Kochi backwaters

With coconut trees lining the pellucid lake waters for kilometers at a stretch …the backwaters of Cochin proffer one of the most enchanting sights to tourists. Apart from the numerous ancient monuments, like the Jewish Synagogue, Fort Kochi and the Mattancherry Palace, built during the pre-British times, the backwaters in Kochi city of Kerala is just another reason why hundreds of tourists flock to this beautiful port city the whole year round.

Though the entire state of Kerala is renowned for its backwaters, Cochin backwaters are amongst the most frequented ones. Infact, numerous backwater cruises either begin or end in the city. While you put up at any of the hotels, make sure to take sometime out for a Kochi backwaters tour. With water birds, wild flowers and lush greenery along their banks, the backwaters in Kochi present the most breathtaking view.

If you plan out your Kochi tour a little more systematically, you can also catch the Indira Gandhi Boat Race. It is conducted in the rolling backwaters of Cochin, during the last week of December. This boat race substitutes as the finale to the tourism fair held just before it. This boat race was instituted in the loving memory of former Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi. Many teams of boat rowers, seated on the long snake boats with curving prows, take part in this race.

They try their mighty best to wade past each other hurriedly in order to win the coveted trophy. Meanwhile, hundreds of locals and tourists throng the edge of the waterways where the race is held. The whole of Kochi or Cochin wears a carnival look during the boat races. Another attraction for tourists is Kettuvallam or the houseboats plying in the Cochin backwaters. Connected by artificial canals, these backwaters serve as an economical means of transit.