Located 70 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam is one of the oldest ports on the Malabar coast and the cashew capital of India. It is also the southern gateway to Kerala's backwaters.
The eight-hour boat trip to Alappuzha is the longest and most enchanting backwater journey in Kerala. The public ferry leaves each morning and winds through narrow canals, past coconut groves, rice paddies and small villages where daily life unfolds right at the water's edge. It is one of those trips you remember for years.
The town itself is a pleasant, unhurried place with a few colonial-era buildings around the old harbour. Ashtamudi Lake is a beautiful expanse of water where you can arrange shorter houseboat trips or explore the island channels of Munroe Island. The headland at Thangassery, 3 km south, has a Portuguese fort, a lighthouse, and one of Kerala's oldest churches.