Houseboat In The Kerala Backwaters Editorial Image

The majority of houseboats are motorised, former rice barges known as kettuvallam that have been converted into floating lodgings featuring a kitchen, en-suite bedrooms, sun deck and lounge area to comfortably accommodate from two to eight passengers. Kerala, the thin slither of southwest India, has long been an industrious spice trading state, thanks, in no small part, to its wealth of waterways. But in recent years tourism has proved a much more profitable pursuit.