Backwaters of Kerala; a MUST visit place for any traveler in the world. If you have done any search of the places to visit in India, it will have almost certainly listed the backwaters of Kerala as being one of them. Such is the natural beauty and uniqueness of the place.

We had been on the backwaters several years earlier. But we had never done it on a houseboat. I had seen pictures as well as seen several of them when we had done our previous boat ride on the backwaters. It was one experience that we were yet to get. Being from the state, it was also silly that I had not gone on one yet. My family and I were spending time in Kerala with my parents during the Christmas week. So we decided to spend a night on a houseboat on the backwaters in the trip. So this post is from that trip.

Houseboats are called kettuvallam in the Malayalam (the language spoken in the state of Kerala). The houseboats were traditionally used to transport rice, coir and the other products between the various interior parts of Kerala and to the port. Boats were also common modes of transport in the olden times. My father told me that he had, in his childhood, traveled in boats on overnight journeys between places. Once the motorised modes of transport became popular, the usage of the houseboats for transportation reduced. They are still however seen in transporting goods through the waterways. Nowadays iIn order to accommodate and provide comforts to the tourists, the houseboats are now equipped with plenty of amenities such as air conditioned bedrooms, western-style toilets etc. Here is a view of some of the facilities in the houseboat that we had hired:

There are several places in Kerala from where one can board the houseboats; the popular ones being Alappuzha (Alleppey) and Kumarakom. We were to board ours at Alappuzha.

Once we parked our car at the designated parking (each houseboat owner has a tie up with one of the local houses), we were lead to the houseboat. There were a few of them “parked” side by side. Here is the first view of the houseboat from the front.

Once we had decided our rooms (yes, we had 3 rooms in the houseboat!) and places our bags, we all headed up to the deck to settle in with some welcome drinks.

Very soon we moved out of the parking bay and headed to the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in Kerala. Here are the first views:

Guess who was steering the boat?

Well, actually she got the wheel for some time when we had reached the open waters of the Vembanad Lake 😀 .

Soon it was time for a lunch. We were served a typical Kerala meal cooked right on the boat. The specialty was the fish; Karemeen (Pearl Spot).

People can be really enterprising; we had a person selling ice-creams on a boat right in the middle of the humongous Vembanad Lake!

Once lunch time was over, the houseboat started moving again. We just sat back into the seats on the deck and look into the serene views in front of us, just soaking it all in and leaving our minds to wonder whey they wanted. One feels so at peace and rested just staring into nature and not having any gadget to grab our attention.

We had insisted not to be distracted by any gadgets as much as possible. Playing a game of cards was a good way to spend time. Here is a serious moment when the rules of the game were being discussed:

As we were going around the lake and then through the canals, we noticed so many different types of houseboats and sizes. Our boat’s captain said that the houseboats ranged from 1 bedroom to 8 bedrooms. Here are some of the different ones we saw:

Soon the houseboat was taken through the canals of R-block and C-block. The views were just fantastic.

There was bright green all on both sides of the waterways; lush green paddyfields. The unique aspects of this was that the cultivated land was below the sea level. Unfortunately there is no other way to soak it all in other than to experience it yourself .

The houseboat docked at spot so that we could get down and experience the paddyfields up close, if one wanted to. Here is us at one of them:

Here is a “fuller” view of our houseboat just before we were going to leave the short stop.

We were to dock soon for the night. Here are some of the views as we went to our docking spot:

Once the houseboat had docked for the night, we took a short stroll to a nearby village just to stretch our legs. Once back on the boat, we noticed that the staff has connected a satellite TV connection to the onboard TV. Man, they had thought of it all! A movie and a half later, it was time to have freshly made dinner. Some time later it was time to retire for the night to our rooms.

Morning had us on the deck again, this time enjoying the beautiful views that came with the rising sun and its golden light.

We started to head off soon. This time breakfast was served on the move.

We were headed back to the drop off point. So it was time to soak in the views one last time.

Video

Here is a short video that I made from the trip. Definitely see it as it has views that will blow away your mind.

Recommendations

This is a destination that one should not miss visiting atleast once. I remember vaguely that it was one of the must-do destinations in a lifetime in some popular travel magazines.

The usual season to visit is from Dec to Feb. This is the time when there are no rains and the climate is more temperate. But this also means that it will mean it will be the most popular and in demand. So book the houseboats well in advance.

Houseboats come in different facilities and sizes (including number of rooms). You can ask for photos of the houseboat before deciding on yours. They are however pretty much governed by the state government guidelines.

If one does not wish to stay overnight on the houseboat, they also have day-trip only options. You can explore that as well. But choose a houseboat over a regular boat. I personally feel the experience is different.

The houseboat package usually comes with a fixed food menu. In case you want to try some additional dishes (I recommend trying the local kappa (Tapioca) and fish curry or the local duck curry), you will need to let them know atleast one day in advance so that they can organise for it. You may also be able to pick up the local specialties at the short stop that they make. Ask the houseboat staff though.

Finally once on the houseboat, make sure that you just sit back and enjoy the views. Leave you gadgets aside for the day. You will not miss them at all 😉 .