Alleppey (Alappuzha)Travel Guide

A converted rice barge (kettuvallam) with bedrooms, a kitchen, and a sundeck — drift through the backwater network overnight, stopping at small villages. Includes meals and a private chef.

The narrow canals too small for houseboats — paddled through in a small canoe with a local guide, past coir factories, village churches, and school children going to class by boat.

The most famous snake boat race in Kerala — 100+ oarsmen per boat in a traditional chundan vallam race on Punnamada Lake. One of India's greatest spectacles.

The long beach at Alleppey town with its old lighthouse — quiet at dawn with fishing boats returning, crows, and coconut sellers setting up. Completely unlike the tourist backwater experience.

A pristine, unhurried beach 11km north of Alleppey town where fishing families still dry nets and Ayurvedic resorts nestle behind coconut palms — far quieter than Kovalam or Varkala, and arguably more beautiful. The CGH Earth resort here set the template for sustainable Kerala beach luxury.

An 18th-century Kerala-style palace 40km south of Alleppey housing India's largest single mural painting — the 14.3 sq metre "Gajendra Moksham" is a masterpiece of Kerala fresco tradition. The palace itself is a fine example of sloping-roof Kerala architecture surrounded by water gardens.

The spiritual anchor of the old town — a vibrant Devi temple whose festivals fill the streets with processions, elephants, and percussion. The surrounding lanes of Alleppey town offer a Kerala market experience untouched by tourist infrastructure.

A small island accessible only by boat from the backwaters, home to dozens of migratory bird species including kingfishers, herons, and cuckoos — a quiet detour for birdwatchers on a houseboat itinerary.

A centuries-old temple famous for its "Ambalappuzha Palpayasam" — a rice-and-milk pudding offered to devotees daily, said to follow a recipe Lord Krishna himself praised in a legendary chess match.

Alleppey is one of Kerala's Ayurveda hubs — a classic full-body oil massage (abhyangam) at a certified centre is the perfect way to unwind after a day on the water, often paired with a steam bath.