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Backwaters

A cruise along the palm-fringed waterways of Kerala in a luxury houseboat is the most enchanting holiday experience in India today. In this world of simple pleasures, you will skim past ancient Chinese fishing nets, water lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic homes, temples and coconut groves. A guided tour down the backwaters would provide you with a complete and most enchanting experience on the backwaters of Kerala and will also reveal to you interesting facets of the life of local village people. There is a Kerala that lives along these backwaters, throbbing with its own unique culture. For you, as a visitor to Kerala, it can be an incredibly different experience just floating on these backwaters in a country craft and absorbing the novel and unique experience.
Life on the backwaters is different, water being the key to everything. On the banks are lush green rice fields spreading into the distance and coconut groves with scattered temples or churches. People living on the banks depend on various types of boats (‘vallam’ in Malayalam, the local language), which are specially designed to meet the purpose for which they are used. The vallams vary from small narrow boats called ‘kothumbu vallam’, which can accommodate one to two commuters, to large ‘ketuvallams’ which can carry a payload of up to 30 tonnes. New resorts are being built, keeping in mind the delicate ecosystem around.
The government and tourism entrepreneurs are keen on developing facilities for the increasing number of visitors with little damage to the environment. The best way to enjoy the backwaters is by houseboats (specially modified Kettuvallams).Take a cruise in a houseboat to absorb the serene beauty, the calmness, the fresh air and the tranquillity. Watch life drifting by ever so slowly. Indulge in the experience of a lifetime!
chchin fishingnet house-boat