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SOUTH INDIA

Backwaters

Many people love the Keralan Backwaters precisely because there is so little to do; after the rigours of Indian travel, this is a moment to lie back, sip a drink, read a book, watch the birds or simply doze as the lush, sleepy jungle slides by. The Backwaters are a labyrinth of canals and lakes, stretching for 75 kilometres between Cochin and Quilon on the Malabar Coast. Children wave from the banks, fishermen stand up to their necks in water, digging for fish with their toes, women thump clothes clean by the water's edge and traditional barges pass, heavily laden with coconuts and rice. Some of the waterways are tiny, barely wide enough for a canoe, whilst others are major trading and transport routes.

> Itineraries visiting Backwaters