Private Full-Day Kerala Backwaters Houseboat Tour With Lunch & Pickup From Kochi

Good way to spend the day

Exactly as advertised- I was picked up from hotel and driven to a houseboat. The food was delicious and it was a very relaxing way to spend a few hours on the lake.

Response from the operator: Dear T R, 🌸 Thank you so much for your lovely review and for choosing Iris Holidays for your Kerala Backwaters Houseboat Tour! 🚤✨ We’re delighted to hear that everything was just as promised—from the smooth hotel pickup 🚗 to the relaxing cruise on the lake 🌊, and of course, the delicious food along the way 🍲😋. It makes us so happy to know you enjoyed spending your day in such a peaceful and memorable way. Your feedback inspires us to keep delivering authentic Kerala experiences for all our guests. 🌿💚 Whenever you’re ready for another getaway, we’d love to welcome you back! For future bookings, feel free to reach us at team@irisholidays.com or call +91 999 500 4276. Warm regards, Iris Holidays

via Tripadvisor

Wonderful relaxing experience

We had a wonderful experience on the Kerala backwater houseboat tour. Great driver who picked us up from the hotel and drove us to the houseboat. The houseboat was lovely the the driver and cook on board prepared a lovely lunch for us. Such a lovely relaxing experience. Thank you.

Response from the operator: Dear mumtazp2022, Thank you so much for your lovely review and for sharing your experience! 🌟 We’re thrilled to hear that you had such a relaxing and enjoyable time on the Private Full-Day Kerala Backwaters Houseboat Tour. It’s great to know that the hotel pickup was smooth and that you enjoyed the houseboat experience — especially the delicious lunch prepared on board! 🚤🍛 Your kind words truly mean a lot to us and inspire our team to keep delivering memorable moments for our guests. 🙏 If you’re ever planning to explore more of Kerala or need any assistance, please feel free to contact us at 📞 +91 9742142994 or 📧 team@irisholidays.com. We would love to welcome you back again! Warm regards, Team Iris Holidays 🌴

via Tripadvisor

Kerala Backwater houseboat ride

Excellent experience. Very relaxing backwater boat trip. Lovely food on the boat prepared fresh by the cook. Very enjoyable experience

via Viator

Tranquil journey, lovely Backwater Brooks team and delicious food

We started the day with a taxi pickup from Monesh, who was incredibly friendly and made a great effort to speak to us about the area and point out any areas of interest. When we arrived at the boat, we were received warmly by the Backwater Brooks team. We then sat on the apartment like room and watched the water go by. The lunch was served around 13:00, which was a delightful array of dishes, including fried fish from the river; during this time we stopped next to the Chinese fishing nets on the river side. We then were served tea at near 16:00, arriving back to dock at 16:30; realising at this point that we did a massive circle around the backwaters. After this we were driven back to our hotel. It was incredibly relaxing and we even had a nap along the way. Something to note is that we thought the boat trip was 7hrs long, but it appears that includes the maximum amount of time taken for the taxi to & from the hotel - for us this was 2hrs each way!

Response from the operator: Dear GoPlaces54945636855, Thank you so much for the lovely review and the glowing rating! 🌟 As your first-ever contribution, we're truly honored that you chose to share your amazing day with us 🥰 We’re so glad you had a tranquil and tasty time with us on the backwaters! 🚤💧 Huge shoutout to Monesh for being the superstar guide he is—so happy to hear his local tips and warm conversation added a spark to your journey 🌿📍 It sounds like your experience was the perfect blend of chill vibes, scenic beauty, and delicious food—especially that freshly fried river fish 🐟😋 The stop by the Chinese fishing nets and that well-earned nap on the boat? Total goals! 💤✨ Thanks a ton for pointing out the timing note! ⏰ You’re right—the total 7-hour tour includes travel time, and we really appreciate your heads-up so we can explain that better to future guests 🙌 Whenever you’re ready for your next relaxing escape, just give us a shout at 📞 +91 999 500 4276 or 📧 team@irisholidays.com. We’d absolutely love to have you onboard again! Warm regards, Team Irisholidays 🌴☀️

via Tripadvisor

A visit to “gods own country”

I picked Iris holidays as a group of 8 were stopping overnight on a cruise. Of course the cost of the cruise tours were extortionate so I did a bit of research looking at reviews on TA and emailed Iris holidays to do a Kochi city tour on the day of arrival and a visit the next day to the back waters and lunch on a houseboat. They were very efficient and the arrangements were made. We were duly met on our arrival by our driver mr Ratheesh and Arun our guide for the afternoon. None of us had visited Kochi before and we absolutely loved it. It’s very laid back with lovely architecture and friendly people, we got the most out of it with Arun who was really nice with great English so were able to get the most out of the city tour. I will just warn you that the Indian immigration comes onto the ship and you have to jump through hoops to get clearance. We were told that we had to be back onboard curtailing our backwaters visit by a couple of hours but fortunately Mr Ratheesh was brilliant and picked up earlier to drive the 70km to pick up the boat and bring us back in good time. The boat trip of 4hours was marvellous with a lovely, calming trip interspersed with passing party boats whose passengers loved interacting with us as a group making it a truly marvellous day. Iris holidays sent me a WhatsApp confirming the arrangements for the two tours with “welcome to gods own country” - I thought that only Yorkshire folk claimed that for themselves but Kerala might be jostling them for that honour.

Response from the operator: Dear paulgray1, Thank you for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review of your experience with us! It’s wonderful to hear that your group had a fantastic time exploring Kochi and the backwaters with *Iris Holidays*. We truly appreciate you choosing us over the cruise-organized tours, and we’re delighted that our arrangements met your expectations. And yes, "God’s Own Country" is a title Kerala wears with pride, but we love the Yorkshire comparison—both places have their own unique charm! 😊 We’re so glad that Arun and Mr. Ratheesh helped make your visit memorable. Arun’s local knowledge and excellent English surely add to the experience, and it’s great to hear that you enjoyed Kochi’s laid-back charm, beautiful architecture, and warm hospitality. We understand how challenging immigration procedures can sometimes be, and we’re pleased that Mr. Ratheesh’s flexibility ensured you could enjoy your backwaters experience without stress. The four-hour boat trip sounds like it was a fantastic and lively experience, especially with the interactions from other party boats! Thank you again for trusting us with your trip, and we’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future! Warm regards, Team Iris Holidays

via Tripadvisor