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Kumarakom Houseboat Tour – Entering a Time Warp in the Backwaters

Updated: August 21, 2019 by Dave And Deb

Kumarakom Houseboat Tour – Entering a Time Warp in the Backwaters

It was my second time and my husband’s first in Kerala, fondly known as God’s own country, and we wholly agree! Landing at Cochin airport in the wee hours of the day, we sluggishly moved towards Kumarakom in our pre-booked car.

Kumarakom is approximately 70 kms from Cohin airport. After about an hour, we were in Kumarakom, a charming peninsula carved out of the backwaters.

Kumarakom Houseboat

Not willing to waste a second, we left our bags in our car and made our way to the boat jetty area near the creeks for cruising in our house boat. A spacious double bedroom Kettuvellam (‘house boat’ in Malayalam) was waiting for us along the breathtakingly serene backwaters of the Vembanad Lake.

Putting our fast lives on a pause, we entered what seemed like a time warp.
kumarakom houseboat group
The backwaters have always been the symbol of Kerala and we were mesmerized the moment we started our journey. The backwaters are dotted by the swaying palm trees on both the sides.

Love India? Check out People of India in Pictures

kumarakom houseboat river
Houses of the locals are lined by the banks of the backwaters. They all have their own canoes and boats for commuting from one place to another.
kumarakom houseboat boats
Exciting, isn’t it? Everyday would seem like an adventure.

We took our own backwaters tour in Alleppey, Check it out.
kumarakom houseboat house

Visiting the Locals

Also, there were schools on either side. We could even see small children studying in their classrooms. Imagine a school, where the lake is your campus.

Read more of Sharmistha's Kumarakom trip on here blog
kumarakom houseboat store
We entered many small canals while cruising the lake. The islands and paddy farms on either side were separated by lagoons, brooks and small gushing streams.
calm river
After some time, we broke into the huge lake, out of the backwaters and could see the magnanimity of the Vembanad lake, the largest freshwater lake in Kerala.

For India Travel read: Tips for Solo Travel in India, from an Indian Female Solo Traveler
trees boat
Taking in the serene moment, we passed by many other visitors in their canoes and houseboats.  Our thoughts were occasionally broken by chirpings by the cormorant cuckoos and egrets.
kumarakom houseboat man

Humbling Experience

The entire experience was very humbling. To see local people enjoying their lives in simple activities gave us a perspective and much needed break from our hectic lives.  After the idyllic backwater ride, we stopped by the creek and devoured authentic Kerala styled dinner and slept through the night.
kumarakom houseboat large boat
Next morning at about 6 am, I woke up to the sound of camera clicking. My husband was already up, taking in the backwaters view, at the crack of the dawn. I was fully mesmerized by the view of backwaters from our boat. Sun had just started rising and the local people were already at work.

For more information on Travel to India, check out our India Travel Guide
kumarakom houseboat sunrise
I couldn't believe the calmness that the view was eluding. We could just sit there doing nothing but gazing for hours.
sunset houseboat
We saw many locals move from one bank to another. Tourists like us enjoy slowing down enjoying the pleasant cruise on houseboats. But for these locals, this vast expanse of blue is actually a way of life – a source of their livelihoods.
kumarakom houseboat sunset boat
After taking in the momentous view as much as we could, we finally bade goodbye to Kumarakom with a promise to return soon as we had left a piece of our heart back there.

FACT FILE

1) Nearest Airport to Kumarakom is the Cochin International Airport, about 70 km away from the Muhamma boat jetty. 

2) Best time to visit Kumarakom is between September to March.

3) Houseboats are stationary from 6 PM till 7 AM  when they are parked on the Vembanad lake, near the land.

kumarakom houseboat author
Author Bio:

Sharmistha Sahoo is a banker by profession, and is always craving to travel.

She loves reading, writing, reviewing, photography and exploring new places. She is documenting her life stories including her personal, travel and corporate life in her blog.
Blog: thatgirlslifestories.com
FB:    facebook.com/ThatGirlsLifeStories


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About Dave And Deb

Dave and Deb are the owners and founders of The Planet D. Since launching in 2008 they have continued to inspire "Adventure in Everyone" and show that you don't have to be an uber athlete or super-rich in order to be an adventurer.

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Comments

  1. Gurbaksh Singh says

    May 5, 2019 at 12:31 pm

    Excellent blog writing with beautiful photography enjoy reading such a nice blog.

    Reply
  2. Anoop says

    February 18, 2019 at 4:04 am

    I’m extremely glad to be someone living in Kerala. All I have to do is catch a bus to my favorite location. Such a blessed place.

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    September 18, 2018 at 12:36 am

    We were at the Alleppey backwaters a month ago and loved every minute of staying on a house boat. Loved every minute and planning on going back and doing another houseboat experience in Kumarakom. Loved reading this post and day dreaming about our next houseboat adventure.

    Reply
  4. trichiff says

    February 14, 2018 at 1:13 am

    Wow! Nice Post,Thank You For Sharing.

    Reply
  5. ranjith vp says

    December 21, 2017 at 12:45 am

    Backwaters is the most unique about kerala that to kumarakom is one of the best one! Everyone must explore this place a t once atleast.

    Reply
  6. Priyanka Pradeep says

    February 21, 2017 at 7:32 am

    Backwaters and house boat in Alappey and Kumarakam is something you should never miss. It is an incredible experience.There are many more beautiful locations in Kerala, Gods own Country.

    Reply
  7. Sophia says

    January 24, 2017 at 6:32 am

    Hello Guys..
    Nice blog.. Good job.. Interesting post. Kerala is a lovely place to plan for next vacation. Thank you so much for the information. It’s a great post…I love travelling and want to travel all over the world. Explore new places, adventurous things and many more. And photographs are just amazing. Keep writing !!!

    Reply
  8. Sharmistha says

    April 10, 2016 at 12:21 pm

    Thanks for your comments! 🙂 Kerala is indeed beautiful! Glad you liked my post !

    Reply
  9. kailash says

    March 16, 2016 at 3:18 am

    Next trip to kerala 🙂 lot more informative

    Reply
  10. Ich bin FenriS says

    March 11, 2016 at 2:51 am

    really beautiful. Love to see your images.

    Reply
  11. Bugyal says

    February 21, 2016 at 2:45 am

    Very nice travelogue Sharmistha, would be happy to connect via tw: @bugyal

    Reply
  12. Evelina says

    February 20, 2016 at 10:00 am

    Kerala is a magical place. I recently bumped into an article about Kerala and I fell in love whit it. I wish I could go there someday.

    Reply
  13. Anamika Arya says

    February 20, 2016 at 1:33 am

    Thanks for sharing such a lovely blog & you refresh my past with this blog specially kerala backwaters.

    Reply
  14. Tina P says

    February 19, 2016 at 11:46 pm

    Wow! I loved this article.. Want to go to Kerala soon.

    Reply
  15. Lavina says

    February 19, 2016 at 5:52 am

    Thank you for refreshing my memories! It’s been a while I have been to India but an early morning ride into the ocean on the houseboat in which we stayed is one of my fondest memories of Kerala 🙂

    Reply

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Hi we’re Dave and Deb, a Canadian adventure couple who left our careers in the film industry 10 years ago to travel the world. We’ve been to 115 countries on all seven continents and were named one of the top travel influencers on earth by Forbes.

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