Navigating the Kerala Backwaters by Houseboat

How many trips are inspired by a work colleague’s computer background? Des sits opposite me and had this stunning sunset on his screen that I later found out to be the Backwaters of Kerala, India.

The Inspirational Backwaters Screensaver

As luck would have it a friend of mine called Keerthi was getting married in Bangalore in March so Kerala, the Munnar tea plantations and Varkala beach resort all became destinations factored into our 10 day trip – including the Backwaters and THAT sunset!

The Kerala Backwaters is a network of 1,500km of lagoons fed by 38 rivers, which extend from one end of Kerala to the other. The most popular way of exploring them is by hiring a ‘houseboat’ for a day trip, staying in one overnight or even hiring a houseboat for several days.

The Main Backwaters Channel

We opted for a day trip based on some TripAdvisor research where depending on the boat you choose, it could mean “lights out” out at 10pm (when the cook/captain go to sleep in the communal area) and the 7 of us would have wanted to stay up a bit later. Also the aim was to “see” the Backwaters and witness sunset and we were happy to do that during the daytime. For a good blog on the alternatives to houseboats check out http://www.fivedollartraveller.com/dont-alleppey-houseboat-kerala-backwaters/

Also what to look out for when deciding to stay in one go here – http://globetrottergirls.com/2012/08/how-to-book-a-houseboat-in-kerala/

So having followed Globe Trotter Girl’s advice we didn’t book a houseboat in advance (we were just inside the shoulder season) and instead checked out the boats the afternoon before. This was a little bit stressful as it meant 7 of us agreeing on a boat and whether it would be a day or night trip, but it at least allowed us to see facilities (and the state of the onboard toilet in advance). We wanted to experience sunset which is why the overnight stay was winning until we had the lightbulb moment of asking the boat owner to stay out a bit later than usual on the daytrip! So we get the best of both worlds but didn’t have to stay on-board overnight.

All aboard the houseboat

In the end the 2-bed Paradise looked nice and we didn’t have to got through the “hard sell” act with its captain which some of the other boat owners were tending to do. We agreed on a price of 6000 Rupees (£60) and then wandered off to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

The Paradise Houseboat captain

The next day we boarded at midday and set “sail”. These bigger boats can’t explore the smaller canals but that mattered not and the wider channels felt just as picturesque having seen them for the very first time.

Lunchtime on the Houseboat

During the journey lunch was provided and we stopped off at a small hut built up on a levee selling king prawns but the prices felt extortionate so we politely declined, reboarded and continued on our 5mph journey. Midway through the day we tried our hand at fishing using pieces of bread while skilled workers climbed up the palm trees to collect coconuts behind us.

Backwaters Fishing Stop

We moored up for sunset and was back at the dock by 19:00. We couldn’t find that exact line of trees but we got pretty close!

The Backwaters Sunset

So the houseboats can be expensive, but a day trip is an option, and there are other cheaper alternatives (ferries, canoes) but at least you can say you went on an actual houseboat.

Away from the boat we decided to stay 2 nights in Alleppey in the delightful Homestay called ‘Alapatt Homestay’ run by Raj and his extended family. The location was spot on as it’s very close to the bus station and just a 400m walk to where the houseboats are moored up. So it was as “cheap as chips” but still allowed us full choice of what to do out on the Backwaters and at 5000 Rupees (£50) for 3 rooms for 2 nights it was very good value indeed!

Alapatt Homestay