Spice Coast Cruises
Alleppey
Seven kettuvallams that were rice barges first, and still look it.
The place
Converted cargo boats rather than new builds dressed up as old ones — split bamboo and coir roofs, earth-toned cloth, and none of the plastic and chrome that has crept into the Alleppey fleet. One or two cabins, a chef aboard, and no menu: what you eat depends on what you say and what the market had that morning.
What is there
- One- and two-bedroom boats
- A chef on board, cooking to order
- Moorings in villages rather than at the jetty
- Fishing and birdwatching off the deck
- Farm and village visits along the way
- The narrow Kuttanad canals the big boats cannot enter
Getting there
Boards at Alleppey, about an hour and a half from Kochi airport.