Two Days in Kollam Built Around Ashtamudi Lake

You want the Kerala backwaters without the Alappuzha houseboat traffic. Two days in Kollam around Ashtamudi Lake gives you that: a morning canoe trip through the narrow canals of Munroe Island, an afternoon on the wider lake, a sunset from the shore, and a night in a lakeside homestay that costs a fraction of a resort.

Ashtamudi is the second largest lake in Kerala and it has eight arms, which is what the name refers to. The arms are the point. They are narrow, green, lined with houses, and far more interesting than open water.

Day one: arrive and go small

Get to Kollam in the morning if you can. It is on the main railway line and easy to reach from Trivandrum or from the north.

Spend the first afternoon on the water in something small. The canoe and small boat trips out of the villages around the lake take you through canals that a houseboat physically cannot enter, past coir making, fishing, prawn farms and Chinese nets, with the boat poled rather than run on an engine.

This is the best thing Kollam does and it is not expensive. Rates depend on the operator and the length of the trip, so ask two or three before you commit.

Book through your accommodation if you are staying locally. The homestays around the lake almost all have a boatman they work with, and it is usually cheaper and better than arranging it at a jetty.

Day one evening: sunset and food

Ashtamudi faces the right way for sunsets and the shore has several spots that fill up in the evening. The area around Kollam beach and the lighthouse is the town side option. The quieter version is simply the bank near wherever you are staying, with a chair.

Kollam eats well and cheaply, with strong Kerala seafood and the usual excellent tea shop economy. The town closes early, so plan dinner earlier than you would in Kochi. If you are travelling on your own, Kochi for solo travellers on safety, cost and meeting people covers the city end of that.

Day two: Munroe Island

Munroe Island is the cluster of islets where the Kallada river meets the lake, and it is the reason people who know the backwaters prefer Kollam.

The standard trip is a canoe through the canals, usually early morning or late afternoon, lasting a few hours. What makes it different from a houseboat trip is scale: the water is narrow enough that you are inside the village rather than looking at it from a distance. You pass under low bridges, through channels barely wider than the boat, and past people doing ordinary things.

Getting there: Munroe Island has its own railway halt on the Kollam to Kottayam line, which is a pleasant way to arrive. Buses and autos also run from Kollam town.

Go in the morning for light and birds, or late afternoon for the low sun. Midday is hot and the water is less interesting.

One honest caution: water levels change through the year and some canals become difficult in the driest months. Ask what the current conditions are before you fix the day.

The state ferry, if you have longer

There is a long public ferry service between Kollam and Alappuzha which runs through the backwaters and takes most of a day. It is far cheaper than a houseboat and it is a genuine local service rather than a tour.

It does not fit neatly into a two day plan unless you are moving on to Alappuzha anyway, in which case it replaces your second day entirely and is worth considering. At the far end, Alappuzha without a houseboat sets out the cheaper ways onto the water there. Check that it is running and check the timings, because services change.

Staying lakeside without a resort budget

There are resorts on Ashtamudi and they are priced accordingly. There is also a large, less visible layer of homestays and small guesthouses along the lake and around Munroe Island, run by families, often with a couple of rooms and a boat.

What to ask before booking:

• Is the room actually on the water or a walk from it
• Do they provide meals, and is fish available
• Do they arrange the canoe trip, and at what rate
• Is there a fan or air conditioning
• How far is the nearest bus stop or railway halt

Mosquitoes are real near the water in the evening. Take repellent and check for a net.

Check the calendar before you fix the dates

Kollam's calendar changes what a weekend here feels like. The Ashtamudi and Kollam boat races bring crowds and close roads. Temple festivals in the district run through their seasons. Any of these will fill the accommodation and change the mood of the town completely, in a good way if you planned for it. Planning a Kerala trip around festival dates instead of weather is the wider version of the same habit.

Those local dates are hard to find in advance because they are announced locally rather than published anywhere central. Checking what is on in a Kerala town before booking is the whole idea behind EventifyPlus.