The houseboats of Kerala have become one of the most exciting tourism products in India. These huge barges were traditionally used to cargo goods are calledKettuvalloms and measure up to 80 feet in length. They are constructed with great skill and meticulousness by tying huge planks of jackwood together without the use of a single nail and coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels.

Today, appropriately called houseboats they have furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, living rooms, kitchenettes and even balconies for angling. Sections of the curved roof of wood or plaited palm leaves open out to provide shade and allow an uninterrupted view of the backwater country. The houseboats are either poled by local oarsmen or powered by engines. All of them have a crew comprising oarsmen, a cook and a guide.

Gliding along the calm and serene backwaters flanked by green palmgroves, watching rural Kerala is a unique experience to any visitor.