subject: Kerala Backwater Houseboat Tours [print this page] Kerala is the southern most state in India, it is famous for its sprawling backwaters and lush green surroundings. It has one of the highest human developments in India and is comparable to some of the developed countries in the world. It has a very literacy rate and is considered to be one of the most least corrupt state in India. It is a well renowned destination on the tourism map of world and has been voted as one of the must see destination in a lifetime by National Geographic Magazine. Kerala as a state boasts of vast lush green tea gardens and tropical evergreen forests in Western Ghats, vast network of backwaters along with culture, arts and heritage dating back to hundreds of years. Kerala as we know is a complete destination in itself in every sense. Kerala is very well connected by a large network of railways, air as well as waterways. Major airports in Kerala are in Cochin, Calicut and Trivandrum and are very well connected with different parts of the world. Kerala boasts of an excellent tourism infrastructure and has also emerged as a forerunner in Ayurveda and Health tourism concept.
The backwaters in Kerala are primarily a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes running parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. The network includes large lakes interlinked by canals, both artificial and natural, fed by large number of rivers and extending more or less half of the length of state of Kerala. The backwaters have a unique ecosystem - freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea Backwaters in Kerala are renowned for its greenery and beauty worldwide. The best backwaters in Kerala are found in Kumarakom and Alleppey. Alleppey is also called the hub of backwater tourism and traditional houseboats known as "Kettuvallam" are found here and can be hired to explore the extensive network of canals and waterways in Alleppey. Alleppey is also famous for snakeboats and snakeboat races and is also referred as "Venice of East" due to its similarity with Venice .Kumarakom on the other is famous for its bird sanctuary. Some of the other famous backwaters in Kerala are found in Kollam, Kuttanad, Kasargod and Kozhikode. In Kollam, ashtamudi kayal also known as gateway to the backwaters covers about thirty percent of Kollam, it is suppose to have the longest cruise in Kerala backwaters i.e from Kollam to Alleppey. The backwaters in Kuttanad covers huge areas of partly reclaimed land covered with green paddy fields, it has an amazing network of lakes, canals, rivers and rivulets and along with its dense tropical greenery, it offers glimpse into rural lifestyle of Kerala. Kasargod and Kozhikode backwaters are less explored and less known but nowadays they are becoming fast popular in the backwater tourism map of Kerala. Backwaters in Kerala apart from its houseboat cruises is also known for its wildlife and marine life, i.e. a large variety of fish along with large number of species of birds are found in the backwaters of Kerala. In fact, a large number of migratory birds flock to the backwaters of Kerala to spend the winters here. Houseboats also referred as Kettuvallams are huge, slow moving boats which were previously used to ferry rice, spices and goods from different points to port, but nowadays have become a popular tourist transport mode for leisure. Houseboats nowadays are fitted with all modern amenities such as television sets, air conditioners, video etc and have become an indispensable part of leisure tourism in Kerala. Houseboats size can vary according to the number of persons to be accommodated and commonly one bedroom to four bedroom houseboats are available.
Houseboat tours in Kerala take you through the narrow backwaters and also give you a unique opportunity to understand and witness the rural lifestyle of a typical village in Kerala. Houseboat tours in Kerala provides an opportunity to interact with local populace and to understand and study their culture, it is quite common for houseboat occupants to interact with local villagers and purchase food items, crafts etc from them. Houseboat tours in Kerala also gives the tourists an opportunity to taste the best of Kerala cuisine with exclusive dishes such as moilee, prawn curry served to tourists on board the houseboat. Houseboat tours are an out of the world experience in itself and is primarily a lifetime opportunity to explore the peaceful and serene backwaters of Kerala.
by: Aashi Khattar
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