Alleppey kayaking tour (views!) Kayaking Kerala backwaters 🌴 South India travel blog

Hi there!

Touring the Alleppey backwaters by kayak can be a good way to see the backwaters village life if you want to get in on the action and not just sit and have someone row for you like in an Alleppey canoe tour.

Kayaking in Kerala could be the perfect activity for you, and it can be one of the best things to do in Alleppey!

The backwaters by kayak is typically a half day tour, compared to the canoe tour that can be up to a full day.

Although it is possible to find full day tours on a kayak too.

As a half day tour, you can find kayaking tours at different times of the day, including early morning, lunch, and sunset.

Other budget-friendly trips on the Kerala backwaters include taking the Alleppey ferry to places like Kuttanad and Kottayam.

You can also go for longer public ferry trips to Kollam, or in part by ferry to Varkala or to Munnar!

How much does kayaking in Alleppey cost?

I did the half day kayaking tour through Oscar Cruise and the price was 1,500 rupees (US$20).

This seems to be the going rate for this kind of tour.

At the time I did the tour (early 2018), it sounded like Oscar Cruise was pretty new with offering kayaking tours.

The Oscar Cruise backwaters tours are best-rated for their canoe tour on tripadvisor, which is why I chose them for kayaking.

Sunset tour, lunch tour, or early morning tour?

I did the sunset tour that was from 2pm to 6pm.

But it looks like they also have a lunch tour from 10:30am to 2:30pm.

And I think you should highly consider doing that one too!

Unless of course you do want to catch a sunset on the Kerala backwaters from a kayak.

But you might like the lunch tour because you can get Kerala homestay FOOD!

My sunset tour only came with coconut and chai.

And while coconut is great…

A full meal on a banana leaf I would definitely say is better. Plus, you can probably ask for a stop to buy a coconut on your lunch tour too.

There are plenty of places to buy coconuts on the backwaters.

The food that came with this canoe tour that I did was definitely one of the highlights of time on the Kerala backwaters.

Now…

What’s it like kayaking the Alleppey backwaters?!

Kayak tours in Alleppey may vary, and this is what was included in my backwaters half day tour!

I was able to sign up alone and since I guess there weren’t others signed up on that day, it basically was a private backwaters tour as I wasn’t added to a group.

Pick-up from my Alleppey Beach guesthouse with a ride to kayak starting point

The tour took care of pick-up and drop-off.

To get to the starting point of the kayaking, I first started off in a rickshaw from my Alleppey Beach guesthouse.

Here’s more on where to stay in Alleppey.

That ride soon abruptly ended and then I was taken by bike the rest of the way.

Meet up with kayak guide, and then off to go kayaking!

To get to the backwater canals, you’ll first go through wider backwater channels

And you’ll be kayaking in a little kayak right alongside a big houseboat

More kayaking the Kerala backwaters!

Be sure to wave hello to everyone that passes by

It’s a thing.

Everyone waves at each other on the Alleppey backwaters!

Soon you’ll cross over a main waterway

Be sure to look both ways before crossing. 😉

A stop for coconut water

You can drink your coconut sitting in your kayak…

Or while walking right along the backwaters!

And once you finish drinking the coconut water, be sure to EAT the coconut too!

More kayaking the Kerala backwaters!

The “sunset” part of the sunset tour

HAPPY KAYAKING IN ALLEPPEY!

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