Alappuzha Houseboat Tour

The waterways of Alappuzha (also known as Alleppey) are a series of canals, backwaters, and lagoons that stretch from the Arabian Sea inland toward Kottayam. These waterways are central to the way of life here, arteries for communication and commerce, and now, for tourism.

We arrived at the dock for our houseboat to find a line of boats stretching out in each direction as far as the eye can see. Our guide told us there are at least 1500 of them. They follow a general mold of having one or two decks with indoor and or outdoor seating areas, and from 1 to 4 or 5 bedrooms, but each boat is unique. The boats can be rented for a single afternoon tour – some have room for 100 people on the upper deck – or for a 1 to 3 night excursion. We rented a two bedroom boat for a one night private tour.

Leaving the docks was like joining a train of boats processing through the canal. From our shaded seating area on the upper deck we could see the tan rooftops stretching out in a long line ahead and behind us. Despite the number of boats, having our boat to ourselves created an experience that felt quite private by Indian standards. And after the typically hectic drive to get to the boat, the pace of slowly floating along was calm and relaxing.

Eventually the narrow canal opened into a huge lagoon and the boats fanned out in different directions. We continued across the lake for about half an hour before entering a narrower canal where they tied the boat up for lunch.

The food is a highlight of the houseboat tour. Despite there only being two of us, they made us a feast with three veggie dishes (beets, cabbage, and greenbeans), sambar (a kind of veggie curry), chicken curry, rotis, rice, and because Kerala is known for its seafood, a whole fried fish.

After lunch we went back to the upper deck as the boat continued along the canals. The edges of the canals were lined with coconut and banana trees, with rice paddies stretching beyond them. Occasionally we passed houses, and after lunch boats motor boats selling ice cream came along ringing bells.

Watching the other houseboats was as entertaining as the scenery. Some had traditional woven palm sides and roofs, others had modern materials. They had different styles of doors and windows, various deck configurations, and a couple even had solar panels up on the roof (the majority are powered by generators). On the shaded rooftop of our own boat the temperature was warm but nicely tempered by a breeze.

As we approached where we would dock for the evening, the guide offered us a tour on a smaller motor boat to see the inner canals where the houseboats can’t go. After putting on a thorough layer of mosquito repellent, we carefully climbed from our houseboat down to the “motor boat,” which was more like a canoe with a motor attached, and set out.

Passing under the first foot bridge connecting the two sides of the narrow canal, we found ourselves in a village centered around the water. Vibrant green coconut trees, mango trees, and banana trees were the backdrop to colorful houses surrounded by flowers. It was like taking a stroll through a neighborhood in a new city and just taking everything in to absorb a tiny piece of the way of life in this place. Every house had stairs to the water and most had docks with boats. We saw a narrow barge piled with construction material to build a new house. People sat on the edge of the canal to fish, watered their plants, scooped canal water for washing. Narrow footpaths ran along the sides of the canal occasionally connected by arching bridges, but it was clear that transportation by water is still central to life.

We returned to the main houseboat after our canal tour. Still full from lunch, we were served another amazing meal with okra, mixed veggies, chicken curry, dal, and another fried fish.

We learned that our guide had been working on the boats for twelve years. He and the other two crew members live on the boat year round, sleeping in the main room downstairs. The company they work for has three boats, a one bedroom, a two bedroom, and a mammoth four bedroom that we saw several times during our journey. They normally have a private dock for overnight stays, but due to some work being done on it we had to stop at a “pay to stay” area instead. It was a very quiet place to spend the night, well away from the other boats. Even when our AC turned off briefly during the night it was still quiet enough to sleep, which is a true rarity in India.

In the morning we woke up early as seems to be our current habit. After quick showers in the impressively outfitted bathroom – a full shower stall with a closing glass door – we saw the sun beginning to rise through the light window shades. Heading up to the top deck, we were treated to a lovely sun rise while watching fishermen put out their nets and houseboats pass on their return to the main dock.

We ate breakfast as we sailed back to to the main dock. From occasionally checking our position on Google maps, it seems we did a circle up to the north, through the lagoon, then back south into the canals and spent the night in a smaller canal near Kainakary Houseboat Terminal. Then in the morning it was only a short distance to return back through the canals to dock near where we began.

Our experience with Pournami Houseboat Tours was fantastic and we would highly recommend them to anyone planning a tour in Kerala.