Longest Indian lake, Vembanadu Lake & House Boats, Kumarakom backwater boating trip photos

Kumarakom tour trip photos, some moments from a small picnic done to the backwater tourism village of Kerala - Kumarakom. A place in the Kottayam district of kerala which depends on backwaters for most of the transportation than roads. The people also makes their living with business related to tourism, fishing, cultivating paddy etc. Can identify the place as a small Venetian town.

The tourist village of Kumarakom can offer you activities like boating through the backwaters, watching migratory and local birds in the bird sanctuary of kumarakom, ayurvedic treats provided in the spas working along with the hotels and lake resorts etc. The local food recipes here has the real taste of Kerala's food culture. So many house boat services are available in the place. House boat cruise packages which varies in length of journey, price, amenities etc are available.




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The backwater cruises or house boats, traditional transportation means transformed into a new form to cater the needs of Tourism. The Kettuvalloms of olden times are transformed into small moving cottages like these which integrates air conditioned bedrooms, balconies, kitchen, living rooms, European style bathrooms etc with a group of small crews for navigation and making food. The house boats have electric generators attached which may turn off and provided with oil lamps if the tourist needs a traditional feeling inside the boat during nights.

Nearly 400 houseboats are present allover the Vembanadu backwaters. Apart from houseboats numerous ordinary transportation and tourist boats including small speed boats travels across these brackish waters of the lake. Can see houseboats docked infront of some houses and lake resorts aside the backwaters. Both private people and KTDC boat services are available in the area.

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Our boat reached a point which seemed more to an open sea than a lake. Indication of land is seen nowhere around. Their are small poles raising over in shallow region which was used by fish cultivators to separate the region with underwater nets and  breed fishes like prawns, black pearl spots or karimeen etc.

The largest lake of kerala and longest in India. Vembanadu lake, this vast stretching inland water body is the longest lake in India and the largest among the backwaters of Kerala. At certain points this lake is have a width of about 14Kms. One side of the lake meets with the salty Arabian sea waters and other side the lake is fed with fresh water from the rivers originating from Western Ghats. Thus the lake water is brackish - a combination of salty sea water and less salty fresh water from rivers. The ecology of the lake system is thus a special one, the brackish water fishes and other organisms.

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Cruising in a tourist boat of KTDC through the beautiful backwaters of Kumarakom, more precisely the Vembanadu lake. You can see the coconut grove aside the lagoon, eventhough not clear in this photo so many small individual cottages of a lake resort is present inside the coconut tree groves with an artificial  landscape of many small lawns and pools.

Their are around 5 backwater lakes in Kerala which lengths more than half the length of Kerala state if stretched virtually. Parallel to the Arabian sea and the Malabar cost the backwaters stretches through the inner lands of Kerala. The backwaters are mainly fed by the rivers of Kerala, about 38 of them. 

Rivers flowing into Vembanadu lake are Meenachil, Periyar, Manimala, Pamba, Achenkovil and Moovattupuzha. Vembanadu kayal covers about 1512 Km square of wetland. Vembanadu lake spreads over the districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kottayam. The lake is in the sea level and the Queen of Arabian sea - Cochin is in the part of Vembanadu lake which opens into the Arabian sea. 

The famous Thannermukkom bund which is built to prevent the sea water from entering the lake during heavy tides is in the region of Vembanadu lake which opens into sea in the district of Aleppy. Thannermukkom saltwater barrier prevents the salt sea water from entering into the low cultivation lands of kuttanad which lies below sea level and helps in preventing destruction of paddy fields. Thannermukkom bund is the largest mud regulator of its kind in whole of India. 

As an aftereffect of preventing the saltwater from entering the Vembanadu lake catalysed the growth of water hyacinth in the lake waters and this water weed is a main threat in the lake now. Saltwater reduces the growth of this water weed.

Vembanadu lake surrounds islands of Pathiramanal, Perumbalam and Pallippuram. To reach places like Pathiramanal only way is the backwater cruises. You can watch many migratory birds in this Island and most of the  houseboat tour packages includes this tourist spot in their journey. The 8 hour boat cruise from Kollam district to Aleppy is the longest backwater tour trip available and it is an enchanting one through the small villages and coconut groved surroundings of  backwaters. Many of the houseboats have night packages which cruises through the lagoons in night and brings you back at the starting point of journey by next day.

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1 comments:

  1. I love these houseboats. It is a wonderful way of traveling and exploring out of the way spots. Great photos you've posted.

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