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5 Tours for Cruising the Backwaters of Kerala from Alleppey | THE BEST Experience

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The Backwaters of Kerala are a big bucket list item in India and probably the most popular thing to do in South India! I planned my trip to Kerala so I could meet my friends and we could go out on the Backwaters of Kerala on Christmas Day! (Hence the Christmas Hat in most of my photos!)

Being in Kerala for Christmas was actually great, firstly its high season in December in Kerala because it’s when the weather is best and secondly because a lot of people in Kerala are Christians and although Christmas in not celebrated in Kerala like it is in the west, we saw lots of lights and had many ‘Happy Christmas’ interactions with locals which was really nice!

Backwaters of Kerala Tours

2 month India itinerary, backwaters of Kerala
Read my guide on how to spend a day in Kerala Backwaters from Alleppey

Alleppey or Alappuzha as it’s known as it’s Indian name, is one of the most popular and best places to see the Backwaters of Kerala from although there are many other places along the coast of Kerala where you can go from too.

Alleppey benefits from having its own train station which is just 10 minutes and a 50Rs tuk tuk ride away from the beach where a lot of accommodation is and it’s a main line station. I took a 15 hour train from Goa all the way down to Alleppey in Kerala!

SIM CARD FOR INDIA

I really recommend having a sim card in India as it makes travel in India so much easier! You may have heard that it’s hard to get a sim card in India but you can get a sim card in Delhi Airport, read this post to see how to buy a sim card in Delhi Airport or if you fly in elsewhere 3 ways to buy a sim card in India and you’ll be connected in just a few hours!

WHAT TO WEAR IN INDIA

If you are a woman, here’s what I recommend you pack and wear in India. Technically you can wear what you like in India in most places but to get fewer stares and feel more comfortable, read my post!

DON’T GET SCAMMED IN DELHI

Most people arrive for the first time into Delhi and get scammed within a few hours! Read my Delhi Travel Tips to help you enjoy Delhi, and the best places to stay in Delhi which is so important!

With that being said, there’s not much else to do in Alleppey and although we spent 2.5 day and 3 nights there, I would recommend 2 nights and 1-1.5 days in Alleppey, do not waste any more time there!

If you do find yourself in Alleppey with time to spare, a quick bit of research will tell you that you should head to Marari Beach, 15km up the coast from Alleppey. I had read online and in a guide that the beach is like a beach from the Maldives, it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Kerala… well the beach that I was on was not this at all!

It was a very local and wild beach which is fine but with that brings a lot of trash, s**t- literally, and not a beach that is a good place to sunbathe on. However I am glad that myself and my friends did go down there as it broke our day up before going out on the backwaters.

I got a coconut which I had been craving and we sat in a cafe called Coffee Temple for a while which is really cool- it’s just a few meters from the beach and alongside a canal, it’s a good place to go for breakfast or lunch and was the main highlight of Marari Beach for me!

Marmai Beach Alleppey

Which Tour to Get?

We knew we wanted to do a Backwaters of Kerala tour of course, but then we had to decide between the 4 of us which one to do!

From what I can gauge there are 5 options:

  • Canoe Tour
  • Shikara Tour
  • Houseboat Tour
  • Public Boat
  • Kayak Tour

Canoe Tour

The Canoe Tour is, of course, the cheapest and is priced per person meaning it is perfect for solo travellers because you’ll join a group and I was quoted 1000Rs per person for a full day Canoe Tour of the Backwaters of Kerala with lunch. Note – you do not actually canoe, there is a driver and there will be up to 4 people in the same boat.

The boats are quite small but the best thing about doing the backwaters this way is that you get to go down all of the small, quiet, side canals that none of the other boats can go down and it’s a full-day tour from about 8:00-17:00.

Alleppey Backwater Tour with a canoe

Shikara Tour

The Shikara Tour is what we choose to do as we didn’t actually want to go out all day on the water. We paid 4000Rs for 4 hours in total including lunch which worked out well between us and we were so happy with the quality of the boat and tour.

The boat was a really good size and can fit 8-10 people and at least 6 very comfortably. We didn’t get to go down the small side canals because of the boats size but we did go down a few slightly smaller ones which were so quiet and beautiful and were actually the best part of the trip! If you’re a group of friends I would really recommend this option!

House Boat Tour

A House Boat along the Backwaters of Kerala is also very popular for couples, groups of friends and families. They do come with a cost- we were quoted 10,000Rs for one night which was also the same price for the day, however, I’m confident that you can get a boat for quite a bit less, although also a lot more!

This price does include all meals which is an added benefit and waking up on the water must be amazing, the biggest downside is not being able to go down any of the side canals! I would not rule this option out in the future as I’d love to experience it.

Note – it’s possible to book all of these boats when you arrive, even the houseboats so don’t worry about looking into it in advance!

backwaters of kerala | 2 week south india itinerary
House boat tour is by far the best one for the tour to the great backwaters of Kerala

Public Boat

For those who are really on a budget or perhaps want to see the Backwaters for a second time, there is a public boat. I heard that it’s easy to catch and admittedly the boat does go down a lot of the same canals as the tour but the one time I saw the public boat go past it was very busy with locals and unless you’re on a serious budget it’s probably not worth it. If you go all the way to Alleppey to see the backwaters, see them properly!

BOOKING TRAINS IN INDIA

India is best travelled by train because its the quickest, cheapest and best way of getting to know the country. For an EASY option of booking trains in India use 12GO to search and book trains really easily. If you’ll be in India for awhile, you can use the local booking system, it’s a bit tricker but possible, here’s my post on how to book trains in India as a tourist.

BEST ACCOMMODATION IN INDIA

I always use Booking.com to book my hotels in India and Hostelworld to book my hostels. India has a great range of accommodation with brilliant hostel chains like Moustache, Zostel and Backpacker Panda as well as homestays to luxury hotels.

GUIDED TOURS IN INDIA

Many cities in India are best seen with a guide, even if it’s just a half day tour on your first day. Cities in India are chaotic and complex and what better way to taste the food and get to know the city than with a local. I recommend Get Your Guide & Viator for the best tours in India!

Kayak Tour

Kayaking is something I did not hear of in Alleppey but a couple I hiked with in Munnar did a Kayak Tour for sunrise and really enjoyed it. There are also full day kayak tours around the Backwaters of Kerala and multiple day kayak tours.

Kayak tour was one one of the tour to backwaters of kerala tour package

As I said, we were really pleased with our Shikara Boat, our driver was friendly, we had a nice South Indian lunch and we could choose what time we wanted this as well as choosing our start and end time giving us lots of flexibility- we went from 11:00-15:00. We put our music on through the speakers, laid out on the front of the boat and on the big bed in the middle and enjoyed the most beautiful scenery.

I really enjoyed just seeing local life too as it’s good to remember people do live here! We saw men and children bathing in the water, women washing and hanging up clothes, men playing games and chatting to each other on the side of the canal.

It was just such a nice day, and especially a nice Christmas Day to remember!

To see more of this local side – have a look at my YouTube video as I got some good shots of the locals.

It was the best experience exploring the backwaters of Kerala
We had a South Indian Dish in the lunch

Where to Eat in Alleppey?

Not only does Alleppey lack in things to do but also in places to eat although we did find a few places to enjoy food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Cafe Catamaran became our go-to thanks to its location on the beach and closeness to our hotel however the food wasn’t that great and not overly great for veggies!

Dreamers Cafe and Restaurant is where we went for Dinner on Christmas Day, they have a huge menu which made choosing from hard but it’s a popular place to eat lunch and dinner in Alleppey so it was good with us!

HELP WITH YOUR INDIA ITINERARY

I’ve spent many months travelling India in the last few years visiting over 50 places around the country, here are my recommended itinerary posts for India to help you plan your trip!

2 WEEK INDIA ITINERARY, PERFECT FOR YOUR FIRST TRIP!

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1 MONTH NORTH INDIA ITINERARY IDEAS!

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MY 4 MONTH INDIA ITINERARY!

24 BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN INDIA!

We also found that Zostel Alleppey Hostel was the only place serving an early breakfast so we had breakfast there before our tour!

There’s also an Indian Coffee House, we didn’t go but I do like visiting Indian Coffee Houses in India for a Coffee and Dosa for Breakfast!

Talking of accommodation, we stayed at Pine Beach Residency which was a good place to stay. Its location was perfect by the beach and close to some other hotels and restaurants. Had I been on my own I would have stayed in Zostel Hostel as it’s really cool or Lemon Dew Hostel which I heard is nice too!

I use Booking.com for all of my accommodation in India as I love the flexible booking options! For accommodation options in Alleppey, have a look on Booking.com.

I hope this gives you some information ready for your Backwaters of Kerala Trip!

To SEE the Backwaters, have a watch of my YouTube Video here!

For more of my posts on India see:

Giulia Fabris

Tuesday 14th of January 2020

Hey, thank you for your tips :) Im landing in Kochi at 11pm in the evening in a few days time and departing from Mumbai after 23 days. Im now sure on where to start wondering the South West coast and inland Kerala. I can see you are well experienced with india and as female solo traveller, what itinerary would you recommend me to do (including Goa & Hampi)? I would infinitely appreciate your suggestion if you have a moment to get back to me :). Looking forward to it!

TheWanderingQuinn

Monday 3rd of February 2020

Hello, Thank you for your comment, sorry for my slow reply. I've been running a tour around India! I would say from Kochi to go to alleppy to do the backwaters of kerala and then go inland into Munnar which is beautiful. After that you can start to travel up to Goa, there is an overnight train from Kochi or Alleppy to Goa. From Goa you can go inland into Hampi. I'm not sure if you can go from Kerala to Hampi, you'll have to check the trains. And then you can continue further North from Goa / Hampi to Mumbai! Enjoy it!

Deah

Friday 4th of January 2019

We’re headed there next, after Hampi. Thanks for helping me center in on an area in Kerala to research.

TheWanderingQuinn

Sunday 6th of January 2019

Awesome! Hope you liked Hampi! You’ll have a great time on the backwaters I’m sure! :)

Jess

Wednesday 2nd of January 2019

This looks incredible! How amazing that you got to experience the backwaters at Christmas!

xoxo Jess

TheWanderingQuinn

Thursday 3rd of January 2019

It was so good and even better on Christmas Day! Least I’ll remember it even more now! Thanks for reading and commenting Jess :)