Things to Do in Alleppey Beyond Houseboat — 10 Experiences You'll Love
Alleppey is much more than houseboats. From dawn shikara rides and speedboat crossings to local markets and boat race views — here are 10 experiences that make Alleppey special.
1. Dawn Shikara Ride on the Backwaters
The most peaceful thing you can do in Alleppey costs almost nothing and requires only an early alarm. A shikara ride at 5:30am, as mist rises off the water and fishing boats glide silently past, is as close to stillness as travel gets. Your host can arrange this from the lakefront — no agency, no middleman.
Punnamada Lake at dawn is otherworldly. The golden light, the bird calls, the absolute silence broken only by the splash of oars — this is what Alleppey's backwaters were made for.
2. Watch the Nehru Trophy Boat Race
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race — held every second Saturday of August — is one of the largest rowing events in Asia and easily the most dramatic thing you can witness in Alleppey. Snake boats with 100+ rowers surge down Punnamada Lake in a display of speed, synchrony, and raw energy that is genuinely thrilling.
The finishing point of the race is a famous landmark. Staying directly across the lake from this point — at a property like Zen Homestay — gives you a front-row view of the entire course without fighting the crowds on the shore.
3. Kayak Through Narrow Backwater Channels
Kayaking lets you explore parts of the backwater network that larger boats can't reach — narrow channels canopied by coconut palms, quiet villages accessible only by water, and a pace that lets you absorb everything. It's a physical experience that connects you to the landscape in a way that sitting on a houseboat doesn't.
Your homestay host can arrange kayaking directly on Punnamada Lake or coordinate a longer canal route depending on your fitness level and interest.
4. Try a Private Speedboat Ride
A speedboat ride across Punnamada Lake is a completely different energy — wind in your face, the lake stretching away in every direction, the green shore flying past. It's thrilling in a way that a slow houseboat isn't, and it gives you a bird's-eye perspective of the scale of the lake.
Some waterfront homestays include complimentary speedboat transfers as part of the stay — meaning your very first Alleppey memory is arriving by speedboat, not by taxi.
5. Eat Kerala Breakfast by the Water
A Kerala breakfast is not just a meal — it's a ritual. Hot Appam with coconut stew, steamed Puttu with banana, Idiyappam, and fresh tropical fruit, served with cardamom tea made from scratch. This is home cooking at its finest, and no restaurant in Alleppey serves it the way a family homestay does.
Eating breakfast on a lakefront veranda while watching the morning mist lift off Punnamada Lake is one of the most underrated experiences in all of Kerala.
6. Visit the Alleppey Beach
Alleppey Beach is a long, atmospheric stretch of coastline just minutes from the town centre — accessible from most homestays by auto-rickshaw. Sunset here is spectacular, with the Arabian Sea turning deep orange-gold and fishing boats bobbing on the horizon.
The pier at Alleppey Beach is one of the oldest in Kerala and worth walking out for the panoramic view. Come in the early evening and watch the fishing boats come in — it's a slice of working coastal Kerala life that tourists rarely pause to observe.
7. Explore the Vembanad Lake Ferry
Kerala's state-run ferries crossing Vembanad Lake are a practical, authentic way to see the backwaters at a fraction of houseboat prices. The public ferries between Alleppey and Kottayam pass through some of the most beautiful sections of the lake — and the journey costs just a few rupees.
Sit on the upper deck, bring a camera, and watch the landscape unfold: coconut groves, paddy fields at the water's edge, rice barges, and fishing nets strung like giant spiders' webs across the channels.
8. Visit a Toddy Shop for Lunch
A Kerala toddy shop (kallu shappu) is an institution — and the ones in Alleppey serve some of the freshest seafood you'll ever eat. Karimeen (pearl spot fish) pollichathu, prawn curry, and clam fry are staples, all cooked to order and served with red Kerala rice and coconut oil.
This is real local food culture, untouched by the tourist trail. Ask your host for their recommendation — they'll know which one to trust.
9. Cycle Through Kuttanad — the Venice of the East
Kuttanad, the paddy-farming heartland of Kerala, lies just south of Alleppey and is famous for being below sea level — the only place in India where farming happens below the sea. Cycling through its narrow bunds between flooded paddy fields, past small churches and toddy palms, is deeply peaceful.
Most homestay hosts can arrange cycle rentals and suggest the best routes. Early morning is ideal — the light is golden and the fields are at their most photogenic.
10. Sunset Watch from a Lake-Facing Balcony
The simplest and arguably most perfect thing you can do in Alleppey is sit on a lake-facing balcony and watch the sun go down over Punnamada Lake. The sky turns extraordinary colours — deep orange, violet, and rose — reflected in the glassy water below.
This is why staying directly on the lake matters. A hotel in town, however nice, can't give you this. The difference between a lakefront room and everything else in Alleppey is measured in these exact moments.
Zen Homestay · Punnamada Lake
Experience All of This from Punnamada Lake
Zen Homestay is your base for every Alleppey experience — directly on Punnamada Lake, with shikara, kayaking, and speedboat rides all available through your host Abhijith. Wake up to the lake, eat by the lake, and fall asleep to the sound of the water.