Alleppey Backwaters: A Guide from the Water
The Alleppey backwaters are a network of lakes, rivers and canals that link villages, islands and paddy fields around the town. You cannot see them from a road — they are seen from a boat. This guide describes the places the houseboats pass, from the wide open lake to canals only a few feet wide, and which trip reaches each one.
If you already know you want to be on the water, skip to Alleppey boat ride options for prices.
Punnamada Lake
Every trip starts here. The jetty is at Punnamada Finishing Point, the finish of the Nehru Trophy snake boat race track. The lake is wide and busy in the morning as boats set out, and it opens into Vembanad Lake.
Vembanad Lake
Kerala's largest lake: open water and wide skies, with the shore sometimes only a line of coconut palms in the distance. Houseboats cross it in the afternoon, and it is where the 3-hour shikara ride goes for the sunset. The far shore is Kumarakom.
R Block and C Block
These are paddy fields reclaimed from the lake, where rice grows below sea level. From the boat you look down at the fields over the embankment — one of the most unusual sights in the backwaters. Houseboats pass them on every day cruise and overnight stay; the 4-hour shikara goes into C Block.
Rani, Chithira and Marthandam
Island villages separated by narrow canals and lined with coconut groves. This is where you see daily life along the water: houses on the banks, small boats, people fishing and washing. The houseboat route winds through here in the late afternoon.
Kainakari and Kuppapuram
Kainakari is a village area of waterways and bridges on the way back towards Alleppey. Kuppapuram is where overnight boats moor for the night, and the 2-hour shikara explores its narrow channels.
Meenapally Kayal and Pallathuruthy
The route back to Alleppey on the morning of an overnight stay. This is the quietest time on the water, with the canals still waking up.
Kuttamangalam and the narrow canals
Wooden bridges, water lilies and channels about five feet wide. Only a shikara can get in here; houseboats are too big.
Which trip goes where
Places by boat
- Vembanad Lake
- All houseboat trips · 3 and 4-hour shikara
- R Block and C Block
- Houseboat day and overnight · 4-hour shikara
- Island canals
- Houseboat day and overnight
- Morning canals
- Overnight stay only
- 5-foot canals
- Shikara only
- Toddy shop stop
- 4-hour shikara
Seeing the Alleppey backwaters: price and time
You can see a small part of the backwaters in two hours on a shikara for ₹2,000, or the lake and the island canals on a 6-hour houseboat day cruise. The fullest way is an overnight houseboat stay, which adds the evening and the morning. Houseboats do not cruise after dark, so the night is spent moored near a village.
When to go
Whatever the month, the time of day matters. Late afternoon brings the sunset over Vembanad Lake. Early morning is the quietest time in the narrow canals.
Where to stay on the backwaters
The only way to sleep on the backwaters themselves is on a houseboat. For a comparison with lakeside hotels, read houseboat or resort. To book any trip, send your date on WhatsApp; a 25% advance holds the boat.
FAQ
Backwater questions, answered.
What are the Alleppey backwaters?
A network of lakes, rivers and canals around Alleppey, linking villages, islands and paddy fields.
What is the best way to see the Alleppey backwaters?
An overnight houseboat stay covers the most, including the evening and morning. A shikara reaches the narrowest canals.
How much does it cost to see the backwaters?
From ₹2,000 for a 2-hour private shikara. Houseboat prices depend on boat size and dates.
Where do backwater trips start?
Ours start from Punnamada Finishing Point jetty in Alleppey.
See the backwaters from the water.
Tell us your date and how long you have on WhatsApp. 25% advance to book.