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 Tourist Office Or At One Of The Larger Hotels Like The Sealord Or Casino. The Cost Should Be About 9ors For The Whole Boat, But You Might Be Able To Bargain.
Related Travel Information
The Backwaters Are The Inland Water Ways Of Kerala. They Are A Network Of Narrow And Wide Canals Fringed By Palms, Which Suddenly Widen Out Into Shallow Lakes Where Fishermen Cast Their Nets. Boats Chug Through Colourful Water Plants, Transparent Jellyfish Glitter In The Water, And On The Banks Children Swim And Wave.
There Seems To Be A Harmony Between Man And Nature. The Palm Thatched Huts Blend In With The Coconut Forests And Present A Picture Of Paradise, At Least For The Pas¬sengers Who Want To Get Away From Civilization For A While. The Backwaters Are An Experience. If
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
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
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.
Kerala, With An Area Of 38,863 Sq Km (15,001 Sq Miles), Is The Second Smallest State In India After Goa. It Has A Population Of 30 Million, And Is Densely Populated. The 575km (357 Miles) Long Coastal State Was The First State In India To Elect The Communist Party To Power, In 1956. Since Then The Congress Party Has Been Re-Elected.
This Can Be Explained By The Fact That Only Approximately 50% Of Its Population Can Read And Write. On The Street, Practically Only Malayalam Is Spoken And Understood. Kerala Produces About 70% Of India's Spices, About 70% Of Its
