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Kerala House Boats

The houseboat holidays of Kerala are increasingly becoming popular with domestic as well as international tourists. Consequently, the number of houseboats plying the backwaters of Kerala have increased dramatically. So much so that there is an urgent need to evaluate the safety and service standards of houseboats and classify them accordingly. This will be the first step towards sustaining this unique tourism product.

The Department of Tourism has evolved a scheme to classify the house boats in Kerala with the objective of evaluating the safety and service standards. With the aim of sustaining the unique tourism project of Kerala The Houseboat, the department has defined the guidelines for classification. The classification will be in three categories namely ‘Gold Star’, ‘Silver Star’ and ‘Green Palm’ certificate.

According to the scheme a house boat fulfilling all the essential conditions prescribed by the department and another five of the ten optional conditions will be awarded the status of ‘Gold Star’. Those fulfilling the essential conditions will be awarded ‘Silver Star’.

Houseboats which satisfy the essential conditions and adhering to eco-friendly measures prescribed by the department will be awarded the ‘Green Palm’ certificate.

Green Palm House Boats

KayalRani

Gold Star House Boat

Silver Star House Boat

Kerala House Boat Packages

About Kerala House Boat

Kettuvallom (House Boat) is a country boat that was used in the early days for the transport of goods from the isolated interior villages to the towns. With the advent of roads, bridges and ferry services, gradually the Kettuvalloms went off the scene. Now these kettuvalloms are back again as a major tourist attraction. A ride on a Kettuvallom is a fabulous way to explore the fascinating beauty of the backwaters.

HouseBoat:

A houseboat is about 67 feet in length and has a width of around 13 feet in the middle. The materials that go into the making are local and ecofriendly; bamboo poles, coconut fibre, ropes, bamboo mats, carpets etc. The main wood used is "Anjili". There are houseboats with fully furnished single room, double room and triple rooms. All of them have sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet with w.c. In addition there is a separate rest room for the crew. Traditional lanterns are used as lights. The crew includes a chef, and two oarsmen. The cuisine is of traditional Kerala flavour alongwith the local specialties; delicious fish and prawns. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people.

A glide in a "Kettuvallam" (Houseboat) through the enchanting backwaters of Alleppey is sure to rob your heart. Palm fringed narrow canals winding through the vast expanse of paddy fields and the neat tiny hamlets lined up along either side of the canals are panoramic sight one can never forget.