Kerala House boat Tourism

Once upon a time Kerala kettuvalloms were working boats propelled by oars and sail that carried the rice from the inland paddy fields across Lake Vembanad to the sea ports of Allepey, Kollam or Cochin where it was transported up the coast or across the Arabian Sea.

In the 80s with the boats increasingly rare as trucks performed the task, a number ot tourism companies came up with the idea of using the boats for a new type of Houseboat tourism by renovating the boats and then designing interiors with cabins and small day beds in the bows where customers could lie back and watch the Kerala backwaters pass by.

The boats have now become a central feature of Kerala's tourism scene and are a must for most visitors to Kerala as they represent the only effective way to get into the Kerala backwaters and see the ecology and slow pace of life in the canals and waterways.

The boats have become luxurious and now feature fully fitted kitchens, air conditioning and all manner of mod cons to help passengers while away their time.

While some passengers choose to take only a day cruise, the classic houseboat cruise includes an overnight stay and starts mid morning from Alappuzha on the coast before travelling through the canals and then mooring up for the night before making their way back to the boat jetty for the next day.

We have a huge range of different cruises available which you can review in our Kerala Houseboat Directory where you can see cruises by standard, duration or embarkation point.

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