Theme

Backwaters & Houseboats

Spend a day or a night afloat on Kerala's inland waterways, with a crew on board, meals from the boat's kitchen and village life drifting by.

Backwaters & Houseboats
Best timeOct to Feb
Trip length3 to 15 days
Packages11 packages
Runs inKerala, Tamil Nadu
FromUSD 295 per person
About this theme

Kerala's backwaters on a traditional houseboat

A Kerala houseboat is a modified kettuvallam, a traditional boat that once carried rice and spices to nearby towns. Cruises run on Vembanad Lake between Kumarakom and Alappuzha.

Kollam's Ashtamudi backwaters, lined with coconut trees and islets, are another part of our routes. Boats have a kitchen, lounge and sun deck, and the usual crew is a captain, two oarsmen, a guide and a cook.

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Typical experiences

Built the traditional way
Traditional boats use jackfruit planks tied with coconut fibre, with a roof of bamboo and palm leaves.
Vembanad Lake at Kumarakom
Kumarakom sits on Vembanad Lake, part of the Vembanad-Kol wetlands, a Ramsar site.
Ashtamudi's coconut islets
The Ashtamudi backwaters at Kollam are lined with coconut trees and islets.

Packages in Backwaters & Houseboats

Private tours built around backwaters & houseboats, planned day by day. Every trip is for your group only.

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Showing 7 to 11 of 11 tours
Kerala Honeymoon Escape7D / 6N
Kerala

Kerala Honeymoon Escape

A Kerala honeymoon tour package: 7 days from Munnar's tea hills to a backwater houseboat cruise at Alleppey and the beaches of Kovalam.

Munnar → Alleppey (Alappuzha) → KovalamHoneymoon & Romance
Madurai to Kochi: Temples, Spice Hills and Backwaters8D / 7N
Multi-state · Tamil Nadu, Kerala

Madurai to Kochi: Temples, Spice Hills and Backwaters

An 8-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala tour: a flight to Madurai's Meenakshi Temple, Thekkady's spice hills and an Alleppey backwater stay, ending in Kochi.

Chennai → Madurai → Thekkady (Periyar) → Alleppey (Alappuzha) → KochiHeritage & Temples
Kerala Coast to Hills Grand Tour10D / 9N
Kerala

Kerala Coast to Hills Grand Tour

A Kerala hills, backwaters and beaches tour: ten days by private car from Kochi through Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey and Varkala to Kovalam.

Kochi → Munnar → Thekkady (Periyar) → Alleppey (Alappuzha) → Varkala → KovalamHill Stations & Mountains
Kerala Honeymoon Grand Escape11D / 10N
Kerala

Kerala Honeymoon Grand Escape

An 11-day private Kerala honeymoon: Munnar's tea hills, Thekkady's spice forest, Kumarakom's birds, Alleppey's backwaters, Varkala's cliffs and quiet Poovar.

Munnar → Thekkady (Periyar) → Kumarakom → Alleppey (Alappuzha) → Varkala → PoovarHoneymoon & Romance
South India Grand Tour in Fifteen Days15D / 14N
Multi-state · Tamil Nadu, Kerala

South India Grand Tour in Fifteen Days

A 15-day South India tour from Chennai to Kovalam: Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Madurai, Kodaikanal, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey and Kochi.

Chennai → Mahabalipuram → Puducherry → Thanjavur → Madurai → Kodaikanal → Munnar → Thekkady (Periyar) → Alleppey (Alappuzha) → Kochi → KovalamHeritage & Temples

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Honeymoon & Romance

Honeymoon & Romance

Slow, private stays for two: a night on a houseboat, a quiet hill resort and dinners with nowhere else to be.

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Hill Stations & Mountains

Hill Stations & Mountains

Trade the heat for cool, misty slopes. Walk through tea gardens, look out over valleys and sleep under a blanket.

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Beaches & Coastline

Beaches & Coastline

Sand, surf and sunsets along a coast that runs from Goa down to Kanyakumari, with room for lazy days or a lively evening.

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