Just as a trip to northern India almost requires a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra or the Ghats of Varanasi, a journey to southern India should definitely include exploring the Kerala Backwaters. This extensive network of rivers, canals, and lakes spans several hundred kilometers, and beyond being a tourist attraction, it serves as an efficient means of transport and a unique way of life.
With the intention of navigating these famous canals, we arrived at Alleppey (or Alappuzzha), a city without many attractions but perfect for booking a boat trip and getting to know the area.
There are several ways to navigate this 900-km labyrinth, from small boats carrying just a few passengers, rowed by muscular boatmen, to large vessels offering short cruises.
These larger boats, known as Kettuvallam, were originally used for transporting goods. However, with the rise of faster road transport, their owners adapted and transformed them into floating houses for travelers.
Though these houseboats are beautifully crafted, and we were very tempted to rent one for the day, negative reviews on forums and concerns about their questionable environmental impact ultimately discouraged us.
You can negotiate with travel agencies in Alleppey to book a boat trip, but it’s also a good idea to book a tour of the Alleppey canals in advance if you’re looking to save time.
Our excursion through the Kerala Backwaters began early in the morning on the wide canal that runs through Alleppey, where a ferry picked us up along with a handful of other tourists. From there, we were taken to an area outside the village where, after breakfast at a family home, we were divided into small groups.
By chance, we ended up sharing a three-person boat with Eloy, a Catalan who had been traveling for several months, and a 52-year-old rower named “Tangueten” (Toni called him “Chanquete”), who had only a few teeth left clinging to his gums.
Despite looking much older than his actual age, our rower was still in good shape, as demonstrated by how effortlessly he rowed us away from the busier areas and into the narrow channels of the Kerala Backwaters.
Gradually, the boats carrying other tourists disappeared from view, and our fear that this might be an overly touristy excursion began to fade. In the smaller canals, the silence was almost complete, and the towering palm trees shielded us from the harsh sun that beat down relentlessly that day.
All we did was enjoy our surroundings (and chat for hours…), watching as the locals worked in the rice fields, bathed in the river, washed dishes or clothes, and children greeted us joyfully as we passed by.
From time to time, we stopped to visit the small villages along the way: a Shiva temple, a church, and even a quick stop for ice cream.
Each time we returned to the boat, we settled in and let ourselves drift along, both literally and figuratively…
The morning passed like this until lunchtime, when we returned to the same family home where we had eaten breakfast. They prepared a delicious meal for us, and afterward, we went for a short walk before finally bidding farewell to Tangueten and boarding the ferry that took us back to Alleppey.
Now you know what you simply can’t miss in the south of this vast country if you’re planning a trip to India: the Kerala Backwaters.
