Kerala Backwater Houseboat Cruise (5N/6D)

Description

Kerala's backwaters are a network of more than 900 kilometres of interconnected lakes, canals and rivers running parallel to the Arabian Sea, and cruising them aboard a private houseboat remains one of the most restorative travel experiences in India. This six-day journey is built  around that experience, with two nights afloat supported by carefully chosen stays in Fort Kochi and on Vembanad Lake.

The traditional kettuvallam houseboat was once a rice barge, built from jackwood planks stitched together with coir rope and roofed with bamboo and palm thatch. Modern versions retain the form and craftsmanship while adding air-conditioned bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, an open sun deck, a shaded lounge and a private crew including a captain and a dedicated chef. You cruise by day through canals barely wider than the boat, past paddy fields lying below sea level, and moor at quiet village jetties by night.

The route takes in Vembanad, the longest lake in India, the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary where migratory species including Siberian storks and darters congregate, and a network of narrower canals accessible only by small country canoe. Village stops introduce coir rope making, toddy tapping and the Kuttanad system of below-sea-level farming, which is recognised globally as an agricultural heritage system.

Fort Kochi frames the journey at the start, with its Chinese fishing nets, Portuguese and Dutch colonial architecture, synagogue and spice warehouses, and a Kathakali performance that introduces Kerala's classical dance-drama tradition. Meals throughout the cruise are prepared fresh onboard, typically featuring karimeen pearl spot fish, prawns and coconut-based curries bought from the villages you pass. It is a quiet, deeply comfortable itinerary that consistently ranks among our most requested.