The magical land of Kerala is best known for its pristine water bodies sprinkled throughout the region. The land of Kerala, located on the shores of Arabian Sea has a long coastline and is further embellished with numerous lakes, lagoons and backwaters.
These tributaries spread across have laced the state with beautiful panorama and verdant environs. Kerala tours are all about backwaters and traversing through the region on traditional houseboats is one of the essentials.
These houseboats ride also avail opportunity to explore the culture and lifestyle of the locals. Gliding through the crystal clear waters with palm groves shading the way and nothing, but the sounds of water rippling and birds singing echoing the ambiance, the scenery is captivating.
A Kerala tour package thus is an experience of a lifetime and must be coupled with a pleasure ride on backwaters.
Origin and Expanse
The Kerala backwaters are a cluster of brackish lagoons and lakes situated parallel to Arabian Sea in Kerala. The network of these backwaters is fed by 38 rivers and was formed with the freshwater of rivers meeting with the sea water. These beauteous backwaters are also home to various aquatic creatures such as crabs, frogs, water birds such as terns, darters, kingfishers and more. The backwaters are decked with extensive foliage of palm trees, shrubs, pandanus and various other leafy plants.
The backwaters are spread across the state which includes the regions of Kollam, Alappuzha, Kuttanad, Kottayam, Munroe Island, Kasargod, Thiruvallam and Kozhikode. Amongst these some of the most popular backwater destinations are:
Houseboat Ride
The kettuvallams (traditional houseboats) are one of the main highlights of tour to Kerala. These houseboats were originally constructed by binding huge chunks of wood together and without using even a single nail. These long boats were traditionally used to transport rice and were simple establishments made with thatched roofs and wooden hulls. These houseboats were later redesigned to promote tourism mainly.
Kerala houseboats have now emerged as luxury floating cottages with a sleeping area, dining area, attached bath, a spacious deck and more. These houseboats are huge, slow moving boats apt for leisure travelling.
These are well decked with all the amenities of the modern age including air-conditioning, mini bar, telephone and more. Also, for the traveller on a roll these houseboats are replete with an on board staff to cook meals and to navigate the boat. Therefore in the end the tourist is availed with a hassle free Kerala touring experience.
These houseboats are available in various sizes and for those on a short trip to Kerala exploring backwaters are also possible via ferries. About 400 kettuvallams ply the Alappuzha backwaters which makes the region the best place to enjoy the houseboat action. Other than these houseboats, Alappuzha is also an ideal location to witness the spectacular water carnival that the region hosts during the festival of Onam in the month of August.
The region hosts the much awaited Snake Boat Races as part of customary and to pay tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru's visit to the place. On the beating of drums hundreds of rowers ply the backwaters at Alappuzha and the entire event is considered one of the rages of Kerala tours.
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