You Can Travel By Bus, But It’s Better To Go By Boat. There Are Only Two Services: 10.30am And 10pm.
The Trip Lasts 8 Hours And Costs 8rs, And You Can Make A Reservation. If You Want A Good Seat, You Should Get There About An Hour Before Departure, As It’s Very Noisy Near The Motor. The Boat Stops Twice For 15 Minutes For Meals At About Lpm And 4.45pm. They Try To Charge You Inflated Prices. On Board You Can’t Get Anything To Eat, But The Boats Have Their Own Toilets. You Can Travel On The Roof (Rather Hot) At Least At The Time Of Writing You Could.
The Birds Of Prey With The White Heads That You See Flying Everywhere Along The Backwaters Are Ospreys. You Will Also See Pond Herons, Cormorants And Quail. A Python Was Even Seen By One Of Our Readers
Related Travel Information
The Classical Backwater Trip Goes From Kottayam To Alleppey, And Then On Toquilon. Trips Are Also Available To The Inland Waterways From Cochin.
Every Second Day A Boat Leaves From The Main Ferry Wharf In Ernakulam For Alleppey (Approximately 4Rs) And Then On To Chengan-Nur. If You Take The 7pm Service, You Won't See Much On The Five Hour Journey. The Return Trip Leaves Alleppey At 12.30am.
The Trip North To Varapuzha Is Better. Ferries Depart From The Main Ferry Terminal About Every Hour And The Trip Takes 2.5 Hours. You Can Also Hire Boats - Ask At The Govt Of India
Quilon Has A Population Of 150,000. Accommodation Can Be Found Right
Near The Jetty, And The Bus Terminal Is Also There.
The Mahalakshmi Lodge Is Right Near The Jetty. It Is Very Clean, Doubles
Cost Around 30rs, And It Also Has A Good Restaurant. (W.K.)
Double Rooms In The Sudarsan Hotel Cost Around 6ors And It Has A Good
Restaurant. (Petra Z.)
Connections
There Are Day And Night Buses To Trivandrum 72km (45 Miles) - Lors And A 2 Hour Trip. There Are Two Boats To Alleppey Daily At 10am And 10.30pm. There Is Also A Bus.
You Can Also Go On The Backwaters To Kapapuzha Or Guhanan-Dapuram.
There Is An Exceptional Bus Service From Ernakulam To Alleppey, Quilon And Trivandrum. Buses Depart For Trivandrum (223km-139 Miles) Day And Night For Around 35Rs For The 6 Hour Trip. There Is Also A Rail Service Via Kottayam And Quilon To Trivandrum.
The Trip To Alleppey Takes Around 2.5 Hours Andcosts 5rs. The Amenities Are Good: Toilets And Snacks Available On Board And, Wonder Of Wonders, The Boat Was Full But Not Overcrowded. Warning: Don't Sit Near The Very Noisy Engine. Fourteen Boats Leave Daily From The Stinking Canal End Of Kottayam But Sometimes One Or Other Drops Out For Repairs. The Timetable: Lam, 6.30am, 7.30am, 9am, 10am, Ham 12noon, Lpm, 2pm, 3pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm, 7.30pm And 8.30pm. Disembark At The Last Stop In Alleppey.
This Is An Important Indian Rubber Centre, And It Is The Jumping Off Place For The Periyar National Park, And For The Backwaters. Its Not Really Worth Stopping Over In Kottayam. It Is Better To Go Straight On With The Boat To Alleppey. The Trip By Scooter From The Bus Terminal To The Boat
