SUNDARIYAKUM KERALAM

Kerala's backwaters is the highlight of Kerala Tourism . The palm-fringed, tranquil backwaters were once just the state's trade highways. It's an intricate network of innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. Over 900 km of this labyrinthine waterworld is navigable. The largest backwater stretch in Kerala is the Vembanad lake which flows through three districts and opens out into the sea at the Kochi port.

KUTTANADU BACKWATERS

The most interesting area in the kerala backwaters is the Kuttanad region, called the rice bowl of Kerala. The Ashtamudi Lake has eight 'arms' covering a major portion of Kollam district in the south, and is the second largest lake in the state.

ASHTAMUDI BACKWATERS

Glide over the placid backwater stretch of Ashtamudi in Kollam Backwaters in Kerala - Ashtamudi is the second largest. Ashtamudi means, 'eight-armed', after the eight arms of the lake The Ashtamudi Lake is the gateway to the backwaters. There are coconut groves and palm trees all along the banks of the lake and the monotony is broken by the quiet town of Kollam.

The eight hour trip between Kollam and Alappuzha is the longest backwater cruise in Kerala

KUMARAKOM BACKWATERS

Kumarakom is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake, and this small water world is part of the Kuttanad region. The Vembanad Lake with its majestic canals, streams and distributaries along its banks weave an intricate and enchantingly beautiful web.Kumarakom located 16 km away from Kottayam town, is one of well known bird watching spot in Kerala.

In the monsoon months, the backwaters reverberate with the sound of the

traditional snake boat races, featuring the 130-feet-long chundan boats. Up to 16 of them, with over a hundred rowers each, compete for the honors during the races. The most important of these races is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race held on the second Saturday of August. The Aranmula Boat Festival of the Parthasarathy temple of Aranmula on the banks of the holy river Pamba is the more traditional race. The boat carnival starts on the day of Thiruonam, the most auspicious day of the Kerala festival, Onam.