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Kerala’s backwaters comprise a web of waterways that forms a natural inland transport network stretching from Cochin, the northern gateway, to Kollam (or Quilon), the backwaters’ southernmost town. At its heart is Vembanad Lake, on the shores of which lie the top-notch resorts of Kumarakom and nearby Bird Sanctuary. Inland, just 12km (71/2 miles) east of Kumarakom, is Kottayam, the bustling town described by Arundhati Roy in her Booker Prize–winning The God of Small Things. Located at the foot of the Western Ghats, it has two historically significant (but ultimately missable) early Syrian Christian churches.
Kumarakom has by far the best accommodations, but unless you’re a keen birder, there’s not a great deal to do here. Idle away the hours on a houseboat cruise, indulge in Ayurvedic therapies, and laze under the tropical sun—that’s about as busy as your day is likely to get. Between November and March, the local Bird Sanctuary becomes home to numerous migratory flocks, many of which fly in from Siberia. Regularly seen here are little cormorants, darters (or snake birds), night herons, golden-backed woodpeckers, tree pies, and crow pheasants. Given its exclusivity and sublime setting, Kumarakom does not offer accommodations for budget-oriented travelers; for that you’ll need to look farther south to Alleppey (or Alappuzha), also the focal point of backwater cruises.
Snake Boat Races
Every year Kerala’s backwater canals host the world’s largest team sport, when scores of streamlined chundan vallams, the ram-snouted boats commonly known as snake boats, are propelled across the waters at impressive speeds, cheered on by an exuberant audience. Typically, snake boats are manned by four helmsmen, 25 singers, and up to 100 oarsmen rowing in unison to the terrific rhythm of the vanchipattu, or “song of the boatman.” The oldest and most popular event is the Champakulam Moolam Boat Race, held in monsoonsoaked July, but the most famous water battle is undoubtedly the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, held on the second Saturday of August on the Punnamada backwaters of Alleppey in conjunction with Kerala’s important Onam harvest
festival. Tickets for the event, which features at least 16 competing chundan vallams and attracts thousands of excited supporters, are available from the District Tourism Promotion Council office.
Home to the coir (fibers made from coconut husks) industry, Alleppey once bore the nickname “Venice of the East” because of its famed palm-fringed canal network, the intricate byways and narrow streams that allow boats to transport huge bales of
coconut fibers. Of the many snake boat races that take place in the backwaters throughout the year, Alleppey’s Nehru Trophy event is the most significant. If you’re keen to witness the event, it may be useful to find accommodations close to town.
The entire backwaters region is a tranquil paradise, and sustains a delightfully laidback way of life that has endured for centuries—perfect for sultry, languid, do-nothing houseboat adventures that take you into the heart of Kerala country life.
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