RIVER QUEEN

Traditionally, the houseboats been called Kettuvallam which means a boat made by tying together piecesof wood.

Unbelievable as it may sound, not a single nail is used in the making of a Kettuvallam. Jack wood planks are joined together with coir rope and then coated with black resin made from boiled cashew nut shells.

Cruising along the backwaters of Kerala is an unforgettable experience. If you have not experienced it, here is a golden opportunity to do it at a fraction of its original cost.

You could get in any House Boat of your liking, saunter down the cool placid waters of our world-famous backwaters, have a merry time and get back home either the same day or after spending a night as well out floating around.

House Boats are huge, slow moving, exotic barges designed for sheer leisure trips. Formerly, House Boat were used to ship rice.

Spices and other goods between Kuttanad and the Cochin port. It was a three-day affair those days.A standard House Boat, which could be about 100 feet long, can hold up to 30 tons, and that is as much as three big lorries can.