Travel in Alleppey (Alappuzha)

Alleppey — Alappuzha on Indian maps and road signs — appears on exactly three of the fifteen India trips in our catalogue, and on all three it does one thing: you spend one night on a houseboat. That is worth stating before anything else, because nothing is scheduled here on land. There is no tour of the town, no market, no temple, no beach afternoon, no second night. You arrive by road, you board, you sleep on the water, and after breakfast you step off and drive on. This is a page about a stopover, not a stay.

All three reach it the same way, from Thekkady in the Periyar hills — roughly four hours down to the coastal plain. The day before is identical across the three: a boat trip on Periyar Lake, which the itineraries qualify with "depending on the water level", a walk along the sanctuary boundary rather than inside the park, an afternoon among the tea, pepper and cardamom plantations with a stop at one of them, and an evening demonstration of Kalaripayattu, the Keralan martial art.

The boat is a converted rice barge. The itineraries list what is on board: a bedroom with a proper bed, a bathroom with a shower, an open lounge on deck, and a small galley where the crew cooks local food fresh. You move through palm-lined lagoons, rivers and canals for the rest of the afternoon. The morning is the part all three single out — sunrise from the deck, fishermen pushing out, the villages along the banks starting their day. Then breakfast, and off.

Only one route names the boat. The diversity of South India books Lakes & Lagoons, deluxe room, one night. The other two describe the same overnight but do not name an operator, so ask for it on your quote. Room tiers across the catalogue are standard, deluxe, superior and executive — there is no five-star or luxury grade, on the water or off it.

What separates the three is where you go next. On South India – Exotic World (11 days, from EUR 1,570) you disembark and drive to Kochi for the last full day: Fort Cochin, Mattancherry Palace, the synagogue, Vasco da Gama's tomb in St Francis Church, the Chinese fishing nets, the spice markets, and Kathakali in the evening. On The diversity of South India (25 days, from EUR 2,860) you stop at Marari for lunch and an afternoon on the sand, then carry on to Kochi — and Alleppey is only day ten here, with Ooty, Mysore, Hampi and Goa still ahead. On India – from North to South (14 days, from EUR 1,840) the backwaters close a trip that starts in the north: the Taj Mahal on day three, which is closed on Fridays, two shared safaris in Ranthambore on day five, a domestic flight from Jaipur to Kochi on day eight, then Kochi, Periyar and the boat. It ends at Marari, where the itinerary states plainly that no vehicle and no guide are provided.

Two things about those Ranthambore safaris, since that route is otherwise entirely private: they are shared, and the vehicle depends on availability — a jeep for up to six people, or an open canter bus for up to twenty. That is the one day on the trip you share with strangers.

Two things Alleppey is known for are in none of the three itineraries. The Nehru Trophy snake boat race on Punnamada Lake is not scheduled on any route; our trips carry no fixed departure dates, so if you want to be here for it you have to raise it when you enquire. And there is no separate canoe or shikara excursion into the narrower canals — what is booked is the houseboat and nothing alongside it.

All three are private and guided, on dates set around you. Hotel accommodation, breakfast, a German-speaking guide, 24-hour contact throughout and a bottle of water on arrival are included on each. International flights are not. The Jaipur to Kochi flight is written into the 14-day itinerary, so that one is covered.