A houseboat (different from boathouse, which is a shed for storing boats) is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored,
kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide
utilities. However, many are capable of operation under their own power.
Float house is a Canadian and American term for a house on a float (raft), a rough house may be called a shanty boat.
In Western countries, houseboats tend to be either owned privately or
rented out to holiday-goers, and on some canals in Europe, people dwell
in houseboats all year round. Examples of this include, but are not
limited to, Amsterdam, London, and Paris.
Tourism in Kumarakom largely revolves -around the backwaters of the
Vembanad Lake. Several luxury and budget resorts lined up on the shores
of the lake provide tourists with facilities for boating, yachting and
fishing, with panoramic views of the lake. The other major attraction is
the Bird Sanctuary, which is open from 6 am to 6 pm and can be visited
by canoes arranged by local fishermen at the entrance to the sanctuary. A
two-hour rowing canoe trip is quite cheap, and is best undertaken in the evening or early morning to avoid the afternoon sun.
Furthermore, the Aruvikkuzhi Waterfall and its surrounding rubber
plantation are a photographer's delight. There is also the Bay Island
Drift Museum near the Kumarakom beach for history lovers, open from 10
am – 5 pm on Tuesdays – Saturdays and from 11.30 am – 5 pm on Sundays.
Inside House Boat
