Alleppey (Alappuzha)
The Venice of the East — the best place to board a luxury houseboat into Kerala's backwater network at dawn.
The essence
Kerala exists in a register entirely its own. The air here smells of cardamom and rain. The coastline stretches for 590 kilometres, flanked by the Arabian Sea on one side and the Western Ghats on the other, with 44 rivers threading between. The backwaters — a 900-kilometre network of canals, lakes, and inlets — are best experienced by houseboat at dawn, when the water is still and fishermen cast their Chinese-style nets in silence. Inland, Munnar's tea estates climb to 2,000 metres, and the forest reserves of Wayanad and Periyar hold elephants, leopards, and wild pepper vines draped over ancient trees.
Starting from
₹75,000
per person · custom itinerary
Best season
October to February for beaches and backwaters. June–September is monsoon (beautiful but limiting). Avoid mid-April to May (very hot and humid).
Culture & History
The story
behind the place.
Kerala's history is one of spice and sea. Arab, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and British traders all came for the black pepper, cardamom, and ginger grown in these hills, and each left something behind — a cuisine, a word, an architectural detail. The Syrian Christian community, established here by the Apostle Thomas in 52 AD according to local tradition, runs some of the finest homestays in the state. The Jewish community of Mattancherry left behind a 450-year-old synagogue with blue Dutch-style floor tiles. Kerala has one of India's highest literacy rates, a long democratic tradition, and a food culture of extraordinary depth — Malabar biryani in the north, Travancore fish curries in the south, Sadhya feasts served on banana leaves on festival days.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
Questions.
Places to explore
Beyond the
headline.
Munnar
Kerala's most dramatic hill station at 2,000 metres — tea estates, cardamom plantations, and cool mornings above the clouds.
Kovalam & Varkala
Two of South India's finest beaches — Kovalam's crescent bays and Varkala's dramatic clifftop promenade above red-orange cliffs.
Traveller stories
What our guests
say about Kerala.
5.0
1 verified review from travellers who've completed this journey.
April 2025
Houseboat experience was sublime
Drifting through Alleppey's backwaters at golden hour, surrounded by absolute quiet and fireflies at night — it remains the most peaceful memory of our travelling lives.
— Amelia & Ben Hartley
Signature moments
What you'll
remember.
- 01Overnight houseboat on the Alleppey backwaters — sunrise views over Vembanad Lake
- 02Munnar tea estate walk at dawn with the estate manager, above the cloud line
- 03Kathakali performance and traditional Kerala feast served on banana leaf
- 04Sunrise yoga and Ayurvedic massage at a clifftop retreat above Varkala Beach
- 05Spice plantation walk in Wayanad — vanilla, wild pepper, and black cardamom
A closer
look.
Curated journeys
Our Kerala
packages.
AffordableKerala Backwater Retreat
5 days · from ₹85,000
Five days of slow travel along Kerala's iconic backwater network — a private houseboat, Alleppey at dawn, Munnar tea estates, and Ayurvedic evenings.
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