Kerala is a beautiful stretch of land between the Arabian Sea and a mountain range. Irrigated by over 40 rivers and two pouring monsoons, this small stretch is a green and clean place. It is a land of green hills, forested countryside, coastal backwaters, beaches, monsoon rains, quaint little towns, country boat races, grand elephant festivals and other fascinating experiences
The
backwaters of Kerala are unique attraction to tourists. The biggest among these backwaters is the Vembanad lake, with an area of 200 sq km, which opens out into the Arabian Sea at Cochin port. Backwaters, historical structures, culture, wildlife, and natural beauty, the state has all these and more.
The major tourist destinations in the State include Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kovalam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Munnar, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Kollam, Kannur, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Sabrimalai
Out of the five states lying south of Maharashtra, Kerala has the charm and grandeur which equals natural beauties distributed over the globe. Kerala boasts of the beaches of Hawaii, the vales of Switzerland, the wildlife of Africa, the festivals of Spain, the boat races of Singapore, the waterfalls of North America, the health resorts of Phuket and the backwaters of Venice. Out of all these heavenly places, the interconnected backwaters mesmerise you the most and take you closest to the lives of Keralites.
Kerala's backwaters are a semi flooded area of land behind the coast that stretch south from
Cochin to
Trivandrum.
The backwaters of Kerala are unique to Kerala and are found nowhere else in the world (The nearest equivalent might be the flooded polders of Holland in Europe). The Kerala Backwaters are a network of lakes, canals and estuaries and the deltas of 44 rivers that all drain into the Arabian sea. Most of these rivers rise in the Western Ghats which have high rainfall all year.
The backwaters of Kerala are a self supporting eco-system teeming with often unique aquatic and riverine life. The man made canals connect the villages together and are still used for local transport. Some 900 km of this riverine water world is navigable to boats.
The largest backwater stretch in Kerala is the
Vembanad Lake which flows through three regions and opens out into the sea at the port at cochin.
The
Ashtamudi Lake, literally having eight arms, which covers a major portion of Kollam district in the south, is the second largest and is also considered a gateway to the backwaters.
The most exciting experience on the backwaters of Kerala for visitors is the Kettuvallam (or traditional rice boat ). In a land as water bound as Kerala it wouldn't be an unusual sight, but for a visitor to God's Own Country a houseboat gliding along the vast green expanse of the backwaters is a unique, tranquil spectacle in the world.
