Private kettuvallam cruises from Kumarakom — noon to half past nine the next morning, with every meal made on board and the quietest moorings on the lake.
Three Premium houseboats — one, two or three air-conditioned bedrooms — each with full board and the same Vembanad route.
One air-conditioned bedroom. Right for couples and small families.
Two air-conditioned bedrooms. Built for families and small groups.
Three air-conditioned bedrooms. For larger groups and reunions.
Four air-conditioned bedrooms. For large families and joint celebrations.
Rates shown are per boat per night and include full board for the base occupancy. They hold all year, with two exceptions — weekend nights carry a small loading, and the Christmas fortnight (20 Dec – 5 Jan) is a third dearer.
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM · from Cheeppunkal jetty
A five-hour daytime cruise on Vembanad Lake from Cheeppunkal jetty, with a full Kerala lunch and evening refreshments cooked fresh on board. No overnight stay.
Pick your nights and party size for a full quote. A 30% advance holds the boat; the balance is settled at the jetty.
Tap a date to set your check-in.
No card details now — we call to confirm the boat, then send a payment link.
Free cancellation up to 7 days before check-in.
Enquiries are answered within 30 minutes during desk hours.
We reply within 30 minutes · booking desk open 24 hours, all seven days
Out of Cheeppunkal at noon, through Aymanam village onto Vembanad Lake, past Pathiramanal island and down to the Thanneermukkam barrage, mooring for the night by 5:30 PM. Tap a marker for the detail.
The boat leaves Cheeppunkal down the canal and passes Aymanam, a backwater village of coconut groves, paddy and old churches on the Meenachil river. It is the village Arundhati Roy grew up in and used as the setting for The God of Small Things. You pass coir yards, fishermen in country canoes and duck flocks along the banks.
Both sit on Vembanad Lake, 30 km apart, and both are good trips. The difference is traffic and water: we open onto the widest part of the lake, Alappuzha runs through narrow village canals with twenty times the boats. The full comparison, including when Alappuzha is the better choice.
The chef shops at Kumarakom market the morning you board. Lunch is red rice with thoran, avial and a fish fry; tea is banana fritters off the pan; dinner is whatever came off the canoes that afternoon. Tell us about dietary needs at booking and the shopping changes accordingly.
Along the banks past Aymanam. Coir yards, duck flocks on the harvested paddy, and the toddy tappers working the palms along the bund.
4.8 out of 5 from 1,455 reviews on Google. We publish the critical ones too — the ones below are a selection.
Read all 1,455 reviews on GoogleWe took the Premium boat for our anniversary. The karimeen pollichathu at lunch was the best fish I have eaten in India, and the captain moved us to a quieter mooring when we asked. Waking up to mist on the lake was worth the trip on its own.
We had done Alappuzha two years ago and Kumarakom is a completely different experience — far fewer boats and much more open water. The Premium 2 BHK was spotless and the crew were excellent with our two children.
Booked the 3 BHK for a family reunion — nine of us. Plenty of room on the deck and the lunch was excellent. One note: the generator runs the AC overnight and is audible from the cabins, so take earplugs and it is a non-issue.
Practical notes from the people who run the boats — when to come, what gets cooked, which tier to book and what is actually at the bird sanctuary.
What the backwaters actually are, why Kumarakom is a different trip from Alappuzha, and what a night on a kettuvallam is really like — written for people booking their first cruise.
Getting here, safety, meals, mooring rules and the cancellation policy. Anything else — call the desk on +91 98955 13180.