Houseboats or kettuvallam are country boats that were used in the early days for the transport of goods from the isolated interior villages of Backwater area to the towns like Alleppey, Kollam, Cochin and Kottayam. With the advent of roads, bridges and ferry services, gradually the kettuvalloms went off the scene. Now these kettuvalloms are back again as a major tourist attraction as a modern moving boat house that is houseboats . houseboats size vary from, about to 95 feet feet in length and a width of around 13 feet to in the middle for one bedroom houseboat and , big houseboats with up 107 feet long and up to 19 feet wide. The materials that go into the making are all local and Eco friendly bamboo poles, coconut fiber ropes, bamboo mats, coir carpets etc. The main wood used is "Anjili".house boats have fully furnished single double triple and five bedrooms with sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet with WC. In addition there is also separate rest room.houseboats in have a three member crew - a chef, driver & cabin assistants. The cuisine is traditional flavor with the local specialties; delicious local fish. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people.and 3 bedroom houseboat for 6 , and 5 bedroom houseboat for 10 People.
The spectacular beauty of 's backwaters needs no introduction. A Houseboats cruise along the palm-fringed waterways of in luxury houseboats is the most enchanting holiday experience in India today. In this world of simple pleasures, you will skim past ancient Chinese fishing nets, water lilies, lush paddy fields, coir villages, rustic homes, temples and coconut groves. A guided tour down the backwaters would provide you with a complete and most enchanting experience on the back waters of and will also reveal to you some interesting facts about the life of local village people. This month's lens view takes you to the backwater stretch of the Vembanad, where one can go for a leisurely cruise on a multi deck boat, allowing you enjoy the scenic backwater life.

They are 70 feet long, made with wooden planks, joined and stitched together with coir ropes and painted on the outside with cashew nut shell oil or fish oil. A distinctive feature of the Kettuvallam is the design suggesting the possible Chinese influence. These Kettuvallams were used for transporting huge quantities of heavy materials from one place to other. In certain areas Kettuvallams are still used for transferring Coconut Husk, Sand and other goods. In earlier days since all places were not well connected by roads, Kettuvallams were the main source of transportation through the Kerala backwaters. It took long journeys ranging from 5 to 6 days, sometimes weeks even to transport things. Boatmen rarely stopped along the waterways for meals. Their diet consisted of freshly caught backwater fish, like Karimeen (pearlspot) and Kalangi. Non perishable staples such as lentils, local large grain "red" rice and inexpensive spices like coriander, ginger, dried chillies, turmeric and black mustard seeds were packed by them before embarking on a journey. Boatmen used to stay in the Kettuvallam which had all the basic facilities.

The interiors of the houseboats have been done up to provide the guests with utmost luxuries and present a rustic yet comfortable ambience. The walls and ceilings of the houseboats are made up of exquisitely carved wooden logs. Large, airy windows ensure you do not miss out on the natural beauty of this state during your cruise. The romantic settings are enhanced by use of fiber optic lights whose intensity can be adjusted to suit the guest's needs.Terracotta handicrafts, soft carpets and elegant paintings make one forget that these are the interiors of a boat.The open lounge or the upper deck is fitted with a high tech music system and equipment or activities like fishing etc is available on hand.
The Houseboats in Kerala, also called the Kettuvalloms are an improvisation on the traditional barges used to transport rice, coconut and other commodities of local trade. With time and the advent of motor boats, these barges fell into decline. With a sharp increase in tourist activity in the state these Kettuvalloms have been skillfully restructured and reconstructed to make luxury cruise boats. These are constructed by tying together jackwood planks with coir rope and then coating these logs with a black resin-like substance made by boiling cashew nuts. This resin gives the boat it buoyancy and makes it extremely safe to sail on. Nails are not used in the making of these barges but the traditional means of boat making still accomplishes quite a lot without the nails.

The Rich River Houseboats fleet caters for all your houseboating needs. There are different houseboats for different groups, both large and small. So relax, select the houseboat you wish to escape with, contact us and we can assist you from there. The Le Mirage features 5 bedrooms, 2x double beds and 6x single bunks. The bedrooms all have built-in-robes. The comfortable bathroom features a full size shower, vanity and separate toilet. The Le Mirage has a large front lounge making it an ideal boat for those groups with similar entertainment interests.The Sheraton is a 8 berth Q class boat. It features 2 double bedrooms, a room with a double bed bunk with a single bunk above it, The comfortable bathroom features a full size shower, vanity and separate toilet. It has a comfortable living area.It is slightly larger than the Meridian and operates an inverter system enabling reduced use of its generator