How about a short boat ride along the Vembanad for just Rs 20? Sounds interesting. The Water Transport Authority has launched a boat service connecting Kumarakom and Muhamma.
People are taking the trip just for the sake of a ride along the lake. After all, 20 bucks is no big deal for an up and down one-and-a-half-hour's sail. A one side ride between Kumarakom and Muhamma would cost Rs 10.
It's an indescribably beautiful sight spread out there on the wide water expanse with water birds swooping down for their catch, tiny birds perching on water hyacinth, fishermen in small boats out for the day's catch and the greenery on the banks of the lake leaving you feeling serene and pleasant.
Private boats charge you up to Rs 750 for a trip for the same duration while all you need to shell out for a Government-sponsored ride is a mere Rs 20. With the tourism season on, native sight-seeing groups and foreign tourists are all taking these short trips on the backwaters. Not to be left behind, private boats too are in the fray, but with much higher rates.
During the peak season, local tourists may find it difficult to get boats to take them all over the lake. So folks have found an ideal shortcut in the Kumarakom-Muhamma lake route. The first two trips in the morning and the ones in the evening are packed. The mid-day trips are comparatively less crowded, with a maximum of 10 to 12 passengers in the 50-seat boat.
Boat service from Muhamma station (Alappuzha)
Muhamma-Kumarakom 5.45
Muhamma-Kumarakom 6.30
Muhamma-Kumarakom 7.15
Muhamma-Kumarakom 8.15
Muhamma-Kumarakom 9.00
Muhamma-Kumarakom 10.00
Muhamma-Kumarakom 11.00
Muhamma-Kumarakom 11.45
Muhamma-Kumarakom 13.00
Muhamma-Kumarakom 13.45
Muhamma-Kumarakom 14.45
Muhamma-Kumarakom 15.30
Muhamma-Kumarakom 16.30
Muhamma-Kumarakom 17.15
Muhamma-Kumarakom 17.15
Muhamma-Kumarakom 18.15
