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Kerala Backwaters Tour
Kerala's backwaters is the most popular tourist attraction
of Kerala. The palm-fringed, tranquil backwaters were once just the state's trade
highways. Kerala is her backwaters and lakes. They have dictated her history,
shaped her present and promise a future by virtue of offering incomparable beauty
and unique experiences.
The state's palm-fringed backwaters are inland
lakes connected by a network of canals. With 41 west-flowing rivers, the backwaters
stretch to almost 1,900 kilometers. The backwater routes date back over the centuries
and have been long used for all transportation needs, in particular trade in coconut,
rubber, rice and spices. Today, these waterways link remote villages and islands
to the mainland and nerve centers of the coastal area.
The most interesting
area in the backwaters is the Kuttanad region, called the rice bowl of
Kerala. The area is probably the only place in the continent where farming is
done below sea level, using a system of dykes and bunds.
The largest backwater
stretch is the Vembanad Lake, which opens out into the sea at the Kochi port and
flows through three districts-Alappuzha, Kottayam and Kochi. The Ashtamudi Lake
has eight 'arms' covering a major portion of Kollam district in the south, and
is the second largest lake in the state.
Alappuzha
is one of the major centers for backwater boat trips. The
intricate network of canals through this town has earned it the sobriquet "The
Venice of the East". Small but long country boats are the taxies of the water.
The coir workers present an interesting sight as they soak coconut fiber in pools,
beat them and wind the strands on long spindles stretched between an endless lines
of coconut trees.
A short distance from Thiruvananthapuram is the Veli
Aakulam lagoon. Water sports, a floating restaurant, an amusement park,
speedboats and other facilities make this spot a tourist attraction. The east
end of the lake is flanked by two scenic hillocks.
The charming old port
city of Kollam
on the banks of the Ashtamudi Lake is known as the center of the cashew industry.
It is one of the oldest ports of the backwaters, with the ferry to Alappuzha taking
more than 8 hours. A small village 12 kilometer west of Kottayam town, on the
banks of the beautiful Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom
is 14-acre bird sanctuary known for local varieties of water fowl, cuckoo, water
ducks, and migrating Siberian storks. The best months to visit it are June-August.
Just 80 kilometres from Cochin, this area has unique kettuvalloms (houseboats),
boat racing, motorboat and water sport facilities. The houseboats, plied by local
oarsmen, are simply furnished with a living room, bedroom with attached bath and
a raised central deck for lazing on cushions while watching the world go by.
In north Kerala, the cool backwaters of Kozhikode
lie waiting to be explored. This old commercial town attracts travelers for its
history, wonderful backwaters and leisure sports.
Alumkadavu,
in the town of Karunagapally hardly 20 kilometers north of Kollam, is where kettuvalloms
are built. These huge, long and tapering barges were traditionally used to carry
tones of goods, with a portion covered with bamboo and coir servicing as a rest
room and kitchen for the crew. Gliding down the calm and serene backwaters in
a kettuvallom, embraced by green leaves and palm, see a rural Kerala preserved
through the ages, completely hidden from the road, and it is not surprising that
this is called God's Own Country.
Famous for its natural harbor, one of
the best in the world, Kochi
has earned the sobriquet "Queen of the Arabian Sea". All the islands that make
up Kochi are well connected by ferry. The Chinese fishing nets, a method of fishing
established in Kochi during the times of Kubla Khan line the waterfront.
Besides these backwaters, other equally beautiful water bodies elsewhere are Veli
(in South Kerala), Kadinamkulam, Edava, Anjengo, Madayara, Peravur, Ashtamudi,
Kayamkulam, Kodungalur, Chetuva and Valiyaparamba (in North Kerala).
In the monsoon months, the backwaters reverberate with the sound of the traditional
snake boat races, featuring the 130-feet-long chundan boats.
Up to 16 of them, with over a hundred rowers each, compete for the honors during
the races. The most important of these races is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race held
on the second Saturday of August. The Aranmula Boat Festival of the Parthasarathy
temple of Aranmula on the banks of the holy river Pamba is the more traditional
race. The boat carnival starts on the day of Thiruonam, the most auspicious day
of the Kerala festival, Onam.
Whether by Kettuvalloms or by a simple
vallom, the experience of gliding through the backwaters is an experience that
is undeniably unforgettable.
 | Kerala
Beach and Backwater Tours
Duration of Kerala Backwater Tour
: 18 Nights / 19 Days
Destinations Covered: Trivandrum, Kovalam,
Kumarakom, Alleppey, Calicut, Kannur, Mangalore, Goa. |
 | Kerala
Backwater Holidays
Duration of Kerala Backwater Tour :
05 Days / 04 Nights
Destinations Covered: Cochin - Alleppey - Kumarakom
- Kerala Houseboat Package. |
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