Kerala Houseboat Guide: Alleppey vs Kumarakom, and How to Choose Your Boat

Gliding through palm-fringed canals as village life unfolds on the banks is the image most of us have of Kerala - and it lives up to the promise. The traditional kettuvallam, once used to carry rice and spices, has been reinvented as a floating home with bedrooms, a sun deck and your own cook. Here is how to make the most of it.

How a Houseboat Cruise Works

Most guests book a single overnight cruise. You typically board around noon, are served a welcome drink and a traditional Kerala lunch, and cruise through the afternoon, stopping at a village or a toddy shop along the way. By government regulation, houseboats stop cruising at about 5:30 pm so that fishermen can use the waters at night; the boat moors at a quiet spot for the evening. After breakfast the next morning you cruise back, disembarking around 9 am.

Alleppey or Kumarakom?

Alleppey (Alappuzha)

Often called the "Venice of the East", Alleppey is the houseboat capital, with hundreds of boats and a vast network of narrow canals, paddy fields and villages. It offers the widest choice and the most "village life" scenery - but the main channels can be busy in peak season.

Kumarakom

On the shores of the vast Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is quieter and more upmarket, with lakeside resorts and a well-known bird sanctuary. Cruises here spend more time on open water, with spectacular sunsets.

Choosing the Right Boat

Ask whether the boat is private or shared, whether air-conditioning runs all day, and whether the upper deck is open or enclosed. For families and groups, a multi-bedroom boat is excellent value.

Food on Board

A dedicated cook prepares all meals on board, and the food is often a highlight: fish curry, karimeen pollichathu (pearl-spot fish cooked in banana leaf), appam with stew, and vegetables with coconut. Vegetarian and Jain meals are easily arranged - just tell us in advance.

Best Time for a Houseboat

September to March is the most pleasant season, with December and January the peak. The monsoon (June to August) is lush and romantic, with lower prices. If you visit in August, time your trip for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Punnamada Lake, held on the second Saturday of the month, when giant snake boats race with over a hundred oarsmen each.

Short on Time?

A day cruise or a two-hour shikara ride through the narrow canals is a lovely alternative. Our Kerala Backwaters tour combines a private houseboat night with Kochi and the tea hills of Munnar.