In this second part of my Blog series, we will discover Kerala´s most popular tourist attraction – the canal system of the BACKWATERS – which is a fascinating eco system and home to an astonishing number of birds (kingfisher, comorant and many more) plus other species.This scenic landscape compromises a serene stretch of lakes, canals and lagoons - not far away from the Arabian Sea.
The popular tranquil backwater cruises are a once in a lifetime experience, where this beautiful flora and fauna can be observed from real close. Further you will get an impression of the hardship of village life along the canals while observing the villagers following their daily routines.
In this area you can see that Kerala is rich in water resources. Rivers and streams are flowing down from the Western Ghats mountain region and are emptying themselves into the Backwaters or direct into the Arabian Sea. The Backwaters of Kerala have been used for centuries by the local communities for transportation, fishing and agriculture. Nowadays it is a protected wetland area.
Backwater Cruises
There are many departure points within the huge backwater system – one of the most popular spots would be Alleppey or Kumarakom, but there are many others as well. You can opt between a day cruise or a cruise for one or more days with overnight on board.
I would recommend doing at least one night on board as that will give you a real feel for the backwaters and their communities.
There are many different companies that are offering different packages and also have different sized boats. You can either go for your very own private cruise or take a larger boat and share it with others.
Our tour was organized through Concord Exotic Voyages with Blue Jelly Cruises, which I can highly recommend (www.bluejellycruises.com) – they run boats in various sizes and with different amenities.
They also offer a very stylish and exclusive Honeymoon boat with in-room jacuzzi.
We got another real nice boat of Blue Jelly Cruises – which had a total of 3 rooms, but due to privacy reasons we had the boat for our own use – nice!!!! I never had a boat with captain and Chef for myself!
Further plus from Blue Jelly Cruises is that they have a small resort at their departure point, where the boat is docking overnight. So you can easily go off after the cruise and have a swim in the pool. There are also a few hotel rooms on offer for your pre- or post-cruise stay.
Our boat had a spacious dining and living area plus an outdoor seating area right behind the captain.
Our captain was a real great guy, who took his job serious – nevertheless I could convince him to take over the steering wheel for some time 😊
Our cabin was cosy with all the amenities of a normal, small hotel room inclusive of a four-poster bed and ensuite bathroom.
As I have already mentioned we had beside our very own captain also our very own kitchen Chef. He prepared delicious traditional Keralite dishes for us – the amount of food could have fed all the other boats around us as well, although we have told him just to do something small for us 😊😊
The cruise that we did during the day lead us through a beautiful sometimes almost surreal landscape – one can think that time has stand still over here. What an escape from the busy city life! I really couldn´t get enough to sit outside, with my legs hanging over the water, just observing each and every little detail around the canals.
What was moving me the most was the simple and for sure hard life people are facing around the canals. Many houses were far away from civilisation without electricity and a proper water supply – therefore the water of the canals became the epicentre of their daily life for washing their cloth, washing their dishes and also washing themselves.
Shortly before sunset the scenery became even more intense.
Before the sun completely set down, our boat docked back at its station and we moved over to a smaller speedboat. With that we had the opportunity to explore also the smaller canals and to come even closer to the local community.
We experienced a magic sunset over the backwaters.
On our way back we passed one of the traditional so-called snake-boats due to its shape, which is different from other traditional boats with its extra-ordinary length and design. During the harvest festival of Onam in autumn you can experience outstanding boat races, where half of a village sits in one snake-boat competing against other villages.
After sunset we returned to the docking station, where dinner was served on our houseboat and where we had a fantastic sleep. Next morning during breakfast our captain set out for another small morning cruise, before we waived goodbye to our beautiful floating home.
Don´t miss to visit before or after your cruise one of the lively villages around the Backwaters.
Another nice way to experience the tranquility and beauty of the Backwater area is to check into one of the beautiful Hotel Resorts in that area. See my next Blog for a very special resort along the Backwater canals.
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