Kerala has over 900 Km of interconnected waterways, rivers, lakes
and inlets that make up the Kerala backwaters. Over 900 Km of the Kerala backwaters are navigable
and have been used for centuries by the local people for transportation.
Cruising along the backwaters of Kerala is an ideal way to discover the real Kerala.
The Backwaters in Kerala plays an important part in the industry of tourism of Kerala. It became
one of the 50 must see places in the world. The best way of testing the beauty of the backwaters
in Kerala is to lead to normal speed along in a rented boat, a canoe or in Houseboats which are
specifically for the additional ordinary houseboats of tourists.
Large Kettuvalloms (traditional country crafts over 60ft. in length) have been converted into luxury houseboats for these cruises. Local Malayali people call it Kayals.The boats cross shallow, palm-fringed lakes studded with Chinese fishing nets and along narrow, shady canals where coir (coconut fibre), copra and cashews are loaded onto boats. Stops are made at small settlements where people live on carefully cultivated narrow spits of land only a few metres wide, and there's the chance to see traditional boats with huge sails, and prows carved into the shape of dragons.