Alappuzha Things to Do

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Of course this depends on you, but if you wish to meet locals and to travel like a local don't hesitate to take a public boat. They go everywhere and are frequent. I arrived in Kottayam by train, and from there I took public boat to Alappuzha. I was informed this is the most popular route for backwaters and, in fact, I was not disappointed. The weather wasn't good, but I enjoyed a lot the trip. By the way, I wasn't the only foreigner aboard!
Otherwise, if you wish to rent a house boat, save money renting it locally, instead of booking through the internet. You can negociate fares at travel agencies, but it isn't rare to find locals offering their own boats.

Boats from Kottayam (Kodimatha) to Alappuzha
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11:30
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15:30
17:15

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As we neared Kollam, and so neared the end of our Backwaters Tour, we passed by this rather surprising and revealing statue of the Goddess of Light on Ashtamudi Lake. She's bearing quite a lot to the world!

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We went past this group of fishermen on a boat who waved at us as we passed by. The Backwaters is big business for fishermen and you'll get to see a lot of them and fishing boats as part of your tour.

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I had seen these Chinese fishing nets in Kochi and thought they were only to be found there, so it was a big surprise to see them along the river in the Backwaters. We went past a whole load of them, in a line either side of us, as we passed by some kind of power station (great place to put one, by the way!) and then there were more as we neared Kollam which were being used as it was early evening and the sun was going down. Here, they seem to leave the nets in for a long time before raising them which is different to how they fish in Kochi as, there, they drop and raise the nets between 250 and 350 times a day!

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I did my Backwaters Tour from Alappuzha (Alleppey) to Kollam and it was a fabulous day out. We left Alappuzha at about 10am and made our way south past lush vegetation of coconut trees and palm trees and people crossing the river on small ferries and coracles. Daily life all revolves around water as there's so much of it so you get to see people washing clothes and themselves, fishing, and transporting goods. We stopped for lunch at a very simple looking place where we were served veg curry, rice, samosa and fish on a banana leaf and then set off again passing by more of the same.

We then came to a series of Chinese fishing nets which were in a line either side of us, as we passed by some kind of power station (great place to put one, by the way!) and then there were more as we neared Kollam which were being used as it was early evening and the sun was going down. Here, they seem to leave the nets in for a long time before raising them which is different to how they fish in Kochi as, there, they drop and raise the nets between 250 and 350 times a day! We then reached Kollam, past the rather revealing Goddess of Light statue, at about 6:30pm. The trip cost Rs300 in February 2007.

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This nice temple is located right in the middle of town. The presiding deity is Goddess Rajarajeswari who, according to legend, is believed to have appeared at the site many times to care for a jasmine plant.

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This is the main North Canal in Alappuzha and is where you can catch the Backwaters Tour boat to Kollam (Quilon). This is also where you can take the public ferry to Kottayam from (see transportation tips).

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Vembanad Lake is located about 1km east of the town and is where the annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race takes place. Every year during the second Saturday of August, thousands of people throng to this place to witness the breathtaking boat race. The lake is India's longest at 96km and one of the largest at 1512 sq km and is surrounded by coconut and areca nut trees and lush vegetations. If you take the Backwaters Tour then you'll see part of the lake but you'll actually cross it if you take a public ferry to Kottayam (see my transportation tips).