Imagine the creaking sound of the joints withinside the rice barge's bamboo body on a moonlit night time with the brightly shining stars forming an airy cover overhead as you lie at the higher deck of your houseboat.

Envisage a scene wherein the sound of leaves rustling because the wind blows thru the coconut palm and banana timber shading the canal and the early morning chanting that lightly fills the air coming over from a far away Hindu temple wakes you as much as a spell binding morning view of the misty stretches of backwaters and dim silhouette of the plant life and surrounding villages.

Far from the frenzied environment which is clear withinside the relaxation of India, backwaters in Kerala gives unhurried and laid lower back journey revel in alongside the plush paddy discipline strewn and coconut grove shaded Malabar Coast.

A chain of brackish lagoons and canals linking 5 massive lakes, Kerala Backwaters is a maze of water our bodies stretching over 900 kilometers. One of the maximum critical issue of tourism in Kerala, the backwaters had been used historically as waterways to ferry rice and spices from one locations to some other in kettuvallams or the conventional rice barges which now paperwork the predominant traveler appeal and ferry vacationers and traffic from one vacation spot to some other.

In the midst of the coconut palm-fringed backwaters are wide variety of traveler locations, cities and village that function the beginning and concluding factor of the Kerala Backwater excursions, cruises or even homes Kerala backwater hotels. Almost all of the time, the flotilla of Kerala boat residence and kettuvallams maintain gliding thru this huge expanse of labyrinth.

From tourism factor of view, Alappuza (Alleppey)- regularly in comparison to Venice shrouded as it's miles with canals and coconut palm-shaded streets - serves because the gateway to Kerala Backwaters. However, the spellbinding journey from the ancient metropolis of Kollam to the Alappuza, which additionally takes place to be the longest, is taken into consideration to be because the quality factors of Kerala backwater tourism. The journey now no longer simplest offers a peek into the soul-quenching greenery that Kerala is blessed with however additionally a glimpse of the village lifestyles and rural economic system of the kingdom.

The critical Kerala backwater locations are Alappuza, Kollam, Kasargod, Kozikode(Calicut), Kumarakom, Kuttanad and Thiruvananthpuram. Surrounded with the aid of using Kallada river, Asthamudi Lake, Sasthamkoda Lake, Munroe Island in Kollam is one of the maximum famous backwater locations in Kerala. Vembanad Lake in Kumarakom which additionally homes Kumarakom Lake Resort, one of the best luxurious motels in Kerala backwater, is but some other famous backwater vacation spot in Kerala.

Kerala houseboats - regionally referred to as kettuvallams - are quintessential a part of the huge expanse of waterways and shape the spine of Kerala backwater tourism. Traditionally those rice barges served the motive of transportation of locals in addition to for ferrying items like spices and rice from paddy fields to marketplace metropolis and ports. Today those lovely crafts function maximum famous mode of transportation for vacationers and additionally function lodging in shape of Kerala houseboats.

Day excursions in Kerala backwaters are operated with the aid of using kingdom tourism branch in addition to prepared privately with the aid of using excursion operators. Full day backwater cruises are to be had for round INR a thousand in keeping with character and lasts for 8-nine hours. The complete day Kerala backwater cruise is ideally fitted for traffic trying to get a glimpse of the agricultural village lifestyles and nearby cultural interaction.

Half day cruises in addition to sundown cruise also are operated in Kerala backwaters. Most of the houseboat cruises are to be had from Alappuza, the gateway to Kerala backwaters. Many hotels and motels additionally personal houseboats and provide sundown cruises in addition to in a single day trips.