style bathroom and showers etc in the boat.
Food and Beverages served in the HouseboatCruise Route: Alleppey - Kumarakom
Cruise through the Punnamada Lake, the venue of the famous Nehru Trophy Snake boat race. Enter the enchanting waters of the Vembanad lake, enjoy the panoramic views and the glimpses of life along the banks. Stop by the Pathiramanal Island. Visit Chavara Bhavan, the old wooden house where Kuriakose Eelias Chavara was born. Night stay at Alleppey backwaters.
how to find us
By air: We are 85km from Cochin (COK) International Airport.
By rail: We are 13km from Kottayam Railway Station.
travellers' tales
The rice boat was the high light of our two weeks in India. Absolutely wonderful. The crew could not have looked after us better. We were fed sumptuously and frequently. The stopovers at night were beautiful and the boat itself charming. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
 The Houseboat maximises the benefit to local community by direct employment of crew members from the backwater villages and the houseboat was designed and built by a group of local craftsman and carpenters. The houseboat itself is made with natural wood, palm leaves, and palm fibre etc. We avoid the use of plastics inside the houseboats. The houseboat also uses chemical toilets, inboard engines & solar energy which will help for minimum adverse impact to the environment. We use Solar energy for lighting inside the houseboat. Also the electric energy from the houseboat engine is stored in battery cells for further use. We use locally available bio degradable cleaning materials and we use our waste as compost in the premises of our hotel, which help to maintain good greenery and grow vegetable plants like pineapple and papaya inside the premises. We purchase fish, vegetables, fruits & other utility items from the local villages, for the use in the houseboat for guests. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |