Kerala Houseboat

Kettuvallom (House Boat) is a country boat that was used in the early days for the transport of goods from the isolated interior villages to the towns. With the advent of roads, bridges and ferry services, gradually the Kettuvalloms went off the scene. Now these kettuvalloms are back again as a major tourist attraction. A ride on a Kettuvallom is a fabulous way to explore the fascinating beauty of the backwaters.

A houseboat is about 67 feet in length and has a width of around 13 feet in the middle. The materials that go into the making are local and ecofriendly; bamboo poles, coconut fibre, ropes, bamboo mats, carpets etc. The main wood used is "Anjili". There are houseboats with fully furnished single room, double room and triple rooms. All of them have sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet with w.c. In addition there is a separate rest room for the crew. Traditional lanterns are used as lights. The crew includes a chef, and two oarsmen. The cuisine is of traditional Kerala flavour Alongwith the local specialties; delicious fish and prawns. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people.

A glide in a "Kettuvallam" (Houseboat) through the enchanting backwaters of Alleppey is sure to rob your heart. Palm fringed narrow canals winding through the vast expanse of paddy fields and the neat tiny hamlets lined up along either side of the canals are panoramic sight one can never forget.

The houseboats used for cruising on the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, are innovative adaptations of the traditional cargo carriers along the network of inland water navigation routes in the western coastal lowlands of the state, especially in southern Kerala. Such cargo crafts made of local tropical woods like jack tree, teak and coconut fiber ropes, were made in different sizes and capacities for carrying loads. There were skilled carpenters in Kerala, who made such country crafts using local materials. Different types of watercrafts were made for different uses. The famous snake boats were for military / army logistics to quickly transport soldiers and materials along and across wide and long waterways during the early and medieval centuries.

Usually houseboats are defined as places to live in on rivers or estuaries or lakes. Families without regular houses, used to live permanently in the houseboats. But in Kerala, floating houses were not common. The present-day houseboats are meant to take tourists on sightseeing tours in the extensive backwaters of Kerala. The natural beauty and scenery of the backwaters can be enjoyed by cruising on the houseboats comfortably.