Alleppey: The Venice of the East

If Kerala is a dream, Alleppey is its most beautiful chapter. A night on a houseboat here — drifting through coconut-fringed canals, watching the sun melt into Vembanad Lake, eating freshly cooked Kerala fish curry on your private deck — is one of those travel experiences that stays with you for the rest of your life. The "Venice of the East" title was earned.

Kerala's Backwaters — What Are They?

The Kerala backwaters are a network of over 1,500 km of interconnected waterways — rivers, canals, lakes and lagoons — running parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. Alleppey (officially Alappuzha) is the main hub. The waters are a mix of freshwater rivers draining from the Western Ghats and saltwater from the Arabian Sea, creating a unique brackish ecosystem rich in fish, birds and aquatic life. For centuries, these waterways were Kerala's main highways — and in many villages, they still are.

A houseboat on Vembanad Lake, village life on the backwater canals and Alleppey's waterways

The Houseboat Experience

The Kerala houseboat — called Kettuvallam — was originally a large country boat used to transport rice and spices. Today these wooden vessels have been converted into floating hotels of varying levels of luxury: from basic single-bedroom boats to premium multi-bedroom houseboats with air conditioning, a full kitchen, a chef, and a private sun deck with loungers.

A full overnight houseboat stay typically begins at noon and ends the following morning. In the evening, the boat moors by the canal bank — lights reflecting on the water, the sound of frogs and crickets, and stars undimmed by city light overhead. It is one of the most peaceful nights you will ever spend.

🚣 Village Canoe Rides

For a more intimate experience of backwater life, small canoe rides through the narrow village channels offer something the larger houseboats cannot reach. Here you see the real Kerala — women sitting in front of their homes, fishermen casting nets, children paddling to school in small boats, ducks feeding in the shallows. This is one of the most authentic travel experiences available anywhere in India.

🏖️ Alleppey Beach & Lighthouse

Alleppey also has a beautiful beach with a 150-year-old British-era lighthouse. The unusual geography — backwaters on one side of town and the Arabian Sea on the other — means you can watch the sun set over the backwaters in the evening and greet the ocean in the morning, all within a kilometre of each other.

🚣 Nehru Trophy Boat Race

Every year on the second Saturday of August, Punnamada Lake near Alleppey hosts the Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race — one of the most spectacular sporting events in India. Long, low boats called Chundan Vallam ("snake boats"), each manned by over 100 oarsmen rowing in perfect synchrony, race across the lake to the sound of drums and thousands of spectators. It is a sight of extraordinary energy and colour.

Snake boat race excitement, village canoe rides and a golden backwater sunset