Alappuzha (Alleppey) is fondly called as the Venice of the East, for its maze of
interconnecting waterways and channels. Alleppey or Alappuzha as it is known in local
language truly lives up to its name! The waterways and channels are best explored in country
boats as in Venice.
Alleppey is indeed famous for at least a million reasons. It is the only place in the world
other than Holland where rice is cultivated well under the sea level. Thickly punctuated
with coconut palms, Chinese nets and paddy fields, Aleppey is enchanting and receptive to
tourists all round the year The enviably slow pace of the lives in the lagoons and the
tranquility that is broken only by the echoing calls of the migratory birds, make it a
different world altogether!
Today Alappuzha has emerged as a famous backwater tourist centre, which draws scores of tourists each
year. Probably the boat races of Aleppey are the biggest crowd pullers of this destination. Scores of
impressive snake boats that can accommodate as many as 120 oarsmen cut through the waters to race up to
the finishing line in the Nehru boat race, which forms one of the red letters days in Alleppey tourist
calendar.
No trip to this place will be complete without a house boat trip. These huge boats that are made from
ecofriendly materials like wood and ropes were originally designed to carry farm produce like rice along
the waterways. Now these have evolved as well equipped house boats that ensure a leisurely cruise for
the tourists along the Punnamada Lake and Alleppey backwaters apart from ensuring a cozy stay amidst the
waters. Be it a corporate holiday, honeymoon or a family trip, you would surely enjoy every bit of this
memorable house boat trip!
The interconnected waterways of Alleppey form part of the 900km of navigable backwaters of Kerala. In
Alleppey, life revolves around water where people own country boats in place of cars; where kids learn
to swim before they walk and where the people are awakened by the hooting of the horns of the boats that
ferry not only passengers across the backwaters but also vegetables, essential commodities and even
posts!
While in this city, you won’t have any dearth of activities for sure. Take an up close view of the
simple life of the people around, swim along the shallow waters, take a leisurely stroll along the
village roads or explore the village markets that sell the local crafts and art forms among others. You
can even try your mettle with the fishing rods and in case you fancy tasting the local beverage of
coconut toddy , hop into a toddy shop and savour the tangy taste of this beverage to the accompaniment
of a variety of spicy fish delicacies including the signature dish of karimeen ( Pearl spot).
There are many ancient religious places around including the fabled Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna temple and
the St.Andrew church, founded way back in 1866 by Portuguese missionaries. Come, enjoy the best of
nature on a platter and live in tandem with the rhythm of nature by soaking up the enchanting beauty of
this coastal district of Alleppey in Kerala.