Image: View from our boatImage by: Tanya Munshi
Image Copyright: Tanya Munshi
Text by: Tanya Munshi
Every year, the state of Kerala attracts hoards of Indian and foreign tourists to its beautiful locations all within a single state. Be it a backwater trip, to a sanctuary, to sightseeing or a honeymoon destination; Kerala is a one stop tourism destination of all kinds. Not that Kochi is not beautiful in its own accord, but with the coming long weekend why not plan something relaxing, adventurous or a mix of both?
Every year, the state of Kerala attracts hoards of Indian and foreign tourists to its beautiful locations all within a single state. Be it a backwater trip, to a sanctuary, to sightseeing or a honeymoon destination; Kerala is a one stop tourism destination of all kinds. Not that Kochi is not beautiful in its own accord, but with the coming long weekend why not plan something relaxing, adventurous or a mix of both?
Let's begin with...
Alleppey
A visit to the Venice of India is a treat to your eyes and soul. Known to treat tourists in beautiful houseboats while taking them along a gentle cruise on the backwaters, attracts tourists from all over the world. What’s more? The Kerala Snake Boat race, alone attracts hordes of localities and tourists to witness this pulsating event. Being in India, and more so in Kochi, visiting Alleppey is as good as a hop skip and jump!
About the place
Founded in the late 1700s, by the Dewan of Travencore, Alappuzha which is the Malayalam name for Alleppey, a lone canal divided the sand from the backwaters and the sea. This led to a gradual increase of commercial hubs, waterways, etc inviting merchants from other parts of the world and the country to sell goods and services.
Serving as one of the prime centre for coir, coconut oil, copra or dried coconut, as well as a centre for fishing makes Alleppey a prime tourist and commercial destination. While on a cruise don’t miss the beautiful cottages, lined with coconut trees all reflecting on the clear Alleppey backwaters. Some of the other must see’s are— Mullackal Bhagavathi Temple, a witness to the production of coir and probably a shopping spree at the coir stores selling a variety of carpets and mats.
I fondly remember visiting Alleppey with my parents and taking a backwater ride on a boat. Coming from a city like Mumbai, Alleppey was a unique experience for us, showcasing that there is a world more beautiful than we can imagine.
How to get there
Alleppey is well connected by road, where the NH47 forms the main artery connecting Alleppey and most towns by state transport buses. By houseboat or motorboat, Alleppey is linked through the backwaters to Quilon (8 hrs) and Changanassery, Kottayam (2.5 hrs), Cochin (5.5 hrs) , Kumarakom, Kavalam and Chengannur and Kuttanad places.
1
Air: Cochin International Airport is the closest to Alleppey, which is about 64 kms. If you plan to visit Alleppey from Trivandrum Airport then the distance from there would be around 159kms.
2
Rail: The nearest railway stations from Alleppey are at Cochin and Trivandrum.
3
Boat: It will take about 5.5 hours from Cochin, 2.5 hours from Kottayam and 8 hours from Quilon.
Hotels
1 comment:
Dear tanya,
You can also seee the about the details about the backwater services.
www.cocohouseboatskerala.com
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