The Alleppey backwaters are a common stop on many a tourist trip through Kerala, India. Here’s a guide on how to make the best of your trip to the Alleppey backwaters, including plenty of photos for inspiration.
Ah, Alleppey (… also known as Alappuzha). Its winding waterways, lush paddy fields, and palm-shaded streets are a sight to behold… and it’s no secret! Cruising the Alleppey backwaters is one of the most popular ways to explore Kerala, a southern state in India.
Alleppey’s main street canal
Taking a tour of the Alleppey backwaters in Kerala
The most common way to see Alleppey’s backwaters and enjoy the natural beauty is to hire a boat, of course!
A typical boat tour lasts one to four hours, sometimes more. A motorboat trip around the Alleppey backwaters and to several small stops can cost anywhere from 1,200 Rs (about $18) for a few hours to 2000 to 3000 Rs ($30 – $45), depending on the season. If you want to really live it up, you can even stay on a grand Alleppey Boat House with all the luxury that upmarket India entails (and that’s a lot).
If you want to book a tour, there are several ways to go about it. You can book a tour online, at a travel agency in Alleppey, through your hostel or hotel, or by haggling with one of the many boatmen lounging around Alleppey. I recommend booking online or through a travel agency rather than through a hotel, as it’s a good responsible tourism practice to distribute your business when traveling. You can also book your backwater adventure online.
When you book online or with a tour agency, make sure to use only reputable agencies, preferably ones that are recommended to you by other travelers. As in other places in India, not all agencies are entirely honest about the quality of their boats. Be particularly discerning if you want to book a multi-day houseboat tour.
To avoid disappointment, it’s best to inspect any boat before making a final agreement. If you want to book ahead, make sure to go with a company that has good reviews.
Ahoy!
The cheapest way to see the Alleppey backwaters in Kerala, India
Tours are all well and good for groups—or those with deeper pockets—but what about backpackers and budget travelers?
If you’re not interested in going on a tour of the Alleppey backwaters and aren’t too bothered about staying on a houseboat, there’s a super cheap way for you to boat on the Kerala backwaters: the local ferry system.
A local ferry in Alleppey
The region has an extensive network of ferries that carry residents up and down the rivers and canals throughout the day. This network stretches all over the Kerala backwaters.
Given Alleppey’s problem with pollution from the tourism surge, mass transit is a great option to see the backwaters in a responsible way… and it won’t break the bank, either.
If you want to play local, be a bit more sustainable, or just save yourself boatloads (PUN!) of money, this is the way to go.
Looking for more things to do in Kerala? Check out this article on places to visit in Kerala!
Tourist boats in Alleppey
Where do the ferries around Alleppey go?
You can find a ferry schedule on the Kerala government’s State Water Transport Department (SWTD) website. Basically, boats go to and from the ferry jetties in Alleppey until about 21:30.
A schoolboy drawing on the evening ferry.
There are several locations serviced by regular ferries all day: Nedumudy, Kottayam, and Krishnapuram. These are your best bets. You can be assured there will be a boat back to Alleppey as long as you don’t leave too late in the day.
I took the route to Kottayam, which goes over the lake and ends halfway up a waterway to the town next to a school. The ride took 2 hours in one direction, and a ticket was 33 Rs. ($0.50) per person round-trip. The ending point was definitely middle of nowhere status; if you want to get to Kottayam town, you’ll need to hire an auto from the jetty when you arrive.
The ending point for the Kottayam ferry.
The route to Nedumudy goes through more winding waterways, which should be more scenic. It’s a bit closer to Alleppey than Kottayam, so it’s a shorter route, but potentially more lush and scenic.
Can you believe there’s water under all of that green?
Krishnapuram is a long ways away from Alleppey—about 8 hours. I recommend bringing your bags with you and staying there if you take this route.
Waiting for the ferry to arrive
Where (and how) to catch the ferry from Alleppey
To find the Alleppey (Alappuzha) boat jetties, check out the map above, or just hang around on one of the small boat jetties on the main canal through Alleppey. The ferries stop at any jetty so long as you wave them down. Make sure to ask where the ferry is going before getting on. Locals will be happy to point you onto the right boat.
One of the boat jetties on the main canal in Alleppey
The same goes for getting off the ferry. Jump off wherever you’d like (even into the water, if you so choose), all you need to do is point to where you want to get off.
Talk about hop on, hop off!
Food and drinks on the Kerala backwaters
Bringing water and snacks is always a good idea for long trips. However, if you’re looking for a bite while on the water, there are a decent number of tiny restaurants situated near boat jetties along the waterways.
Just point one out to the boat hands and tell them you want to get off there. You’ll have to wait for a new ferry to continue on in your journey, but there are plenty of boats running up and down the main waterways.
Punting boats are another cheap/responsible alternative to motorized tour boats. Just don’t make them row you too long!
Where to stay in Alleppey, India
It’s wise to book ahead in high season (December-January), as Alleppey is super popular with local and foreign tourists alike. Kerala is one of India’s hottest destinations, after all!
Below you can find several recommendations for places to stay in Alleppey:
- Beachaholic Homestay – A great place right on the beach, with lovely hosts and a chill rooftop for relaxation – Book Beacchaholic Homestay here.
- Xyst Beach House Homestay – Another great place on the beach with a friendly owner and good WiFi – Check out Xyst Beach House Homestay now.
For more options in Alleppey, check out Booking.com.
And that’s all I’ve got on visiting the backwaters of Alleppey on a budget. Have more questions? Ask them in the comments!
In Kerala? Don’t miss experiencing a Theyyam ritual in northern Kerala!
Yay transparency! There are affiliate links in this post. If you book something with one of my links, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Good stuff!!
btw have you ever experience some bad treatments especially as a woman while traveling in India? as we heard recently on the news that nasty things happened (again) to an American woman tourist and some other before hand. Need your insight for traveler to India as a safe solo woman destination. ?
namaste
Yeah, I’ve been touched several times, and had a bunch of men surround me once. However, I think overall people in the south of India are quite friendly and relaxed as a whole. Can’t speak for north India yet, as we’ve only seen Delhi for a couple of days.
But, that’s not to say women shouldn’t travel alone in India! Women do so all the time. It depends on how much you can tolerate, and of course precautions need to be made, just like traveling alone in any other country. Don’t walk around late at night alone, don’t be too friendly towards men you don’t know, don’t go off with men alone, etc.
The good thing about India is there are many places where finding a traveler companion for the day will be easy. It’s a popular tourist destination, and there are backpackers here year-round. Solo girls included.
If you want to go to India alone, do it! Don’t let men stop you 😉
Wow. Getting in Love with your Pictures. I have also written my experience on Alleppey at my blog. You may check out-
http://www.nitsatraveldiaries.com/2017/04/backwater-that-redefines-alleppey.html
Thanks for letting u know.
Alex,
Thank you for having trust in India (Your reply to Etaporama). In a country with 1.3 billion people, there may be one or two such incidents. But one incident cannot decide the nature of a whole country.
There is also a good side of the country; locals heartily welcome guests, backpackers always willing to help foreign travelers, cab drivers try to communicate in English even though they find it difficult to speak, first preference to foreigners in banks, restaurants etc. On a whole, we love to have international travelers here and exchange culture with them.
P.S: Alex, hope you travel to more places and post their stories here. I would love to read them.
That’s what many people seem to forget (or willfully ignore). We definitely fell in love with India, and safe for a few creepers here and there hardly had any problems. And what you say is true, people all over the country treated us extremely well and always helped us out when we looked lost. We’ll be back soon!
Lovely, i took many valuable details from here for my tour on December 2017.
Really would like to know have you been any wildlife tour to kerala
Best Regards
Prasanna Ambigaibagan
Hi, glad you liked it. No, we haven’t been on any wildlife tour.
Everything’s sooo green! Great photos you’ve taken there.
The south is crazy lush! It’s really dreamy, especially after a good rain.
Woww…it looks super cool. Pics are awesome… its good to see the places, backwaters…
Agreed, the backwaters are a lovely way to go deeper into Kerala.
Loved this article!
Thanks a lot Alex for the valuable information. I bet I couldn’t have found it elsewhere. If my visit is a success, will surely link to this post.
I hope your visit was indeed a success!