Purity
Keralan backwaters
Purity is located at the edge of Muhamma, which is on the western shore of Lake Vembanad in the backwaters of Kerala. Muhamma is a slight detour on the route south from Cochin to Alleppey.
How to get there:
The best way to get to Lake Vembanad from Cochin – either after a stay in the city or straight from the airport – is by car, which the hotel can arrange. A boat from elsewhere on the lake is also possible as the hotel has its own jetty.
By air:
Fly to Cochin, there are daily arrivals from the largest Indian cities as well as the biggest airports in the Middle East and some in South Asia such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
From the airport, take a taxi to Lake Vembanad. Alternatively, catch a bus into Cochin and make your way from there. Buses leave the airport regularly and follow a fairly good, direct route though it can be very slow with traffic. It’s a good idea to spend a day or two in Cochin if you’re there anyway.
By train:
The nearest station to the lake is Alleppey (Alappuzha) and from there you can take a ferry, but if you’re coming from outside Kerala then Cochin will very likely be your first port of call.
Cochin’s main railway stations are in Ernakulam and are called Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town. Trains come in from all over India including from Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
By road:
Lake Vembanad is a little far from anywhere to come in via bus, but there are connections from Bangalore and a few other cities in Kerala to Cochin. From Cochin catch a taxi to the lake.
Distances & travel times:
airport: Cochin: 1 hr 30 mins / 75 km
railway stations:
Ernakulam: 50 km / 1hr
Alleppey: 18km / 25 mins
When to go:
Purity is open all year round but between October and March is the ideal time, with sunshine every day and not unbearably hot. Between April and September is low season and can be very hot and humid – with monsoon showers from June to September – but Kerala is also very beautiful in the rains
Getting around:
To get around the immediate area by Muhamma and the surrounding villages you can walk or borrow a bicycle from the hotel.
The best way to explore the lake and backwaters is, of course, by boat, which the hotel can arrange.
Alternatively, head off to Alleppey and take a public transport (SWTD) boat or a private houseboat from there.