Alleppey
Get down from the train and stretch your
body before you soak in the all encompassing sky dotted with clouds. Once
you walk out of the platform, you may also see the coconut trees swaying in
the wind. You are pretty close to finding out for yourself why the city is
known as the Venice of the East (notice the difference though, Alleppey
backwaters are not man made). Alleppey is located with the Arabian Sea on
its west and is dotted with criss crossing network of lakes and lagoons. The
city was earlier renowned for its coir making industry whereas now it is
known for the wonderful backwater experience that it provides to the
tourists.
Fast Facts
- District : Alappuzha
- Other names : Alappuzha
- Location : The major distances from Alappuzha to
Calicut 187 km, to Connanore
369 km, Cochin 65 km and
Trivandrum 159 km away.
- Journey Time : It takes from Alappuzha about 5 hrs to
reach Calicut, 9 hrs to reach Connanore, 1 and 1/2 hrs to reach
Cochin and 4 hrs to reach Trivandrum, respectively.
- Route from Trivandrum : While going from
Trivandrum to Alappuzha, you'll have
to travel on NH 47 via Kollam, Karunagapally, Kayamkulam, Haripad
and Ambalapulai.
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Feature Attraction
A wetland of international repute,
Vembanad Lake is the cynosure of all eyes here. The lush vegetation that
surrounds the lake is wonderful sight to see. Besides, the exotic fresh
water lake also offers scenic
houseboat
cruises, an essential part of the state tourism, and other water sports
which are a major draw for visitors to Alleppey.
- Punnamada Resort – 4 Star
- Coir Village Lake Resort – 4 Star
- Rainbow Cruises – 4 Star
- The Marari Beach Resort – 3 Star
- Kayaloram Lake Resort – 3 Star
When to go
The ideal time for visitors to make a trip to Alappuzha is between August
and March.
How to get there
Kochi is the nearest airport which is 64 km away from Alleppey whereas the
Trivandrum Airport is 164 km away. Alleppey is well connected by the
railways with the major cities of the region such as Cochin, Kottayam,
Changanassery and Chengnnur. The National Highway 47 passes through Alleppey
and there are other good road connections as well which connect Alleppey
with the major towns of South India.
Other Attractions
» Ambalapuzha
The place has a Sri Krishna Temple which is famous for the Palpayasam –
a sweet milk offering to the deity.
» Pathiramanal
It is a small beautiful island located in the Vembanad lake. You can reach
here only through a boat ride from Kumarakom and Muhamma.
» Punnapra
It is a historical village which shot into prominence when a fight took
place between the Communists and the Travancore State Police here in 1946.
» Karumadi
Located close to Ambalpuzha, Karumadi is a village which is known for its
black granite figure belonging to 9th or 10th century. This figure of Buddha
is called Karumadi Kuttan by the locals.
