Kollam
South Kerala · Ashtamudi Lake & the eight-hour ferry
Where the backwaters begin
2,000+ reviews
Overview
Why travellers come to Kollam
Kollam (Quilon) is the quieter, southern end of the backwater world, built around the sprawling, palm-shaped Ashtamudi Lake. Long a spice-trade port, it is the launch point for the famous full-day public ferry to Alleppey — eight hours of open lake, coconut groves and village jetties that remains one of the best-value backwater journeys in Kerala. Ashtamudi itself, with its eight interconnected channels, is broader and wilder than Vembanad, and its shores are lined with cashew plantations and old trading towns. Travellers who want the scenery without the crowds increasingly start here.
At a glance
Kollam, Kerala
- Region
- South Kerala
- Best time
- October – March
- From Trivandrum
- ≈ 1.5 hours
- Known for
- Ashtamudi Lake & ferry
- Stay
- 1 night or day cruise
On film
Kollam, at the pace of the water
No photograph does the backwaters justice. Press play to see how a day in Kollam actually moves — shot on our own journeys through the water.
Highlights
What a day in Kollam looks like
- 01The full-day Kollam–Alleppey ferry cruise
- 02Sunset over the eight channels of Ashtamudi Lake
- 03Historic spice-trade port and Portuguese remains
- 04Cashew plantations along the lake shore
- 05Munroe Island's narrow canal network
Plan your stay
Cruise from Kollam
Browse curated houseboat packages departing near Kollam, or let us build a custom itinerary around your dates.
More in Kerala
Other destinations to explore
The Venice of the East
Alleppey
The beating heart of Kerala's backwaters — a lattice of palm-lined canals, lagoons and rice fields best seen from the deck of a private houseboat.
Birdsong on the lake
Kumarakom
A cluster of little islands on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake — quieter than Alleppey, with a famous bird sanctuary and some of Kerala's finest lakeside stays.
The rice bowl of Kerala
Kuttanad
One of the few places on earth where farming happens below sea level — an endless green quilt of paddy fields, dykes and canals between Alleppey and Kollam.
