ALLAPUZHA

Exotic backwaters

Alappuzha, (also Alleppey), lies in the backwaters of India’s southern state Kerala. It’s just the place to really chill out among the clean refreshing environs, washed by the Arabian Sea, and interlocked by a number of canals and bridges.
Alappuzha consists of seven taluks spread over an area of 1414 sq km and is bounded by Kochi and Kanayannur taluks on its north; Vaikom, Kottayam, Changanassery Thiruvalla, Kozhencherry and Adoor taluks on its east; Kannathur and Karunagappally taluks on its south and the exotic Lakshadweep of the Arabian Sea on its west.
The climate of this small town is temperate and humid. It’s relatively more pleasant in the winter season. The temperature ranges between 22 to 35°C in summer and 20 to 32°C during winters. The ideal time to visit is the months from August–September and February–March. The summers are hot, humid and quite uncomfortable. So, it’s best to avoid them.

HOW TO REACH
Reaching Alappuzha is no problem. Cities like Cochin, Chennai, Howrah, Bangalore and Bokaro are well connected to Alappuzha.

By air
The nearest airport is at Kochi , 64 km north of Alappuzha. The Trivandrum airport is located 159 km south of Alappuzha.

By rail
Ernakulam railway station has a number of trains running to the major cities nearby.

By road
National Highway 47 goes through Alappuzha connecting it with almost all the nearby places of South India. You can hop on to any bus plying to Alappuzha from these cities.

By sea
An adventurous way of getting here is by ferry. The place is linked by boat and ferry services through the scenic backwaters with Cochin, Kottayam, Kevalam, Changanassery and Chengannur.

GETTING AROUND

Speedboats can be chartered from ATDC for Rs.300 per hour, or Rs.700 per day.
Double-decker boats depart at 10.30 a.m. and tickets can be bought in advance at the jetties, or from ATDC/DTPC counters in Alappuzha and Kollam, costs Rs.150.

There are 11 daily departures by local ferry to Kottayam, which costs Rs.5. The first ferry leaves at 5am and the last one leaves at 9 p.m. A ferry to Kochi leaves every alternate day at noon. And ferry to Kumarakom leaves daily at 3 p.m

The ATDC tourist information office (daily 7.30am-8.30pm; 3462) at the Karthika Tourist Home across the canal from the jetty sells tickets for their ferries and charter boats (maximum 20 people Rs750 per day) - good for group excursions into less visited backwaters

WHERE TO SHACK UP

There are a number of luxurious hotels if you want to splurge. In case you want to save your cash, there are a number of cheap dormitories to live in as well. If you wanna live sensibly:
Alleppey Prince,
AS road,
2 km north of jetty.
Tel 3752 , Fax 3758.
Room rates range from Rs500 to Rs750

Komala,
Zilla Court road,
North of Jetty canal
. Tel 3631.
Rooms range from Rs100 to Rs500

If you’re really smart:
Kuttanad Tourist Home,
Near KSRTC bus station.
Tel 61354.
Rooms range from Ra100 to Rs150

Karthika Tourist Home,
Katiyani road.
Tel 5524.
Rooms range from Rs100 to Rs225.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

You can stuff yourself with country-specific or the local south Indian delicacies easily available in the various restaurants and local eateries. Also check out the yummy seafood available at the beachside joints.
For a splurge, slip on some clean clothes and catch a rickshaw out to the Alleppey Prince, whose a/c Vembanad restaurant offers the town's classiest menu, and beer by the pool.

Arun,
Komala Hotel, Tasty Chinese noodles and Indian veg (including delicious dal makhini, malai kofta and subzis), but avoid the continental food. Virtually every foreign visitor to Alappuzha ends up eating here, although there are plenty of other servicable, and cheaper, places. If it's busy, settle in for a wait.

Aryaas,
Mullakal Road
The towns best Udupi restaurant, serving south Indian breakfasts and excellent rawa masala dosas after 6pm. Recommended if you're on a tight budget.

Kream Korner Mullakal Road
It’s a recently re-vamped non-veg-restaurant-cum-ice-cream parlour.

Thoppi
Karthika Hotel
It’s a very modest but clean and friendly place with an ambitious, inexpensive Indian and Chinese menu. They open early for standard "omelette-bread-butter-jam" breakfasts.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
There are some great sites to visit in and around Alappuzha.

Snake-boat races
Punnamada Kayal , where the annual Nehru Trophy boa t race takes place, is a must-see. In the month of August–September, during the Onam festival, the backwaters gets packed with thousands of spectators and a large number of competitors who flock to Alappuzha for the Snake-boat races. These are no normal boats, but long ones actually designed to resemble snakes. They can accommodate 120 people, making two rows of 60 each. The energy, coordination, and the feeling of getting ahead in the competition make this sport quite engrossing. You have to be here to feel the pulsating atmosphere.

Temples
If you are interested in architecture typical to Kerala, you’ve got to visit the Krishnapuram Temple, a two-storied building. The largest mural painting, Gajendra Miksham, is displayed in a museum here.
Another place showcasing the culture of Kerala is the Ambalapuzha Temple, where Lord Krishna is worshipped. You also get a chance to taste the South Indian delicacy, payasam(kheer), which is served to the visitors during the festival times of March/April.

Situated in the heart of the town, Mullackal Temple, dedicated to goddess Rajarajeswari, is also a place you could visit. Some of India’s finest temple musicians perform in the main hall during December, the festival month in this part.

If you want to see snakes being worshipped, check out Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple. Surrounded by thick-green forest this temple is a holy place where the king of serpents is worshiped. A large number of devotees from all over India and abroad flock here each year. Kottamkulangara Mahavishnu Temple and Devi Temple are the oldest temples of Alappuzha and are sites worth visiting, especially during the time of festivals.

You can also hang around St. Andrew’s Church, established by the Portuguese missionaries. Join in the fun filled and festive celebrations for the feast of St. Sebastian at the church.

Houseboat cruises

And finally, you should not at any cost miss the backwater cruises in the exotic houseboats, which also serve delicious Keralan cuisine.

WHERE TO SHOP
Alappuzha is famous for it’s locally made coir products and carpets. The fine quality, variety and reasonable price tag of these products make them worth a buy.

Besides Alappuzha is also famous for its pepper, coconut oil, areca nut, cardamom, sugar, etc. So do pack up an assortment for your mom and grandmom before your vacation ends.

There are several markets to shop around in Alappuzha, though the Kayamkulam market is the most popular one.

GENERAL INFORMATION
STD Code
0477

Tourist information

The Alappuzha Tourism Development Corporation has its office in the most accessible places of Alappuzha .

Facilities like post office, fax, email services, chemists , hospitals and tourist guides are available at the nearest proximity.

The essentials:

Languages spoken       Malayalam and English
Best time to go       August to March