A cruise along the palm fringed waterways of Kerala in a luxury houseboat or  kettuvallom  is the most enchanting holiday experience in India today. In this world of simple pleasures, you will skim past ancient chinese fishing nets, water lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic homes, temples and coconut groves

Innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries, and deltas of forty-four rivers make up the 900 km backwater network of Kerala. The backwaters mainly cover the four districts of the State - Kollam, Alleppey (Alappuzha), Kottayam and Kochi (Cochin).

The largest backwater body, the Vembanad lake flows through Alleppey (Alappuzha) and Kottayam districts and opens out into the sea at the Kochi (Cochin) Port.

The Ashtamudi Lake, the second largest backwater stretch, offers the longest ride and is considered the gateway to the backwaters. The ideal holiday home to enjoy the tranquil backwaters is the comfortably furnished houseboat or kettuvallom

The houseboats of Kerala are giant country crafts, measuring up to 80 foot in length, retrieved from being lost to the State altogether. Once these Rice Barges ruled the backwaters, poled along by one or two men, heavily loaded with rice, coconut and other commodities. But in recent times, the kettuvalloms or houseboats have been replaced by more and modern modes of transport, relegating them to neglect and decay. It takes great skill and meticulousness to construct these giant Houseboats or Kettuvaloms.

There used to be an entire clan of artisans who were involved in kettuvallom or houseboat construction. Today, an innovative holiday idea has restored these majestic representatives of a unique culture and with them their makers. The Kerala houseboats that cruise these emerald waterways are an improvisation on the large country barges which were an essential part of the lands ethos in days gone by.

Modified to meet a novel concept of holidaying, the kettuvalloms or houseboats are comfortably furnished with an open lounge, one or two bath attached bedrooms and a kitchenette, and are extremely eco friendly, blending into the panorama.