Alleppey Shikara Club · Thathampally, Alappuzha
Shikara Boat Ride in Alleppey
Private Backwater Cruise
Glide through Punnamada Lake and Vembanad's narrow canals on a fully private shikara. Sunrise and sunset routes, 3-hour and 5-hour options — from ₹3,000 for up to 5 guests.
Book Your Alleppey Shikara Cruise
All bookings are private — the whole boat is yours. Confirm with just 25% advance. We'll send a WhatsApp confirmation within minutes.
Base price covers the boat, skipper, and fuel. Extra pax: ₹250/hr. GST 5% extra.
Why Choose a Shikara Instead of a Houseboat?
Alleppey's houseboat business is famous — but there's a whole other side to the backwaters that a houseboat can't reach. The most alive parts of Alappuzha happen in canals too narrow for any houseboat to enter.
Shikara Boat
- Fits through narrow village canals and inlets
- Gets close to the paddy fields, duck farms, and coir workers
- You can hear birdsong — no generator noise
- Half a day is enough; no overnight commitment
- From ₹600 per person on a 3-hour cruise
- Ideal for families, couples, solo travellers, photographers
- Sit at water level — feel the backwaters, not just see them
Houseboat
- Restricted to main lake routes — no narrow canals
- Great for overnight stay with full meals and A/C
- Higher decks give a view, but distance from the water
- Minimum booking is usually 22 hours overnight
- Costs ₹8,000–₹25,000+ depending on tier
- Best for those who want a full Kerala experience over two days
- Generator noise on board when A/C is running
Reclining chairs
Comfortable padded seats on all our boats
Bamboo & coir roof
Traditional materials, keeps the sun off
Fully private
No strangers sharing your boat, ever
Experienced skipper
Local guides who know every canal and bird
Safety equipment
Life jackets, first aid on every boat
Open all four sides
Backwater breeze flows through freely
Alleppey Shikara Boat Ride – Watch Before You Book
Get a feel for the backwaters, the canals, and what a private shikara cruise actually looks like before you arrive.
Shikara Cruise Packages — Prices, Routes & Timings
Every package below is a fully private boat for your group. Prices are for the whole boat, not per person.
3-Hour Private Shikara Cruises
Morning Canal Cruise
The backwaters at dawn are a different world. Village life waking up, fishermen heading out, mist over the paddy fields. This is the best light of the day for photos.
Sunset Cruise on Vembanad
Vembanad Lake at sunset draws herons, cormorants and kingfishers diving for fish. You'll reach the open water just as the sky turns orange. One of the best sunsets in Kerala.
Romantic Punnamada–Vembanad Cruise
A quieter boarding point, a more private route. Popular with honeymooners and couples who want the backwaters without any crowd at the jetty.
5-Hour Long-Route Shikara Tours
Alleppey to Pathiramanal Island
Pathiramanal means "midnight sand" in Malayalam. This small island sits in the middle of Vembanad Lake and is a nesting ground for over 50 species of migratory birds. Lunch included at a backwater restaurant on route.
Alleppey to Kumarakom
The longest open-water stretch available from Alleppey. You cross Vembanad Lake and reach Kumarakom-side backwaters — a route that shows you just how vast this ecosystem is.
Kuttanadu Deep Backwaters
Kuttanadu is Kerala's rice bowl — paddy cultivated below sea level. This route takes you through narrow village canals, past duck farms, coconut groves and coir weaving cottages.
Specialty Shikara Options
Premium Air-Conditioned Shikara
The same backwater routes in a fully air-conditioned cabin. Larger seating area, better for families with elderly guests or anyone who finds the Kerala heat difficult.
Open Bamboo Cane Shikara
No roof — full sky above you. Ideal for lake routes where you want the open water feel and the best possible view for photography. Popular for sunrise and sunset alike.
Which Shikara Package Is Right for You?
3-Hour vs 5-Hour: How to Choose
| 3-Hour Cruise | 5-Hour Cruise | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | First-timers, couples, families | Photographers, slow travellers, bird lovers |
| What you see | Punnamada Lake, canals, race course, village life | All of the above + island, open Vembanad, deeper Kuttanadu |
| Timing slots | 6 AM, 9 AM, 12 PM, 3:30 PM | 10:00 AM only |
| Food included | No (can arrange tea stop) | Yes — backwater restaurant lunch |
| Price | ₹3,000 – ₹3,500 | ₹6,000 – ₹6,500 |
| Our recommendation | Start here if you're unsure | If you want a full day on the water |
Best Time of Day for a Shikara Ride
Early Morning (6–9 AM)
Best light for photos, coolest temperature, birds most active. Village life just starting.
Daytime (9 AM–3 PM)
Good for longer routes — enough time to reach Pathiramanal or Kumarakom and return.
Sunset (3:30–6:30 PM)
Spectacular sky over Vembanad. Most popular slot — book at least 48 hours ahead.
What to Expect on Your Cruise
Typical Morning Cruise Route
Thathampally / Punnamada Jetty
Meet your skipper. He'll be there 10 minutes before departure. We share his live location via WhatsApp.
Punnamada Canal
Narrow coconut-lined channel. Water hyacinth on the edges. Egrets perched on every post.
Nehru Trophy Race Course
Start and finish line of Kerala's most famous snake boat race. Your skipper will explain the race.
Village Canals
Coir weavers working, children heading to school by boat, women washing clothes on the steps. This is the part no houseboat reaches.
Vembanad Lake
Open water. Migratory birds. Sometimes a cormorant will follow your boat hoping for fish scraps.
Return to Jetty
Drop-off at the same point. Total time: 3 hours.
Finding Your Boat
Alleppey's jetties can be busy. Here's how to find us without any confusion:
- 📍 We send the exact Google Maps pin after booking confirmation
- 📱 The skipper shares his live WhatsApp location 20 minutes before departure
- ☎️ He calls you once he reaches the jetty
- 🚫 Please ignore anyone at the jetty offering to "help" find your boat
⚠️ Avoid Touts and Fake Operators
At Alleppey's main jetties — especially Rajiv Jetty — you'll encounter auto rickshaw drivers and individuals claiming your original booking is "cancelled" or offering a better deal. This is a common scam. Book directly with us, save our contact number, and use the Google Pin we send you. Never pay anyone at the jetty without confirming with us first.
The Backwaters of Kerala: What They Actually Are
Kerala's backwaters stretch over 900 kilometres — a network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. Vembanad Lake is the largest, fed by six rivers including the Pamba, Periyar and Manimala. Kuttanadu, the region south of Alappuzha, sits below sea level — paddy is grown here the same way it has been for centuries. The shikara takes you into the middle of it.
What Our Guests Say
"We did the sunrise cruise and it was the highlight of our Kerala trip. The canal section is magical — so quiet, just the sound of the water and birds."
"Went for the Pathiramanal 5-hour tour. The skipper was excellent — told us about every bird we spotted. Lunch was a proper Kuttanadu meal."
"We were a group of 5. The WhatsApp booking was effortless. Our skipper arrived exactly on time and knew every corner of the backwaters."
"The sunset over Vembanad Lake from the shikara is the best thing I saw in Kerala. No phone camera does it justice but we all tried anyway."
Watch a Shikara Cruise in Alleppey
Get a feel for the canals, the light and the pace of the backwaters before your trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 3-hour private shikara starts at ₹3,000 for up to 5 guests — that works out to ₹600 per person in a full group. 5-hour tours with lunch range from ₹6,000 to ₹6,500. The premium A/C shikara is ₹6,000 for 4 hours. All prices are for the whole boat. Extra guests beyond the package limit are charged ₹250 per hour.
Our standard shikara comfortably seats 5 guests. The premium A/C shikara takes up to 6. For the Pathiramanal route, the capacity is 4 due to the longer distance. If you have more than 5 people, reach out — we can sometimes arrange two boats.
Fully private. When you book a shikara with us, the entire boat is reserved for your group. Nobody else joins your cruise.
3-hour slots: 6:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 3:30 PM. 5-hour tours depart at 10:00 AM. The sunrise slot (6 AM) is the most popular — book at least 48 hours ahead during peak season (October to March).
3 hours covers the highlights — Punnamada Lake, the Nehru Trophy race course, canal villages. You'll see enough to understand what makes Alleppey special. 5 hours lets you go deeper: Pathiramanal Island, Kuttanadu paddy country, or the open Vembanad stretch towards Kumarakom. If it's your first time and you're unsure, choose 3 hours.
On 3-hour cruises, food is not served on board — but the skipper can stop at a backwater tea shop along the canal. 5-hour tours include a proper Kerala meal at a backwater restaurant, typically Kuttanadan-style fish curry, rice, and coconut-based dishes.
Sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and a light shawl if you run cold in the mornings. Water is advisable for longer tours. For the sunrise slot, bring a jacket — the backwaters are cool at 6 AM even in winter. Cameras welcome; the light on the canals in early morning is exceptional.
All our boats carry life jackets and first aid. Our skippers are licensed and experienced. During the monsoon (June–August), short cruises still run — the canals are dramatic in the rain — but 5-hour open-lake routes may be rescheduled on days with heavy weather. We'll inform you in advance.
Free cancellation if you cancel more than 48 hours before the cruise. For cancellations within 48 hours, the 25% advance is non-refundable. Rescheduling is always available subject to slot availability.
More Backwater Experiences
Sunrise Shikara + Canoe Combo
Start the morning on a shikara, then transfer to a canoe for the narrowest canals. The canoe reaches places even our shikara can't. 5 hours total.
🟢 EnquireShikara + Kerala Breakfast
Morning cruise with a stop at a backwater toddy shop for puttu, kadala curry and fresh fish. Best way to start a day in Alleppey.
🟢 EnquireHouseboat Day Cruises
Want a houseboat experience without the overnight stay? Our partner Alleppey Kayaking Club offers 3-hour and 5-hour private houseboat day cruises from the same jetty.
🟢 View Packages