Houseboat Experience in Goa
The houseboat is a modified kettuvallam, the large boat of yester years. In Malayalam, ‘kettu’ means to tie and ‘vallom’ means boat. These boats were held together with rope and hence the name. Kettuvallams were used for the transportation of goods like rice and spices in Kerarala State. With the emergence and development of modern road and rail transportation, these graceful behemoths were shelved. Their reemergence occurred with the growth of tourism. It is now a tourist attraction and a popular mode to explore the magnificence of the backwaters in India.
Traditionally, a houseboat was about 60 to 70 feet long and about 13 to 15 feet wide at the beam. Some of the new luxurious houseboats have a length of more than 80 ft. Eco-friendly and easily available materials such as jackfruit tree wood, palm wood, coconut fibre, bamboo poles, ropes, bamboo mats etc are used for constructing these boats. The boat is made by tying together (rather than nailing) planks of wood, generally anjili (wood of the jackfruit tree) with coconut fibre. As a protective coat, black resin extracted from cashew nut shells is applied on the planks. The motors mainly run on kerosene or petrol. Bamboo poles and palm leaves are used for constructing the roof.
Brief Description of House Boat of Goa.
Our Houseboat consists of 3 cabins.. The price is inclusive of pick and drop from particular locations, dinner, breakfast, lunch, in house drinks ,mineral water and soft drinks.
Our Itinerary is as follows.
Day 1
We depart Siolim jetty @ 1700 hrs sailing past the 16th century Chapora fort and fishermen in their little row-boats, onwards towards the ocean, to swim on the deserted Morjim beach. After a glorious champagne sunset, we sail into the backwaters, alongside little ancient villages dotted with their Temples, Churches and Coconut farms before we moor for the night where you can try your luck at crab fishing whilst you sip your drink. Your crew will serve you a hot tasty Goan - Indian dinner before we call it a night. You're free to use the upper deck and share some unforgettable moments under the starry skies.
Day2
Wake up to a refreshing cup of Tea / Coffee with the chirping of birds, try your luck at fishing whilst having a filling breakfast, and if lucky with some freshly caught & smoked clams or mussels. Around 0830hrs we sail along the silent river with lunch, and drop off at the jetty at 1300hrs where your car will be waiting to drop you back to your hotel.
