A solo boat trip to Kuttanad

I love travelling the length and breadth of my home state Kerala and this time around, I decided to cruise the back waters around Alappuzha (Alleppey).

This is mostly unknown initiative "See Kuttanad" service of the Kerala State Water Transport Department (SWTD) where I was able to do a 2 hour cruise for a very reasonable sum of 30 Rupees.

I reached the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) boat station near the local bus station at Alappuzha around 01:15 PM.

On reaching I found that the SWTD offers a "See Kuttanad" cruise. This is apparently running since 2012 and there are five daily services. of 2 hours (round trip). There was one at 01:35 PM which I decided to take.

These are not strictly cruise boats. SWTD has deployed a double deck boat on a regular passenger service from Alappuzha to Kainakary - a village in the Kuttanad area with multiple stops which is about 1 hour away.

The boat turns back immediately to Alappuzha thus offering a 2 hour round trip. The upper deck is open and has cushioned seats. The lower deck is mainly used by the regular commuters, has normal seating and costs 15 Rs one way.

I found this "See Kuttanad" cruise a fantastic option. At around 2 hours, this is the perfect option for an introductory tour of the backwaters and since this is a regular passenger ferry you can have the real backwater experience.

This trip is not for everyone but for those wishing to explore the Kerala backwaters in depth, this is the trip to take with vistas ranging from narrow canals to wide lakes.

Excellent value and a good initiative from the State government. Not everyone can afford houseboats and See Kuttanad thus fills a void. Make enquiries at the local boat station over phone in advance as sometimes the boat may be taken out for maintenance.

All said and one, as far as Value for money is concerned, at 15 Rs this trip cannot be beaten.

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GayathriDecember 9, 2021 at 10:09 AM
Backwater Resort ALleppey
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