Dubbed one of the fifty places of a life-time by the National Geographic Traveller, Kerala, situated on the south-western tip of India, maintains its pristine beaches, picturesque hill stations, virgin forests and its backwaters.

Backwaters of Kerala

The backwaters of Kerala, essentially inland lakes connected by a network of canals, are unique to this state. Although the sea coast of Kerala is 700 km long, the backwaters stretch to almost 1900 km in a complex intermeshing of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals. This is not surprising considering that 44 rivers, comparatively small and fed by the monsoons, cut across Kerala with innumerable tributaries and distributaries. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these backwaters not only irrigate the fields of the people of Kerala, and provide them with drinking water and an enchanting thoroughfare but are the basis of a fascinating lifestyle, an extension of which are the houseboats of Kerala or the kettuvalloms.