Famous India > Backawaters of India > Thiruvananthpuram

Thiruvananthpuram

Thiruvananthpuram is a princely state as it does not showcase any of the modern gadgets. Its a city which shies away from being a modern era state. Thiruvanathpuram is all about quiet lanes and bylanes, lovely lined avenues and crimson sunsets by the sea. Its a beautiful city with a defining temple of Lord Vishnu called the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The whole of the city is dedicated to the Lord and the King of Thiruvanathpuram acts as a mere servant of the lord. This practice has been maintained by the Lord for years and is still being maintained.

Some of the best places in Thiruvanathpuram to see are the Puttan Malika Palace, Travancore National Zoo and the city itself. Trivandrum also has the famous Thirumalai Palace which took half a million rupees for its renovation. Its also famous for Ayurveda and its practices. The main backwaters of Thiruvanathpuram are Thirubvallam and Veil.The Climate of Thiruvanathpuram is hot and humid in the summers but the winters are pleasant here.

Fast Facts :

Location : Thiruvananthpuram, Kerala
How to Reach : Thiruvananthpuram lies in the middle of Alleppy and Kottayam. Any of the buses covering this route will take you to Kuttanad.
Distance : One has to hire a cab to reach where Houseboats are. It takes only 45 minutes to reach the place.
Price for Houseboats : Rs 10,000 - 15000 /-
Best Time to Go : Indian Winters - August to April end

Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Its 250 years old temple made for Lord Vishnu. The temple has two festivals held in Oct - Nov - Pallivetta (royal hunt) and Arattu (Holy Bath) in which the Royal Family participates dutifully. The head of the Royal family serves as the servant of Lord Vishnu and is said to rule in the guidance of Lord Vishnu.

Trivandrum Zoo
Its the Zoo, inspired by which a book was written - Life of Pi, which won the Booker Prize 2002. Here you will find some of the rare animals like leopard, hyena, zebra, royal bengal tiger, orangutan. It also houses the African and Australian species like rhinos and zebras.

Thiruvananthpuram Backwaters !

The Place : Thiruvanathpuram

To be in Thiruvanathpuram is a different experience as you pass through some of the most antique palaces and houses. The backwater cruise of Thiruvanathpuram will take you through the lake shores of the city. As you cross the shores you will be able to see some of the most beautiful sceneries of a South Indian City. As the weather is very pleasant in the winter season, the tour becomes memorable.

As you sit in the living room of the Kettuvolmn/ Houseboat, you will see the backwater as a far ending place with no end to see. On the sides however you will see the shores of the river, children running after each other, women and men going for work. You might also get to see some of the ancient temples from a distance.
The entire cruise has breaks where you will be taken for sight-seeing. The sight-seeing will be of the Palaces and Temples of Travancure. As you enjoy the ride on the backwaters, enjoy the south Indian delicacies like dosa, uttapam, sambhar which is especially prepared in the Houseboat Kitchen. You too can try your hands on preparing the delicacies of your choice or take tips on how to cook South Indian Food from the Chef onboard !

The Houseboat

Houseboats or fondly known as Kettuvollmns are a luxury to travel in. With the two room setting to five room setting, these have all the facilities of a cozy home. The entrance of the houseboat will take you to sun-sit half covered place where you can sit either under the sun or shade. This is also the place where you can enjoy the scenery of the entire backwater in one view while sipping coffee. Then comes the dinner place where food will be served while on board. Then comes the cozy room with windows with attached bath. The bedrooms can be one or five depending upon your requirement. If you have a large family then you can also hire a double decker houseboat. The double decker houseboats have one or two rooms in the upper level. It too has a sun sitter place on the upper floor. However the Dining space and Kitchen will be one only.

You can also enjoy fishing in the houseboat. There is refrigerator but not television in some of them. Its better to hire the Air Conditioned Houseboats as there is a lot of humidity in the air of South India.

Suggestions

The fare includes living in houseboats for the stipulated time, with meals and sight-seeing. Anything extra than this will incur extra charges.
Sight-seeing of near by villages will be in Air Conditioned coaches. You can also book the Non Air-conditioned coaches if you are here in the winters, but then you will have to tell at the time of Booking.
The Kitchenette of the Houseboat prepares South Indian Delicacies which can be Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian as per your choice. If you wish to have Continental Food, then you have to inform at the time of booking, No alterations in this regard will be made in the middle of the Cruise.
Wear light clothes like Chiffon, Cottons and semi cottons because of the humidity South India has in its air.
Keep your own mosquito repellent ointment as there can be mosutioes around the water.
There is First Aid Kit in every Houseboat. So if you require First Aid Kit at any point of time, ask for it. There is no extra charge for it. Doctor can be called when you are near the shore but there are charges for the Doctor Visit which you will have to bear.
Avoid the monsoon season of July - Mid September. It rains heavily here in these months and houseboats do not row at this point of time. Rest of the year, its the season of Kerala Backwater Houseboats.
Its a good to keep a umbrella handy as the rains here are moody. The clouds come and pour whenever they like. In addition to this also keep a mosquito repellent ointment for the safer side.
Ask the Houseboat people what things they will show while on the cruise and which places they will take you while on tour. You can opt for one way or two way tour at the time of booking.
For further queries, contact us.

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