The only part of the south India that I did not get a chance to visit was Kerala and recently when a friend asked me to come along on a road trip, I was nothing less than excited. So I took a taxi from Bangalore to Mangalore, since I am from Mangalore and then made a trip to Alleppey. Although I always knew there is a lot that the southernmost state of India has to offer, but I never thought that it would be this great. Out of all the places worth visiting in Kerala, Alleppey, which is also known as Allappuzha, is something never to miss on. With the canals and the location of the town on the both sides of water, this place looks like nothing less than the Venice of the east.
Backwaters of Kerala
Beauty of Alleppey Backwaters
I had heard a lot about the backwaters and the houseboats of Kerala but when I visited the place, it clearly felt that this place and its mesmerizing beauty could not be described in words. All the adjacent waters in the between and thick greenery on the other two sides is a visual treat. It is believed that some of these lakes are natural while there are a few canals that are manmade as well. Apart from these, there are around 38 other rivers as well that feed these backwaters. With all the geographical reasons behind the existence of these backwaters, what fascinate me are their beauty and the way they are naturally maintained. If you fancy aquatic animals, you would get a chance to see a lot of them while travelling through the backwaters. Spread over an area of around 900 kilometres, there are many small towns in between this path known for their delicious seafood and many other Malayali cuisines.
Alleppey Tourism
The first thought that came in my mind in context to Alleppey as soon as Ientered there was about the calmness of the life. In spite of being a popular tourist destination amongst the travellers from all around the world, the simplicity of the place and the people living therein is clearly visible. Book a taxi, at least until Allepey,if you are planning to take any of the cruises to the backwaters or for touring Kerala.This place would be the start point of that journey.
There are many places in Alleppey itself that you can visit. Since the place had the Arabian Sea around, the first place I wanted to visit was the Alleppey beach. I must tell that it is one of the most beautiful and stretched beaches of Kerala. I visited the place at night at the lighthouse located there makes it a simply perfect and soothing setting you would wish for after a long drive. Many temples like Mannarsala temple, Krishna temple, etc.
To conclude my experience, I would only want to brief Alleppey as one of those perfect destinations that has the lagoons, lakes, sea, awesome food as well as the religious place altogether. No matter what your age is this place has, something for everyone and it sure is a place worth visiting.
Very informative article. In my younger days, visiting Alleppey was such a rare and delightful trip; travelling through the straight national highway 47 in those olden days over half a century back was a different feeling of relaxation, then the beach and sea food. Now, through the house boats, the tourists can get far deeper knowledge and entertainment out of this beautiful place called the “Venice of the east”.