Last updated on December 8, 2021
Cruising on a houseboat around the backwaters of Alleppey is a quintessential Kerala experience and one we looked forward to from the moment we booked our trip. We spent a lot of time choosing a houseboat in Alleppey and it didn’t disappoint. The trip went down as one of the highlights of our time in India.
We had already spent some time in the backwater villages at Greenpalms Homestay so our focus on the cruise was pure relaxation, watching the world go by from the comfort of our boat. It was a good time to use the word bliss.
Here are some photos from our trip as well as some details about how to find and choose a houseboat in Alleppey.
How to book a houseboat in Alleppey
Trying to choose a houseboat in Kerala can be tricky, but these tips will help you to find what you’re looking for. For us, it took a bit of effort, but we ended up finding what we think is the best houseboat in Alleppey! This is how we did it.
On our first day in Alleppey we got in tuk-tuk and asked the driver to take us to the houseboat dock. We ended up at a tiny little clearing with about ten houseboats, far from the hundreds we had expected. We knew something wasn’t quite right and suspected rightly that the driver had simply taken us to his friend’s boat, rather than the main dock.
We instead changed tactic and went to a hostel where we’d heard that the owner had one of the few remaining paddle-propelled boats in the area. This appealed to us as we were conscious of the environmental impact the boats have on the local villages.
Unfortunately that boat was already booked but the owner called a friend who he said would be happy to help us. That man turned out to be Kabeer, the driver I wrote about in my Kerala itinerary post.
Kabeer was a godsend. He listened to what we were looking for and patiently took us on a tour of around ten different houseboats, not once being pushy. He didn’t appear to be affiliated with any of the boats but instead asked around and slowly honed in on our perfect boat. We only had to pay him for the drive, but I believe (and hope) he received a commission from the boat owner.
Note that you can also get a houseboat in Kollam, which is a quieter alternative but we decided to go to Alleppey as we knew ther would be more choice. This post by Globetrotter Girls helped us to make that decision.
Tips for how to choose a houseboat in Kerala
Houseboat trips in Kerala aren’t cheap. You can save money by getting a bigger boat and sharing with other people, but we wanted the full romantic experience of travelling just the two of us. Two-person boats start at around 6500 IDR per night and go up to about 20,000 IDR and even more in the high season.
We looked at a range of boats and all were unique. It’s definitely worth looking around. You might decide you definitely want an upper tier, a particularly comfy chair or a huge window in the bedroom.
By browsing, you can zero in on your perfect boat. Bear in mind that some of the super fancy houseboats that come with jacuzzis and 24-hour air-con are also the worst for the environment.
The best houseboat in Alleppey
When we finally found our houseboat we were smitten and think it might just be the best houseboat in Kerala! It was more expensive than some of the others we had seen and it didn’t have an upper tier, but in every other respect it was perfect.
We are suckers for good design and our houseboat had been lovingly crafted with attention to the smallest details.
Hashim, the owner, is clearly proud of his boat and with good reason too. It was beautiful and in perfect condition.
All the houseboats are manned by a driver and a chef, and we hit the jackpot with ours who were both very friendly and easy to be around. We also ate some of the best food we had in Kerala while on that boat. My mouth is watering at the memory.
Life on our houseboat in Alleppey
We spent most of our time on the houseboat in a routine of waking, breakfast, reading, lunch, reading, dinner, playing cards and sleeping. We also stopped a few times to see the rice paddies, buy souvenirs at a craft market and visit a local church.
We were less interested in exploring the villages as we had already done so during our stay at Green Palms. Instead we mostly relaxed and the conditions couldn’t have been better. The boat gets tied up for the night once the sun goes down.
Our only disappointment was that on the second night, we could see a busy road in the distance. It seems most houseboats stop there as it’s close to the drop-off point for the next morning but we preferred our first night which was more secluded. That said, if you looked the other way, you could pretend it wasn’t there.
How to rent our houseboat in Kerala
Our houseboat cost 10,000 INR per night and our cruise was for two days starting and finishing in the morning. You can book through the Ayana’s Houseboats website or Holiday Lettings website. or contact the owner, Hashim directly at [email protected] or on (+91) 98460 75 978
If you’re looking for someone to help you find a houseboat in Alleppey, we wholeheartedly recommend seeking out tuk-tuk driver Kabeer who can be reached on 9895860674 or [email protected]
Hey! Love your site. I was just reading your article about the best houseboat in Alleppey, and I’m wondering if you meant INR instead of IDR? The conversion rate of 6500 IDR to US dollars is less than 50 cents, and for INR to USD is around 100 dollars. I was confused about it so I thought you might want to change it.
Cheers!
Cait
Ha! Yes, I’ll update that now, Thank you 🙂
That looks absolutely dreamy!
Wow, what an experience! That boat looks marvellous, and my goodness – the food! Definitely adding this to the to-do list for when we’re in India again later this year.
It really does look like you found the most perfect houseboat! We didn’t get the opportunity to hit Kerala, but I know that when we are back in India that is an experience that I will most certainly enjoy!
Hi,
Thanks for the wonderful blog, we will try to book the same experience!
Oh yes, do! It was wonderful and Hashim is very helpful.
We have just returned from an amazing trip to Goa and Kerala and were lucky enough to experience 2 nights on this amazing houseboat. It is hard to find the right words to sum up how incredible it was……magical would come close. I asked my girlfriend to marry me on our last night as we sat on the front bow of the boat, our legs dangling over the side as the lightning flashed in the distance and the fireflies buzzed around the lilies in the water. We swam with the local kids in the river, had the privilege of visiting our captains Anil’s village and had tea with his beautiful family. His wife gave my girlfriend a necklace as she was wearing a sari without one. One of the local ladies came to the boat the next morning and showed Jo how to put the sari on like a real Indian lady. I got to captain the houseboat for a whole hour under supervision of course but what an incredible experience. The food, the company, the people we met over those 2 days and of course our engagement will be happy memories for the rest of our lives. I put a short video together of our time in India. It’s impossible to fit everything in in a 5 minute clip but it sums up our holiday perfectly and the houseboat features heavily in it.
https://vimeo.com/148099728
Lastly, I’d just like to say thanks for this blog as I had read this before our journey and made it my mission to hunt it down. It certainly did not let us down and was everything you said it to be and more. I hope you enjoy the video and get to relive some of your own happy memories from your time on the backwaters of Kerala.
Craig
Your message makes me so happy! It’s wonderful to know we played a small part in helping you to find the perfect place to propose. What a romantic story! Congratulations you you and your fiancé! And the video is great – as you predicted, it brought back many happy memories! Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Hi Craig,
Your video looks absolutely amazing. I am taking 4 of my friends from America and thinking of doing the 2 night houseboat. Which one did you use?
Hi Riya,
I believe they went on the same boat as us! It’s the one in the photos above, and the contact details are at the end of the post. Hashim will also be able to tell you exactly which boat they used.
Thanks! Victoria
I am Craig’s … er … fiance!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for taking the time to enlighten all of us on what houseboat to book. We felt like royalty and made friends for life – aside of course from getting engaged.
We are also proof that it is definitely one of the best houseboats and worth the additional cost if you can cover it. We roughed it up so that we could end our trip in luxury – and it paid off because it was the highlight of our trip and an experience neither of us will ever forget!
Hi Joanne,
Congrats!!! such an amazing story. I would love to get the name of your houseboat as I requested from Craig above.
I hope to give my friends the same experience you guys shared together since it seemed unbelievable.
Hi Riya!
They went on our one bedroom houseboat. Similar quality two bedroom houseboats also we have.
Thanks
Hashim
Hi,
Do you have a five bedroom houseboat. We are travelling to Kerala in the coming June with our extended family members
Hi. I am looking for a 2 bedroom houseboat for our family of 4 people total.
After finding this on your blog, we booked with this company and had a truly phenomenal experience!! Excellent food by Anil, the boat was beautiful and clean, and the trip around the backwaters was magical. Great romantic experience with 5 star facilities and staff. Highly reccomended!!!!
Hi,
Thanks for this insightful article. We’ll be visiting India this March. Initially, I was supposed to get a tour package for Kochi and Allepey Houseboat before reading your article. Would you recommend to visit Allepey ourselves to be able select a houseboat instead of depending on a travel agency to select it for us?
It depends what is more important to you – the convenience of someone organising it for you, or the ability to choose your own boat? We went for the latter, which I think also worked out cheaper as we could negotiate the price. If you wanted the boat we went on, you could contact Hashim directly at [email protected] or on (+91) 98460 75 978. That will also be cheaper than going through an agent. Have a great time! It’s such a beautiful area 🙂
Thanks for posting about your houseboat experience, this is a useful article. My boyfriend and I are currently trying to organise out trip to Kerela and it sounds like it might be worth us booking our boat in advance as we will be going in December which is high season. I contacted the owner of the boat you went on and it sounds like the prices are quite a bit more expensive at the time we are going. Would you recommend trying to negotiate or do you think this only really works in person? Also there seems to be the option of the deluxe, luxury or super lux package – which package is it that you have described? The standard ‘deluxe’ one seems to come with the three meals a day so I am wondering whether that will suffice. Also do you think you missed out on anything by not having a top deck?
Many thanks
Joanna
Hi Joanna, I’m afraid I don’t think those three options were available when we went. I believe there was just one and I imagine it was just the standard deluxe one. And I did originally want a top deck – that was the only thing we compromised on when choosing this boat – but we didn’t regret not having one. We felt as though we had ample privacy and good views throughout the whole trip. You could try to negotiate a little from afar. It’s always worth trying! And say hello to Hashim from us! Have a great time 🙂
Thanks Victoria, it seems like others are saying similar about the upper deck and we would rather go with one that is recommended so will try and book this one if it’s available for our dates. Thanks again for the useful insights
Hi Victoria!
Thanks for your helpful reply above. We do have three categories of boat. Deluxe, Luxury and Super Luxury. The one you went on is the Super Luxury. But we rented this for you as Luxury (with normal food menu and night time air conditioning). It was not high season and you rented for 2 nights we made the price for Rs.10,000 x 2 nights. Now for all the enquiries we reply with all the three options which they can choose as per their budget. Super Luxury is the top category boat with full time air conditioning option in the living/dining area and bedroom. Also there is special food menu of 2 non-veg dishes for lunch and dinner and other extras like desserts and snacks. Deluxe and Luxury option is with normal food menu (1 non-veg for lunch and dinner) and night time air conditioning in the bedroom. But these three categories are different boats and not package as Joanna mentioned above. I hope this will help all the others who look for renting the boat from us. Thanks Joanne Armstrong for your posts.
Cheers! – Hashim
Hi Joanna,
We tried to negotiate as it was very expensive for our budget and particularly as it was at the end of our Indian adventure.
One thing we were “talked into” was taking the 3 day, 2 night journey if we wanted to really make it worthwhile. This was a slightly uncomfortable aspect of the negotiation because of course we wanted to maximise the experience. The other thing that bothered us was the lack of the top deck.
Now that we have done the trip, I can resolutely say that it made no difference to go without a top deck. We also would have found one night too short – the experiences we had on the second night were well worth it because by then we felt connected with the crew, they took us to their villages and made us feel utterly welcome plus we would have just been experiencing it from a tourist perspective and nothing more if it were just one night. Don’t get me wrong, we have done lots of tours with people around their villages, this was different. This was genuine and a direct relation to the personalities of the crew we were lucky to have.
Lastly, I think it depends on you as individual or you as a couple. We were astounded to see other boats with tourists that looked positively bored out of their brains … they did not appear happy or engaged in the experience …or each other’s company. Woeful!
Because we are deeply in love and we are good friends who like to go with the flow and experience whatever life throws at us, we had a ball. Others may not find they have the same experience because they cannot entertain themselves or are not open to new experiences and new people. So… it is what you make it.
We made the most of every minute and even 10 months later we are feeling so smitten to have had the chance to experience those two days on the houseboat … with each other!
I hope that this helps!
Thanks Joanne, these are useful things to know. Regarding the one or two night thing, one of the reasons we were thinking of just one night, aside from cost, was that I read that these larger boats can’t go down the little canals to see the villages up close etc and that it can be worth spending one night on a boat and then have another day on a guided canoe or something. I’m not sure if you or anyone else has any opinion on that aspect but would be great to know what you think, this houseboat thing seems to be the most complicated thing I have tried to organise so far for this trip. So many options!
To get a more personal insight into village life, and to travel down the canals, I recommend going to Greenpalms Homestay. We’ve written a review of it on here: https://bridgesandballoons.com/greenpalms-homestay-kerala-backwaters/
Hope that helps!
One can always negotiate. Negotiating more will spoil you backwater experience. Ever Houseboat owners are expecting a particular profit from a houseboat, so when to negotiate some may reduce the rate at the same time they may reduce the cruising hours or it travels very less. So it is better to avoid very cheap rates. You are coming to enjoy the backwater no to just staying in a floating vessel.
There are different categories of Houseboats available in Alleppey like Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Premium, Luxury, Super Luxury. The rates vary from operators to operators. The Houseboat rates are seasonal. For a one bedroom houseboat, the rates start from INR 6, 500.00 to INR 35, 000.00. One will get a houseboat for very cheap rate when it is off season, especially Monsoon season.
If any want to get a minimum quality of cruising and service, they should pay a minimum of INR 6, 500.00 for a one bedroom houseboat. Yes, there are a lot of houseboats available for lesser rates. But it will not give a good backwater experience.
Do not fall by seeing the photos, very cheap rates, a lot of offers. Always select a reputed Houseboat operators. Book and secure your houseboat in advance if you plan to travel in between October and February, May.
My wife and I just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks in Kerala. We booked our private 2 days backwater houseboat trip online with Hashim Basheer at Keralaetourism.com. He is associated with Ayana’s Luxury Houseboats recommended by Victoria’s blog.
We had a fabulous trip. Hashim is the perfect organizer. Totally honest and reliable. He worked out every detail with us online and followed through efficiently and effectively. He arranged driver transfers from Trivandrum to Allepy and from Allepy to Kochi. Hashim personally met us at the boat launch to introduce us to the crew and to make sure everything was OK.
The boat trip was perfect in every way. Excellent crew. Wonderful food. Beautiful scenery. My fondest memory is dancing with my wife on the deck the first evening in the starlight.
We had a one bedroom super luxury boat. No upper deck and that didn’t matter at all. The trip included a two-hour canoe side trip on smaller canals in a backwater village. That was wonderful. We also really enjoyed the stopovers at villages and rice paddies.
We are seasoned world travelers and I can say honestly that this was among the very best experiences we have had. You can’t go wrong booking through Hashim.
By the way, we spent a week at the Bethsaida Hermitage Ayurvedic health resort in Trivandrum prior to our boat trip. We also highly recommend Bethsaida. A top-notch place to chill out and detox/rejuvenate.
Thanks to Hashim Basheer at Keralaetourism for a wonderful experience. And thanks to bridges and balloons for recommending the backwater trip.
Hi Norm!
Nice to see such a wonderful review and to know that you enjoyed the cruise with us and satisfied with the services provided by us. It’s all because of people like you want to get the real Kerala experience more than looking at the minutest things that can be questioned. We are always concerned about our guests to deliver the best as we can.
We keep improving on our quality and service to make each ones experience in Kerala with us to be a cherishing one!
Thanks for choosing Keralaetourism(dot)com.
-Hashim-
I love this blog. It has been immeasurably helpful in affirming our decisions on where to travel in southern India and we will certainly make detailed notes of all your special places and people! Thank you!
We were visiting from the US and stayed at one of their 1BR boats and had the most divine experience. It was an extremely luxurious experience with amazing food, excellent staff and really comfortable rooms. They also had other equipment such as speakers which added to the vibe. They also arranged for a 2 hour canoe trip which was divine.
Hashim was very easy to contact and response which we appreciated.
Highly recommend this experience with this company.
Hey! As I trust your tips, these ones might be handy in the next few days when we are just about to do a houseboat trip in Kerala. Greetings from Southern Goa! Tomorrow we will catch the train towards Kochi. 🙂
Thanks for recommending Hashim. We also booked a houseboat trip with him at Keralaetourism.com and really enjoyed the experience. We had a different boat and crew but were similarly impressed with the standard of the furnishings as well as the service and the excellent food. We also took the 2 night trip and would recommend it in order to get away from the busier backwater thoroughfares. We followed quite a few of the other suggestions in your Kerala itinerary too, including to go to Wayanad, and were really grateful for the guidance!
WOW! This looks like an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing a little insight on how to find a boat.
Thanks Victoria for recommending Kabeer( The tuk tuk driver) – a trustworthy person who made our journey in houseboat and the previous night stay a memorable one. We, a group of 6 cousins planned for a trip to Kochi, Allepey and Varkala. First day started with Wonderla – An amusement Theme park in Kochin whereas the part of the trip to Allepey is very well hosted by Mr.Kabeer in his Houseboat which was very neat and tidy with a view. The food provided in the boat is Tasty and hygienic and the cook nailed it with the fish which we bought in the backwaters. The Location’s of the Homestay and the Houseboats were definitely Insta-worthy. Guys, never fail to visit Mararikulam / Marari beach which is approximately 14kms from Allepey. The Next day trip extended to Varkala, where the experience is totally different compared to the Houseboat one. Eternal Bliss, I would say.
Special mention to Victoria, without you and the blog, this trip wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you. 🙂 <3
*Mic drop*
So pleased you had a good experience with Kabeer. That’s really good to know. And thanks for your lovely comments. I’m delighted to have helped! 🙂
I am planning to visit this wonderful place after two months. Please suggest me the best time to visit this place with family. Your post will be helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.
I visited in December, which was amazing. Afriad I can’t speak for the rest of the year!
Thanks, Victoria.
Hello thanks for your nice post this post is very helpful. hope that you will continue your writing .thanks
Dear Victoria,
We are just back from Kerala and we can’t thank you enough for recommending Hashim and the houseboat. We had the most wonderful time, straight from the beginning, communicating with Hashim and meeting him on the pier ( what a lovely person!), to our dream trip on the houseboat. It was a treat to sail in something so beautifully and lovingly crafted and looked after. Anil of course was a star- the meals were delicious- and both he and the captain made our stay absolutely magical. Thanks a million!
Footnotes: Hashim also organised our transfers from Kochi, and onwards to Kollam, with an excellent, careful and courteous driver, Sanjiv; highly recommended. The boat has now a chrome railing in the front, but I believe it is the same boat, and Hashim said so. Some upholstery colours have changed, but it is definitely quite unique!
Thanks a lot Myrto Gelati for your support and wonderful feedback. It gives us immense pleasure to know that our guests are happy and enjoyed our boat and the Kerala backwaters. Your taxi driver name is Saji. He drove most of our guests and had good comment on his humbleness and honesty. Recently with the norms of Port Authority we had to fix rails on both front & rear which looks ugly sometime.
I am very much looking forward for your friends and other people who visit this blog with all recommendations here. We strive our best to deliver our esteemed guests the best of the best. If our guests are cool and fun loving they will surely have a relaxing, fun filled time with us. So we wish our guests to be easy going lovely people like you…
Hellow and thank you for this nice blog. I have not met Kabeer but his friend tuktuk driver Afsal. After many days with him as local driver in town I read his memory book from earlier customers and all shared the same story of this excellent tuktuk driver. So today I asked for full day of tuktuk experience and he showed me around all of the area. Churches, beaches, production facilities, shops. He is such a wonderful person so if anyone need help in the town contact him. 9946541714
The first days I traveled with a pregnant friend and here comment about Afsal is “The smoothest tuktuk driver in India”
I also met Afsal and he is a very lovely and kind man and he showed me some nice places. He drove me from Marari to Kochi very fast, for a reasonable price and intrduced me to his friend Hussain in Kochi. If I come back to Kerala I’ll definitely contact him again. If not for driving, than just for a chat and tea
I was in Alleppey in November 2018 and had the good fortune of meeting Kabeer. While we did not get this boat mentioned in the blog, he helped us find another lovely house boat for 2 nights and negotiated a very reasonable price. He also helped us organise some alcoholic beverages prior to boarding the boat as these were not included in the price. Going to the government run alcohol shops is an experience in itself.
We also hired Kabeer to drive us from Alleppy to Kochi after the boat trip along the much quieter coastal road which was such an awesome day. Kabeer showed us lots of cool points of interest along the way and is a really lovely fun guy.
I would highly recommend you contact Kabeer if you are wanting to organise a boat trip in Alleppy or need a ride to Kochi.
Whatsapp: 9895860674, facebook/email: [email protected]
Hi Louise
Thank you so much comment😋 visit again Kerala
Regards
Kabeerkj
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Excellent one. Really I want to go there after reading this post. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for this post and recommendations, it was really useful. We stayed at Greenpalms and it was the highlight of our trip. We didn’t feel the need to stay in a houseboat – pure tourist attraction and Greenpalms is so authentic – also it’s great to get a canoe or kayak and explore the smaller canals where the houseboats can’t fit through!
We contacted Kabeer and he put us in touch with his friend Afsal who was brilliant. He took us to Greenpalms from the train station when we arrived and then on the coastal road to Kochi where he stopped at interesting places along the way. We had interesting conversations about Kerala and local life and he was incredibly kind and thoughtful. You can whatsapp him on +91 9946541714.
Also, definitely recommend Marari Beach, not far from Alleppey, for some relaxed beach time.
Hi,
Thanks very much for this really informative blog post! We read it before heading to Alleppey in February and followed your recommendation to contact Kabeer, who is one of the most genuine, helpful people we have met throughout our time in India.
Kabeer picked us up for our hostel in his tuk tuk, drove us to the boats and patiently showed us round some boats until we found one we liked. As we were quite early he also took us to get some breakfast and even went with us to pick up some beers from the local government run booze shops!
We had an incredible time on our two night trip and like you, would say it’s a real highlight of our time in India. Thanks again for the post that made it possible!
Katie and Ruairidh (UK)
We took B&B’s advise when contemplating houseboat rental and decided to give Kabeer a text. He made the whole overwhelming experience so much easier and got a damn good houseboat for the money within 10 minutes of arriving. He was nothing but helpful and lovely and gave us so many helpful tips. He took us out in his Tuk Tuk to get supplies for our journey and left us in the capable arms of a welcoming boat captain and great chef. If that wasn’t enough he then picked us up the next day and drove us by Tuk Tuk to Kochi, for a small fee, which turned out to be nothing but pleasurable. We were more than happy to tip him for his time, which he humbly accepted. ✌🏼🔥🙏🏼
Hi
Thank you for mentioning Kabeer in your post. I contacted him for a ride between Kochi and Alleppey in May 2019 (using the phone number provided above) and it was fantastic.
Kabeer stopped at various places along the way and made the trip a total experience.
I had a go at making rope from coconut husk (a disaster!) and a little tuk-tuk driving experience from Kabeer (much better!).
You found a gem and I fully agree with your recommendation!
Thanks again
Kat
Wow..It’s really nice to see Alleppey houseboats… You gave a clear idea about how to plan before getting ready for a Alleppey trip…me and Family planed for a trip soon.. Thank you for the informative post..
Wow.. Nice and helpful post about houseboat in Alleppey.. thank you for sharing your experience too.. 🙂
Hi, your article says it has been updated on July 2019. But when i check the reviews for Ayana Houseboat then i can only find some from 2016. What exactly did you updated?
Hi
Thank you for Kabeer contact, a friend and I were searching to find the right boat and it was a public holiday for the locals so was not a easy task as most booked. Kabeer drove us around until we found a suitable boat. The following day picked up and took us to get supplies. On returning, Kabeer again picked up and drove us around to local sights. Kabeer is not pushy and you feel that you are really been looked after. I too had a tut tut driving lesson and scared not only my friend but the locals. Kabeer does not charge what he should so I do hope he gets a commission from the boat owners. Nice guy and made the stay great.
Sept 19 Tania Australia
Hi Tania I have so many work in Alleppey I have lot of contacts experience backwater tourism people helping I am very small money profit my aim people search fashion I am happy so internet promoting houseboat for backwater tourism too much Commission that’s why people trust me please check my reviews regards Kabeer
To echo the above comments, after reading your blog we reached out to Kabeer during our trip to Kerala earlier this year. Kabeer was an amazing guide and friend during our short time in Alleppey. He went above and beyond to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible and we experienced the best the area had to offer – from taking us to a local restaurant for an authentic Keralan breakfast (and showing us how to eat properly with our hands!), to helping us find the perfect houseboat for a night on the backwaters in amongst thousands of options. We also travelled with Kabeer in his tuk tuk from Alleppey to Kochi along the coastal road – stopping off at local businesses and beautiful beaches along the way. We cannot recommend Kabeer enough – if you are travelling to Alleppey please get in touch with him for an amazing experience!
When arriving in Alleppey we met Kabeer who right away helped us to find a nice place to eat on the beach.
Later on in our stay he helped us book a houseboat for an overnight tour on the backwaters. This was very pleasant and we really enjoyed it and felt very carred for with all the help.
Everything felt very genuine and honest! He is an amazing help!
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Kabeerkj
Took us for an hour-long birdwatching walk along the backwaters of Alleppey. Wonderful! Thanks again.
Thank you so much Rachel
I am organising Alleppey backwater trip & birdwatching
Village tour wonderful time with me thank you so much visit again
Regards
Kabeerkj
Je suis partie de Fort Kochi avec Kabber ( mon Monsieur Tuk,Tuk 😎 ) qui m’avait été recommandé. Nous avons fait le voyage jusqu’à Allepey, en nous arrêtant a chaque fois qu’il y avait de belles choses a voir. L’après midi et les jours suivants, il m’a fait visiter sa merveilleuse région, sans jamais s’arrêter comme certains dans les shops pour obtenir une commission. Nous sommes parfois allés dans des endroits peu touristiques mais tellement beaux. Il est aux petits soins pour vous. Que de beaux partages. Et il est tellement sympathique. Vous pouvez avoir toute confiance.
Overall, romantic and relaxing experience.
Hashim was there to meet us on the houseboat dock in Aleppy and ensure that the boat and crew were up to the standard advertised on the website.
In fact he graciously upgraded our boat to the honeymoon luxury package. My fiancé and I were treated like royalty aboard the vessel.
All meals were prepared fresh. The first meal with prawns we selected on our first stop.
The captain was an excellent navigator and provided smooth cruising through the backwaters.
The crew overall was able to provide us plenty of space and privacy. We spent time lounging on the upper deck and enjoying afternoon tea and snacks while watching the sunset.
Would recommend this company to couples wanting to celebrate an engagement, honeymoon, or anniversary!
Rob
USA
Hi Rob!
Happy to see your review here about the houseboat experience with Keralaetourism.com. Thanks a lot for your support and wonderful feedback.
We are glad that we had a chance to make your houseboat cruise a romantic and cherishing one… We look forward for your next trip in our newly launched Honeymoon Suite houseboat. Also please recommend your friends to us.
Have lots of fun!
-Hashim Basheer-
+91 98460 75978
KeralaHoneymoonHouseboat.com by Keralaetourism.com
Hi all,
What a Christmas and new year trip we had! We found Afsal (a friend of Kabeer) quite by accident, when hailing a tuktuk for a short journey to catch a boat tour!
Afsal is very friendly and speaks good English. You can easily communicate with him by WhatsApp on +91 9946541714.
He took us to our boat, and we found out he was already a friend of James, who runs the “Jesus Christ” boat. It is a medium size boat which we took out for the whole day [9am-5pm] on the backwaters… getting under low bridges the houseboats can’t go to. He organised breakfast and lunch! James is on +91 94478 04704.
James and Afsal were both brilliant and very honest. The day after the boat trip, Afsal took us on a whole day tuktuk tour, from Alleppey to Kochi (with our suitcases!), to leave us at our hotel at 5pm on New year’s day! We took the coastal road to Kochi and he stopped at many interesting places along the way.
Afsal told us a lot about Kerala and local life, and he found us a nice (and cheap) tuktuk driver (Hussain) for a tour the next day in Kochi.
If you need any local advice I suggest you speak with Afsal, who is a really nice man! You can easily communicate with him by WhatsApp on +91 9946541714.
Note: On the way up to Kochi, he took us to Marari Beach, not far from Alleppey, which is a gorgeous beach!
Finally, if you’re in the Alleppey / Alappuzha area, I would also recommend the Cafe Catamaran (north end of Alappuzha beach) for some relaxed and very tasty food. +91 94960 55702
Enjoy!
🙂
As previous comments state, Kabeer and Afsal are great. Ae had Kabeer pick us up from our hotel in Varkala then take us to Alleppey. It was a great ride via a scenic route to see some fisherman. He then picked us up from our hotel the next morning to show us round some boats (he doesn’t charge for this), he was super helpful and made the whole process very easy and enjoyable. After the boat trip Afsal picked us up in his tuk tuk and took us on a brilliant scenic ride to kochi fort. Despite being sceptical about doing this in a tuk tuk,would 100 percent reccomend it as it went so quickly and we saw some amazing sights on the way (loved the stop off at the coffee temple on Marari beach for a pick me up before the ride) . Both Kabeer and Afsal were delightful and will be reccomending them to pals for a stress free time in the backwaters. Thanks guys! Laura and Nick 🙂
Warm welcome to tourists coming to Vanakam Alappuzha Proud of Alappuzha being 3rd place in tourist rating of India It’s hard work of Alappuzha people regards
Kabeerkj allappey Tuk Tuk
Kabeer himself is a very courteous and down-to-earth person. He sees to that all your holiday requirements are met in full. Knowing Alappuzha thoroughly, he is able to guide you to your fullest satisfaction. The service, food and comforts provided inside the houseboat, we utilised recently, will always be memorable. His mobile 9895860674
Afsal, James & Kabeer made visit to Alappuzha more memorable than I could have imagined. Afsal helped me coordinate the backwater boat tour and provided transportation to and from the docking location. He was incredibly friendly and much fun to talk to. I spent about 6 hrs with James who has been driving the boat for, I believe, 30+ years. He took me all over the place and to some great restaurants where I had breakfast and later, lunch. He was a blast to be around and really made the tour special.
This was one of the best tours I’ve done recently, so if you’re considering a backwater boat tour, book with these guys.
Thanks again for the awesome tour!
Really enjoyed the entire journey. I got the good assistance.
Thanks for the assistance
Thank you so much Manoj Kumar
En Allepey contactamos con Kabeer, un conductor de tuc-tuc que nos facilitó el contacto con una barca pequeña con la que recorrimos durante cuatro horas los canales pequeños de los backwaters, complemento perfecto del viaje en homeboat.
Después nos llevó en su tuc-tuc hasta Marari beach, con las maletas😅😅
Simplemente genial, lo recomendamos encarecidamente.
Thank you so much my friend visit again allappey boat trip
My Instagram
Kabeer_kj_9895860674
Alleppey yes kay tours
All videos available backwater trip allappey
Hi, I looking for three kinds of houseboats – one, for a single couple; second for 3 couples and third for 6 couples. Are all the three options available?
Sorry, but I just reviewed the boats. I can’t help with booking them!
Please contact my WhatsApp number 9895860674
Email [email protected]
Please send detail I will help you
Thank you so much
De beste persoon die je nodig hebt om een trip op de backwaters te maken is Kabeer. Hij geeft direct een eerlijke prijs en is niet opdringerig. Hij heeft voor ons een kano tocht geregeld voor 400rp/u. Die ons geleid heeft langs de kleinere kanaaltjes. Natuurlijk is dat met chauffeur bij en moet (mag wel) je niet zelf peddelen. Kabeer, heel aangename en grappige man. [email protected] of zijn website http://www.yeskaytours.com
Thank you so much my friend visit again allappey backwater trip
I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the enchanting world of houseboats in Alleppey, and I must say it was a truly magical journey. The tranquil backwaters, lush greenery, and the unique lifestyle offered by these floating abodes create an unforgettable experience.
I booked my houseboat through http://www.boatsnbeds.com, and I must say they offered the best price compared to other options in Alleppey. Their service was impeccable, and the seamless booking process added to the overall positive experience.
There are thousands of tour operators working like this, the best thing is to come here and see for yourself
We also had a fantastic experience with Kabeer. He arranged everything from pickup in Kochi, travel to Alleppey, 2 nights on a houseboat and travel to Varkala. He is a lovely person, very warm and friendly. He was easy to contact and responded promptly to all of my inquiries. We rode in his tuk tuk for both of the trips and loved it, so much fun. He knows the roads like the back of his hand and took us down backroads, streets and alleys that were less crowded and showed a glimpse of Kerala that you don’t see from the main roads. The boat he arranged for us was fantastic, well designed and appointed with a great crew and tasty food. And a very fair price for everything. Kabeer made planning this portion of my India trip so easy! And when we forgot a bottle of wine in his tuk tuk he made a special trip to bring it to us on the boat the second night!
We recently used Kabeer for travel from Kochi to Alleppey and from Alleppey to Varkala. What an amazing time. We loved riding in his tuk tuk. It was comfortable even for such long distances and Kabeer is an amazing driver. He also knows all the back roads and winding alleyways. He is also warm and friendly and went out of his way to make our trip special. He also arranged the perfect houseboat for us. Communicating with him and arranging the trip was super easy!
Hello vicky I owe you a nice honest review of me for spending your precious time on me thank you
I do all the things that trust me and I get paid very punctually but the guests write reviews are very less that’s my sadness.
I want to say a big thank you to friend of Kabeer – driver Afsal. I have not met Kabeer but on meeting Afsal at the train station in the early morning when I arrived in Alleppey I felt instantly at ease seeing the kind smiley face of Afsal. After a long journey this is such a comfort. Two days following this Afsal took me on long trips to many beautiful temples and local points of interest things I didn’t know about for example the Snake Boat. Afsal was fantastic always giving me information and kindness.
Very warm person with big heart who is a family man. I even had pleasure of meeting his daughter and little grandson. Very beautiful .
As a female solo traveller I felt so safe and relaxed Afsal caring, patient and very good English. He cares much about the person he’s helping. Fantastic service. Thank you Kabeer and Afsal. What a team!
Afsal and Kabeer are the two best rickshaw drivers you will ever ride with !
They will show you their best places around, suggest you to go to this place or this festival.. you really feel guided by local insiders 🙂
Above all they are really careful, and this make all the difference
Thanks again to you two for all the good memories 🙏🙏🙏
We will provide our best service to the travelers who read this blog. If you want to see photos of our tour, please google taxi and auto service.
We will provide our best service to the travelers who read this blog. If you want to see photos of our tour, please google taxi and auto service.
Un grand merci à Afsal et Kabeer, qui nous ont promenées en tuk-tuk, d’une part là où nous voulions aller, et d’autre part là où nous ne serions jamais allées sans eux. Ainsi nous avons rendu visite à un constructeur de bateaux cousus à la main, mais aussi nous avons trouvé les graines que nous cherchions, etc …
Ils ont toujours été très souriants, patients et prévenants.
Nous les remercions pour leur gentillesse et la plus-value qu’ils nous ont apportée grâce à leur service.
Si vous avez besoin de vous déplacer dans la région d’Alleppey et que vous souhaitez un chauffeur de tuk-tuk qui vous laissera un agréable souvenir, n’hésitez pas à les contacter au
+91 99465 41714
Thank you for spending your valuable time and leaving a nice review Regards
Kabeerkj