When your cruise ship is in port in Kochi , meet your guide at the port side. Then, travel by comfortable, air-conditioned coach through Kerala’s countryside to Alleppey (Alappuzha), the main gateway to the area’s inland rivers and canals. After roughly an hour and 45 minutes on the road, arrive at a waterway where your charming wooden-and-bamboo houseboat awaits. Step aboard the traditionally built craft, find a spot on deck, and drink in the scenery as you cruise the placid waters past paddy fields, coconut groves, and rustic villages. Savor a delicious Keralan buffet lunch as you sail, enjoying dishes like fish, chicken, vegetables, and rice against the rolling backdrop of greenery and return to Kochi for a tour of Fort Kochi, the city’s waterfront colonial-era quarter. View the Chinese nets as you discover their exotic history, and admire St. Francis Church, India’s oldest European church, and Santa Cruz Basilica Your shore excursion then finishes with a port drop-off at about 4 pm