Lakes & Lagoons

Cruise languidly along the Keralan backwaters in a floating wooden hotel and watch the world go by...

Kerala is famous for its backwaters - the beautiful, palm-fringed network of canals linking towns along the Arabian Sea and inland. These waterways are still used today by boats ferrying cargoes of spices, fish and newspapers, not to mention locals propelling little dug-outs to visit friends or tend fields.

And you can join this picturesque fleet by boarding a Lakes & Lagoons riceboat. These are traditional country boats built from bamboo and jackfruit logs lashed together with coconut fibre, converted into comfortably furnished houseboats. You can board at any backwater dock and spend a day or 2 cruising to your destination.

Our favourite part was waking up and watching what felt like a living film, A Day in the Life of Kerala: young children brushing their teeth by the shore, women washing clothes, ducks floating by, the duck farmer smiling and waving… it certainly makes a change from morning rush hour.

Highs

• The long, well-equipped boats have all of the comforts of a hotel and the beautiful bonus of peaceful scenes of Keralan life sliding by
• Delicious, fresh and plentiful Keralan cuisine, with ingredients bought en route, is cooked on board by your personal chef
• This is a chance to experience a journey that’s the antithesis of hectic city life: slow, soothing and restfully uncomplicated
• The company has a genuine social conscience

Lows

• The pesky mosquitoes can be the biggest drawback to the backwaters, so bring plenty of insect repellent and tuck your mosquito net into the mattress
• The air-conditioning is a mixed blessing: cool but uncomfortably loud - the noisy generator can be switched off but not in the middle of the night when it’s most sleep-disturbing. Please note the air-conditioning varies depending on your chosen boat - see rates
• Backwater trips are becoming popular, so you may find yourself moored near quite a few other riceboats at nightfall