Luxury Kerala Backwaters
Tours made for you
Waterside villages
Stop off at local villages to experience riverside living
Historic significance
Explore the regions links to ancient trade and commerce
Fresh local produce
Sample traditional foods, said to be some of the best in India
Lush green waterways and relaxing river life
With the Western Ghats towering to the east and the Arabian Sea flowing out from the west, Kerala is one of India‘s most verdant and beautiful states. Crisscrossing this green lung are the backwaters that snake their way through towns and villages. Teeming with aquatic life and providing an invaluable resource to all who sit on their banks, these waterways have helped create an impossibly lush pocket of India.
The backwaters are a network of interconnecting canals, rivers, lakes and inlets that weave their way through sprawling plantations and paddy fields. With around 900km of accessible water, one of the best ways to explore the area is by boat, navigating your way through the emerald labyrinth past water lilies and coconut groves that lean over the banks as if to take in a long, refreshing drink.
The wider canals and lakes are used by local ferries and larger boats, but there are plenty of narrower tributaries to explore. Gliding along the waterways you’ll pass villages where life revolves around coir making and prawn farming as well as larger towns such as Alleppey, historically one of the most important trading ports along the Malabar Coast.
Kerala’s history is closely linked to trade and commerce with Greek, Roman and Arab merchants coming to deal in cardamon, pepper and ginger. An abundance of spices, fresh fish and coconut means Kerala produces some of the best food in India. There are few places more relaxing as you watch the sun rise and set over the tranquil waters, calm but for the occasional ripple as a boat edges its nose through the water.
Highlights
Enjoy a houseboat cruise along the backwaters
Learn how to make mouthwatering south Indian food
Navigate the waterways through sprawling plantations and paddy fields
Charlie Morris
Travel Designer
Luxury accommodation in the Kerala Backwaters
Why book with Jacada?
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Trip inspiration
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Discover moreMeet your Indian Subcontinent team
When to visit
December through February is the best time to visit Kerala, a verdant and vibrant state in southern India. Hop in a boat to glide through the intricate canals and rivers that make up the Kerala Backwaters during the cooler and drier winter months – or brave the summer monsoons to witness the Onam harvest festival in August or September.
Onam Harvest Festival
August / Spetember
Religious festivals
March / October - November
Cooler drier months
December - February
Plan your trip to the Kerala Backwaters
Whatever you want from your adventure in India, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.
Jacada continues to excel. From planning to execution they are meeting and exceeding our expectations. Frequently they are able to anticipate our desires and create a memorable experience.
Jacada designed a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India and the Maldives for our honeymoon. We spent 9 nights in northern India, traveling to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Udaipur then 4 nights in an overwater villa in the Maldives. The travel designer and concierge team member from Jacada assisted us with planning every last detail and provided excellent, well-informed recommendations for all…
From the moment I first contacted Jacada Travel, I knew I was in excellent hands. My travel consultant, Charlie Morris, was incredibly knowledgeable and patient, taking the time to understand my travel preferences and build a customized itinerary that was perfect for me. Charlie's meticulous planning was evident in every aspect of my trip, ensuring that I experienced the best…
Could not have had a more exciting, rewarding and uplifting experience in India. Everything was sensational; from Charlie and Gilda's planning, Sanjeev's extraordinary and insightful guiding, Ramesh and Shankar's perfect driving, the itinerary which took us everyplace we asked and more and added memorable experiences along the way, fantastic accommodations, the local guides who knew the ropes, and on and…
Jacada Travel (as well as their partner in India, Banyan Tours) put together an extraordinary three week tour of India for my wife and I. We've been back home for two weeks now and I still can't stop thinking about what an amazing experience we had. Our guides, particularly Sameer who was with us in Rajasthan, were really able to…
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