Kerala Houseboats

The Kerala Houseboat is the perfect way to experience the calm and unique ecology of the Kerala backwaters. Our office in Cochin on the edge of the backwaters works with all the different houseboats and can offer anything from a one day stay to a month long cruise through the whole backwater system.

The houseboats of Kerala are unique to this area of India and were the historic method for transporting rice and other trade through the aqeous centre of Kerala to the ports on the coast at Kollam, Aleppey and Cochin. In the last twenty years, the boats have been converted to take visitors through the small canals and villages that still inhabit this road-less and car-less world. From your daybed in the bows of the boat you can watch the traditional life of backwater and can enjoy the morning, Kerala continue on this much as it has done for centuries: women washing from the ghats before their houses, farmers shepherding thousands of ducks, paddy fields being flooded and washed or the night fishermen fishing by their lights.

How to Choose Your Backwater Kerala Houseboat Tour

• Length of Cruise
• Departure Point
• Quality of Boat
• Number of Bedrooms.

The Classic Kerala Houseboat Tour

Is Kerala your destination next? Then don't miss out on the Classic Kerala Houseboat Tour. A trip down to this tiny strip of land is never complete without this classic journey of exploring Kerala. What we intend to give you is not just another backwater cruise, but an experience called 'Kerala'. So sit back, relax and soak in what is quintessentially Kerala!

Our cruise begins at 12 noon and what follows is a string of little discoveries that are unique to Kerala. To begin with, you will be treated to an elaborate lunch, prepared the traditional way. The lunch is inclusive of many conventional dishes that are popular among the locals and tourists alike. We are generous with spices, so it would be a wise idea to throw in a candy bar or two into your bag. The lunch is probably your first interaction with Kerala and sets the stage for an unhurried exploration.

You can take a short nap if you feel like it, but we suggest that you look out and keep your gaze steady. As you glide along, you will come across many features that are strictly Kerala in nature. If you are an idle traveller, lounge comfortably in our patio or recline on the sun-deck which acts as an ideal platform for an unhindered view outside. From the ducks waddling in flock to fishermen getting their daily catch, there are plenty of quaint things to look out for. Active fun seekers can step out during one of the moorings for an intimate rendezvous with nature. You can throw a bait and get a fresh catch yourself and get it fried or sautee'd to your taste. Watch the toddy-tappers in action or fetch a bottle of freshly-tapped toddy, a sweet country liquor. Dive into the waters and take a swim alone, or with the bunch of kids if you find them there.

We offer many tour packages of various durations starting from Kumarakom, Alappuzha, Kochi, Kollam and Alumkadavu. You can pick either from Luxury, Superior or Standard Houseboats from our catalogues. Our houseboats are conceived and designed on traditional Kerala architectural model and imparts an authentic Kerala feel.

• Click here for our list of Cruises by departure point
• Backwater Cruises by Length of voyage
• Houseboats by Bedroom Types
• Houseboats by Quality Type (Standard, Superior & Luxury - discover the difference here)

A Selection of our most Popular Houseboat Tours 

1. House boat cruise in and around Alappuzha
2. Houseboat Cruise from Alappuzha to Kumarakom
3. Houseboat Cruise in and around Kumarakom
4. Houseboat Cruise from Kumarakom to Alappuzha
5. Kerala Houseboat cruises from Alamkadavu

Relaxing Tours

What we know as Kerala houseboats used to be used to transport rice and other heavy agricultural produce from the backwaters and the coastal ports like Alleppey or Kollam. In the past twenty years, more and more have been transformed into tourist houseboats that offer luxurious accommodation as you travel slowly through the Kerala Backwaters.

Typical facilities include:

• Double rooms in a two room- apartment houseboat
• Sitting room, and small Sundeck
• Attached bathroom with European Toilets
• Common living area

Most houseboats are single or double roomed and sleep 2 to 4, tho the most romantic sleeping space is under mosquito nets on the small sundeck waking with the dawn and the distant call of the temples and churches that dot the backwaters.

All your food is cooked for you by the crew and combines local fish such blackspot, tiger prawns and scampi as well as curried dishes, daal and rice.

The rhythm on the boat is slow like the pace of life on the backwaters as you navigate through the narrow waterways watching Indian village life in a constant moving panorama before you.

Overnight stays from Alleppey

A typical overnight stay on the houseboat starts at Alleppey/Alappuzha around midday. After buying fish from a local fishmonger you leave the 21st century behind and gently motor for an hour before tying up for a lunch of freshly grilled prawns or fish.

more details of our 24 hour Houseboats from Alleppey

Longer stays on a Houseboat

A two or three day house boat stay will take you deeper into the backwaters.
more details of our longer tours on the Kerala backwaters

A flavour of staying on your Kerala houseboat...

It is difficult to summarise what it is about the rice boats that makes a stay so exciting and pleasurable. It is leaving behind roads and cars, travelling at walking pace and paying real attention to the surroundings rather than simply travelling through or over. It is the many colours and the verdant nature that surrounds you. It is the end to the hassling and fever of India - a break from the modern India. It is the luxury of your own cabin, lying on the day bed in the bows of the boat watching as the world floats by. It is the quiet.