Sunset Shikara Ride in Alleppey

Which ride length to choose

3 hours is the sunset ride. It covers the village canals first: Punnamada Lake, the Nehru Trophy race track and the narrow canals of Kavungal and Kuppapuram. Then it crosses onto Vembanad Lake, past the Lake Palace Resort front and under the Kainakary and Kuttamangalam bridges. Leaving at 3:30 PM, you reach the big lake in the last part of the ride, when the sun is lowest.

2 hours stays on Punnamada. The 4:30 PM ride takes in Punnamada Lake and the village canals but does not go as far as Vembanad, so the evening light falls over Punnamada and the paddy fields along the canal banks. It suits a short evening, and on holidays and peak dates it is the only ride that runs.

4 hours is about the paddy fields, not the sunset. From 2:30 PM it crosses Vembanad Lake in the afternoon, then goes on through the inner canals of Kuttamangalam to the C Block paddy fields below sea level and the pink water lily lagoon. You are on the water all evening, but the lake comes earlier in the ride.

The full list of stops for each ride is on the shikara route page.

The best months for a sunset on the water

From October to January the sun goes down between about 6:00 and 6:20 PM, comfortably before the boat is back, so the sunset itself happens out on the water. These are also some of the driest months, which gives the best chance of a clear sky. From February to May the sun sets at about 6:35 PM, just after you step off. You still have the low sun across the lake for most of the ride home. In the middle of the year, sunset slips to about 6:45 to 6:50 PM. You get the warm evening light on the way back, then the sunset itself from the jetty.

On holidays and peak dates

On holidays and peak dates, such as the 20 December to 10 January window, Diwali week and Onam, only the 2-hour ride runs, at ₹1,500 an hour. A sunset ride on Christmas Day is therefore 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM and costs ₹3,000 for the whole boat. The ₹1,000 advance stays the same. Those dates fall in the best months for the sun, so a holiday sunset is still worth booking, just on the shorter route.

Rather see the sunrise?

The Sunrise start leaves at 6:00 AM whatever the ride length. In January and February the sun comes up at about 6:45 AM, so you set off in the first light and watch it rise from the water. In May and June it is up at about 6:05 AM, within minutes of leaving. Every start time for every ride length is set out on the shikara timings page.

What is on board

The shikara is private: the boat, the KTDC-licensed captain and the fuel are for your group alone, up to 15 guests, at the same price per boat. Life jackets are on board for everyone. Tea and snacks can be arranged on request; the boat stops and you pay at the stop. Prices per head for different group sizes are on the shikara ride price page.

Booking a sunset slot

Sunset is the slot that fills first, along with weekends, because boats are limited. Send your date, the ride length and the number of guests on WhatsApp. We confirm the slot with the boat, and a ₹1,000 advance then holds it for your group alone. The balance is paid at check-in. Rides leave from Punnamada Finishing Point, not the ferry jetty in town; the boarding point page has directions.