Are you planning a backwater trip to Kerala

Don’t make the same mistake that I did…

Kerala was the last step of my six weeks long backpacking trip and highly anticipated.

My partner and I wanted to see the backwaters around Alleppey and we did extensive research in order to find the best way to do it. We decided against a overnight houseboat as it was in high season (near Christmas) and prices were skyrocketing. Accommodations were getting scarce and we didn't know what was the best area to stay.

My partner loves cities and towns and we previously had fun in Bangalore, Mumbai and Mysore so we booked a homestay in the heart of Alleppey.

The hosts were lovely and the room was spacious and clean, while being affordable.

So what was the problem?

Alleppey is the worst place I've been to in India!

As ever there are no pavements but the traffic is really intense. The smog is suffocating and the honks are relentless.

Music is blasting from every market stall. Everywhere someone is selling plastic tat (strange toys, hats …).

If you are planning on visiting the backwaters, here is what I would do instead:

Stay on Marari beach

It was my original plan but since we were going to mire beaches afterwards, we decided to be at the heart of everything instead.

Stay on Kakkathuruthu island

It's a quiet island with a very small resort. The sunset was one of the best I have seen. If you like peace and silence, go there.

All those places are within reach of Alleppey. It's easy enough to hire mopeds for day trips or get a rickshaw driver to take you. And the best time for any sort of backwater trip is either sunrise or sunset, so be prepared to get up early or go back after dark if like me you enjoy pink skies!

To go on the backwaters we hired a shikara as we were feeling quite lazy.

But you can do some kayaking or hire a canoe, which allow you to go deeper in the backwaters.

Now did the backwater boating trips make the hell of Alleppey worth it?

I'd say so.