KERALA HOUSEBOATS
          
Kerala is blessed with a huge network of rivers, lakes, canals and lagoons that flow into the Arabian Sea. Just before they complete their journey into the Sea these small streams, canals and rivers empty themselves into two or three huge lakes, the biggest of which is the Vembanad Lake, a 240 sq km lake that stretches from Ernakulam to Kollam.

These lagoons and canals circumvent huge tracts of inhabited land growing coconut and paddy mainly. People who live in these islands and low lying tracts of land used these canals to transport most everything from rice and vegetables to concrete and granite. For ages the mode of transport were country made boats hewn out of the wild jack tree and smeared with fish oil to keep the water from rooting the hull.

Boats carrying rice sometimes did overnight journeys and boatman had a small space to sleep overnight or keep themselves dry from the monsoon rain. This space, usually in the middle of the boat, had a bamboo covering across the width of the small country boat.

With the entry of tourism in a big way, one innovative entrepreneur decided to expand the concept of the Rice Boat to fit and include the needs of tourists and thus was born `houseboats', which today measure between 70 and 100 feet and weigh quite that much. These houseboats have been designed with 1 bedroom to 10 bedroom huge boats and have all the amenities of a resort minus the variety of cuisine. The cuisine largely is traditional Keralan food.

Today the houseboat has grown tremendously as a concept and perhaps bears no relation to its founder concept. Having said that, everyone would agree a cruise on the houseboat is a journey of a lifetime, one of those things you should not miss when you are in India.

Kerala's Backwaters
Kerala backwaters are the most popular tourist attraction of Kerala. Backwaters are formed by the accumulation of sea water at the beach. As the waves moved to and fro, they made their way tearing the ground and forming backwaters. The backwaters are essentially inland lakes connected by a network of canals. The best way to enjoy the Kerala backwaters is to take a cruise on a Kettuvallam or the house boat.

The major backwaters in Kerala are: -
Alappuzha Backwaters is one of the exotic backwater sites of India's southern state Kerala. Washed by the Arabian Sea, interlocked by a number of canals and bridges, this tiny marketplace is also famous for its Nehru Trophy boat race held every year. Alappuzha Backwaters is accessible by all the means of communication. The nearest airport is Kochi at a distance of 64 km north. The Trivandrum airport is located 159 km south of Alappuzha. Cities like Cochin, Chennai, Howrah, Bangalore and Bokaro are well connected to Alappuzha. National Highway 47 goes through Alappuzha connecting it with almost all the nearby places of South India.

The climate of Alappuzha Backwaters is temperate and humid in general and relatively more pleasant in the winter season. The temperature ranges from 22 to 35°C in summer and 20 to 32°C during winter

The Prime attractions of Alappuzha Backwaters are:-
Punnamada Kayal
The must-visit place of Alappuzha in kerala, where the annual Nehru Trophy boat race takes place during the month of August-September .The long boats, designed to resemble snakes, can accommodate 120 people, making two rows of 60 each.

Facilities
» One to Five bedroom houseboats with A/c and Non A/c along with attached bathroom.
» Entertainment facilities like Television are also accessible.
» Hot water and Cold water bathing is also provided.
» A kitchen.