Cheapest way to explore the backwaters of Alleppey

When ever you  search for information about Alleppey on google , the natural images that comes to screen is of House boats and  snake boat races . While admitting that the journey on a house boat is an experience  of its own class , Most of the tourists could not afford to pay for the one day expenses of a house boat.

If you are on a shoe string budget and still need to get the experience of the backwaters at low cost , the Government boat service will be the best option for you .  Among which the Alleppey-Quilon and the Alleppey- Kottayam routes are the most lengthy and scenic ones.

Here  we are trying to share an experince of a day time journey on a KSWTC ( kerala State Water Transport Corporation ) Boat trip from  Alleppey to Kottayam.

The total distance from alleppey to kottayam througe the backwaters is almost 25 km only. But the Goverment boats are speed limited at around 10 km per hour , so the total journey will take more than 2 and half  hours . bear in mind that the trip is not specifically conducted for tourists but mostly used by common men for their daily commuting .

The total cost of this journey is just Rs. 10  for one side .  The main advantage apart from this low cost is the opportunity   to mingle with the local people from alleppey to kottayam. just take a front row seat on the journey . It will give you a nice view of the backwaters and also help to stay away from the constant noice of the diesel engine of the boat . The locals are cooperative towards your efforts to conduct a low cost sight seeing plans . But remember that these boats are their commuter vehicles . Give respect to their privacy and personal space and do not consume alcoholic beverages in the boat or smoke .

The boats used in the route are pretty old and so will go for maintenance without prior notice . The best and least expected part from a government service is that this boats have a Mobile number which will be with the boat ticket checker. So you can dial the number and confirm the availability of the service prior to schedule your journey .  The phone numer of alleppey -kottayam boat is 9400050372

here we are posting some pictures from a afternoon  boat from Kottayam to Alleppey . the boat starts from kottayam ferry at 3.30 PM and reach at alleppey at  6.15 PM

The journey will start through a narrow canal for about 45 minutes until you reach the backwaters .

both side of the  water way  is populated with  houses . with the geographical nature , it is not possible to construct so many bridges which will allow the ferries to pass below it . so the practical solution is to construct small bridges which will be manually raised to let the boats pass under it . Even through it may seem impractical as so many boats are passing through waterway , the people here are used to this situation and when ever a boat honks , somebody will operate the bride to pass the boats .

After the long waterway , the boat will enter in to the backwaters  and you are going to experience  more than one hour of backwater views and a grand sunset if you are lucky and weather is fine .

After a long but nice trip , you will reach the shores of alleppey and   tourist resorts  will begin to appear on the lake side and you will see the building of Sports Authority of  India

By this time you may already stop counting the number of houseboats you will see

next snap is the VIP pavilion of the Nehru trophy boat race event which is held on second Saturday of august every year . It is the prime attraction of Alleppey and tourists from all over the world will crowd here to watch the magnificent view of snake boat race .

afterwards the boat enters the canal and your journey is almost over . gather your belongings and raise from your seat . If you wish to get down at KSRTC bus stand , the it is one stop ahead of the final destination .

Hope you enjoyed the virtual trip from kottayam to alleppey . we promise that the real one will be more enjoyable .

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