Activities

Kettuvallom (Houseboats)

The kettuvalloms are traditional cargo boats that have been converted into houseboats, complete with rooms, kitchen and every conceivable modern convenience from running water to television! You’ll drift past coconut palms and thatched roof houses, fishermen, huge barges and tiny country boats. Meals are prepared on board using the best raw produce, including freshly caught fish from the lake. You will be accompanied by a three member crew of captain, assistant and a cook. We have specially designed one/two/three bed room houseboats with attached bath and all the modern comforts to make your stay a most memorable one. There are options from day cruises to the ones that can be up to a few days and nights.

Dining

Restaurant

Kumarakom is a paradise for seafood lovers. You can make your pick from the fishermen’s nets and have it done to your liking. There are certain freshwater species which are distinctive to the backwaters, like karimeen (pearl spot). Karimeen pollichathu is perhaps the most famous fish preparation of Kerala.

Activities

Take a vallom (country boat) ride

Hop onto a canoe and explore the labyrinth of back channels to get a closer look at the simple village life.

Boat races

With 100-125 oarsmen to a boat, vallamkali is not just the world’s largest team sport but also a spectacle, with singers urging on the rowers, and cheering spectators. What makes it special is that the participating boats are no modern marvels, but magnificent traditional crafts called chundan vallom (snake boats). Most of the boat races are during the August – October season.

Visit Ayemenem

The village immortalised by Arundhati Roy’s Booker-winning debut novel The God of Small Things is only a few kilometres from Backwater Breeze.

Coir-making

Nothing of coconut tree is wasted. You can see how natural coir is made from coconut husks in the nearby villages.

Fishing

Even if you are a serious angler, you will be amazed to see the local fishing techniques used. From simply scooping up crabs from shallow water to fashioning intricate systems with fishing nets, the locals use a number of angling techniques that are distinctive. Come during June-July and you can try a hand in our own community fishing farm.

Indigenous farming techniques

Though much of the land is below sea level, an innovative system of bunds and dykes keep out brackish water in the dry season to make farming (especially paddy) possible. Big pumps are used to remove excess water from the fields to prepare it for cultivation. After the harvest, controlled flooding allows duck and fish farming.

Monsoon magic

unlike most other destinations, Kumarakom is a destination of all seasons! Come during Monsoon (June-July) and you will be engulfed by the monsoon experience! Gentle ripples on a calm water surface as the first raindrops begin to fall, coconut trees swaying like reeds in strong winds, a boatman balancing a black umbrella over his shoulder as he manoeuvres through a narrow canal… You’ll be able to venture out only during the dry spells but use the long periods of confinement to get some Ayurvedic treatment – the monsoons are said to be the months when Ayurveda is most effective.

Duck Farms

Migratory duck farming is very popular in the backwaters, with the ducks feeding on leftover rice grains in the flooded paddy fields between sowing seasons. You’ll often see huge flocks of ducks as you cruise in the smaller canals. The sight of the furiously quacking ducks paddling frantically away from the wake left by your boat is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Not to mention the glorious photo opportunities!

Places Around

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary –Only 10 minutes ride through the water will take you to the bird sanctuary at Kumarakom, a haven for birdwatchers. The variety of water birds can keep you engrossed for hours, even from the comfort of your rooms. Cormorants drying their oily black feathers in the breeze, brilliant blue kingfishers diving into the water, herons and egrets flapping their wings on the treetops are all common sights.

Pathiramanal Island

Just an hour’s boat ride, Pathiramanal is a tranquil island on the Vembanad Lake. Lush vegetation, Chinese fishing nets, sand laden wooden boats, and fishermen gliding by in dugout canoes in the shimmering greenery are the highlights of this island. It’s a great spot for birdwatchers too.

Vaikom

A temple town on the banks of the Vembanad Lake, Vaikom was the site of the historic Vaikom Satyagraha, where lower castes agitated for the right of entry into the Mahadeva Temple and the roads around it. A visit during the annual celebrations (November-December) will treat you with a spectacular pageant, complete with dance and music performances, spiritual discourses and an elephant procession.

Thannermukkam Bund

A barrage constructed across the Vembanad Lake to keep seawater out to a large extent in the backwater network. Every monsoon, the locks of the bund are opened to maintain the water level and prevent flooding.