Kerala backwaters is a network of brackish lagoons fed by lakes along the Malabar Coast in the Arabian Sea. The backwaters is the iconic attraction of the state that has made Kerala to hold a place in the top fifty destinations of the world. The backwaters make a labyrinthine of 900 km in total.
Backwater is a place where the freshwater of the lake and rivers met the salt water of the sea. A barrage has been built to maintain the salt level of the backwater so that it can be used for irrigation. This has allowed numerous aquatic animals, fishes and plants to thrive along with paddy cultivation along the sides of the backwaters.
Houseboat is a boat with a wooden roof over the hull. This boat sails on the backwaters allowing tourists to sit on the hull and enjoy the scenery as it floats. There are different styles of houseboats in Kerala starting from a small houseboat that just allows tourists to sit and watch the scenery to a full-fledged houseboat with bedrooms, dining rooms and luxury elements. Boat cruise is not the same as houseboats. Houseboats are a traditional style of sailing in Kerala.
Attractions : Alleppey, Kumarakom, Karumadikuttan, Vembanadlake and others.
Best time to Visit : Winter season is the best time as the backwaters will be rich with water with the recent showers and the weather of Kerala will be pleasing. Make sure to carry mosquito repellant with you.
Boat cruise is similar to that of houseboat without the traditional element. A luxury boat cruise takes you on a slow ride on the backwaters allowing you to party or dine as you enjoy the scenery. The speed, rate, time and other features changes from one service provider to other.
The sunset boat cruise is very famous among romantic travelers and honeymoon couples at the time of their honeymoon. There are different styles of boat cruise available in Kerala.
Attractions : Alleppey and Kumarakom. Other top river destinations also provide boat cruise.
Best time to Visit : Winter is the best season to enjoy boat cruise.
A traditional ferry is a round boat very similar to catamaran. It is a very cheap way to scale the backwaters and an interesting activity too. You can find these ferries at many place in the backwaters. You ought to try it once during your vacation.
Attarctions : All along the backwaters
Best time to Visit : The service will be temporarily halted during heavy rains.
You can find numerous number of resorts for ayurveda treatments along the backwaters. Those that are facing the backwaters are usually luxury ones. The view of backwaters during very early in the morning is a mesmerizing sight. You can also find Ayurveda resorts along the backwaters. If you are up for a luxury vacation in Kerala, you ought to choose a resort along the side of the backwater.
Attractions : All along the backwaters
Best time to Visit : Throughout The Year
Fishing is a very popular sport in backwaters. It is also an income generating industry in Kerala. Many houseboat packages; usually the deluxe ones cover fishing too. There are fishing resorts along the backwaters in many places. You need not worry about any dangerous creatures like crocodiles here.
Place : All along the backwaters
Season : Throughout The Year
If you visit during any festival season, you can find boat races occurring in snake boats with 20-50 rowers on each boat. It is a colorful and an interesting event in Kerala. The top races to watch are ChampakulamMoolam boat race, Nehru Trophy boat race, Kallada boat race and others.
Place : Destination changes with the season
Season : Many snake boat races can be found between August and December.
Kerala is famous for its Backwater regions and this is the one of the most important interest of travellers while exploring Kerala. Alleppey is the one of the most famous backwater destinations in Kerala and also famous for honeymoon destination in India. Here we go with the list of the top backwater regions in Kerala. Explore the best backwater regions of Kerala to plan your Kerala Backwater Tours.
Cochin- Thekkady - Kumarakom - Alleppey
Cochin – Munnar - Thekkady - Kumarakom
Cochin - Munnar - Thekkady - Kumarakom - Alleppey
Cochin - Kumarakom - Munnar - Periyar - Alleppey- Kovalam
Trivandrum - Thottapally - Alleppey - Kumarakom - Kovalam
Cochin - Kumarakom - Kovalam - Periyar