Ride Along The Malabar Coast

By Author: Deepa G
Total Articles: 29
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Kerala holidays have today become synonymous with ‘backwater holidays’. So what is it about the ‘backwaters’ that attracts so many people from all over the world to this region? The backwaters of Kerala are a series of lagoons and lakes that run parallel to the Malabar Coast (Arabian Sea coast of the State of Kerala). Freshwater from the rivers and lakes meet the seawater from the Arabian Sea to form a unique ecosystem. A labyrinth network of canals (both natural and manmade), rivers lakes forms the 900 kilometre-stretch of Kerala backwaters. The backwaters are also known for the eclectic species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds such as terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles live in and alongside the backwaters.

The ‘backwater cruise’ experience

One of the best and most popular ways to explore the scenic charm of waterways in this region is through a cruise on a kettuvallam or houseboat. A kettuvallam (or ‘boats with knots’) was originally used by the local people to ship rice, spices and other goods between Kuttanad ...
... and the Cochin port. Now, it is remodelled as a tourist cruise boat for the backwater rides.
The modern houseboats have all the luxuries - furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, living rooms, sundecks, even a kitchen with an in-house chef.

A typical houseboat cruise lasts upto 20 hours, while at night the houseboats are anchored in a local village. On your ride you will witness tranquil stretches of backwaters, full of life and activities of the locals and varied landscape and scenery. One can enjoy a peaceful evening on the sun deck followed by authentic Kerala traditional dinner cooked by the in-house chef.

Kerala backwaters

So what are the famous stretches of backwaters for tourists? Let us start from the South. Kollam (earlier known as Quilon) is the starting point of the backwater waterways. An eight-hour boat ride from Kollam to Alappuzha (Alleppey) is the longest cruise. Alappuzha is one of the main ‘backwater’ destinations. A round-trip cruise is generally preferred by tourists, when cruising Alappuzha. A typical cruise would take you through the placid waters of Punnamada Lake – the venue of the legendary Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race. On this cruise, you can visit the 400 year old Champakkulam church, one of the 7 churches established by St. Thomas - the apostle, disciple of Jesus Christ.

Another interesting stretch of backwaters is through Kumarakom - a tourist village in Kottayam district. It is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake in Kerala. The Vembanad Lake, the largest backwater in Kerala, is habitat for many marine and freshwater fish species and it teems with Karimeen (Pearl spot), shrimp (chemmeen in the local language) and prawns. There is a private sailing club in Kumarakom, located on the shore of the Vembanad lake. Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things is set in Ayemenem or Aymanam village, which adjoins Kumarakom. The explosive success of this novel has given some added tourism impetus to this area.

A not so touristy, yet beautiful backwater destination is Kasargod in North Kerala. It is primarily known for coir processing and lovely landscape comprising of the sea and the Western Ghats. Cruise options are Chandragiri and Valiyaparamba. Chandragiri also houses the historic Chandragiri fort. Kozhikode (or Calicut) also has backwater stretches that are largely unexplored by tourists. Elathur, the Canoly Canal and the Kallayi River are good places for boating and cruising.

Several hundreds of houseboat operators offer houseboat cruises in Kerala. The Kerala government has defined guidelines for classification and certification of houseboats, into ‘Green Palm’, Silver Star and ‘Gold Star’ categories. They are certifies, only if they satisfy essential conditions and adhere to eco-friendly measures prescribed by the government. When you approach an operator, do ask if the houseboats are classified. Most leading travel companies and tour operators, sell holiday packages to Kerala combining a houseboat stay, while some exclusive houseboat operators will offer packaged holidays exclusively to the backwaters. For a comprehensive list of tour packages to the backwaters of Kerala by leading service providers, log on to www.polama.com. You can also compare holiday packages and then make a decision depending on whether the package suits your requirements and budgets.

Happy cruising! You can know more at www.polama.com

About Author :

During a chance holiday to Kumta, Deepa realised that nothing excited her more than a career in research of unexplored destinations. Her special interest is in leveraging the power of the internet to give greater value to holiday goers, such as the ability to easily compare tour packages. You can know more about tour packages at her site www.polama.com.