INDIA
India’s standout days.
Our pick of the 15 best cruises & boat tours in India: what you actually see, how long each one runs, and what you can expect to pay.
Quiet non-mechanized Cochin backwaters cruise with a coir village stop and vegetarian banana-leaf lunch, plus pickup options from Fort Cochin.
Most Popular“Great calming tour of the backwaters in a none touristy area! hosts are so nice!”
Cochin to Alleppey shikara cruise: 3 hours gliding through Kerala backwaters with villages, palms, and paddy fields, with port pickup.
“Everything was fine. Both driver and boat man were really lovely and helpful. Driver was on time at hotel. There are no toilets on boat. So 6 hours is a long time without a wee stop and take your own water and a sandwich. It is appreciated by boatman if you offer him a pastry…”
Private shikara + village stop on Alleppey backwaters, with bird spotting and sunset options for about $16 per person.
“Lovely cruise through the backwaters of Kerala. Recommended.”
Private overnight houseboat cruise from Kochi to Alappuzha backwaters, with AC cabin, 3 Kerala meals, scenic village cruising, and easy transfers.
“Driver was on time and the guide Sam provided us with a lot of information and showed us places we would not found by ourselves. Overall great experience!”
Private Cochin–Alleppey houseboat cruise with a slow backwater ride, Keralan lunch, pickup service, and a $85 per person price.
“one of the best tours we have experienced in Asia. fantastic boat, lovely crew, delicious lunch, a genuine look at life in Kerala. highly recommend this tour!!”
Private 3-hour Alleppey shikara with sunset backwaters, a village shore stop, and a Kerala meal option for about $21.
“The Alleppey backwaters are mesmerising!”
Private Kochi tuk-tuk shore tour with cruise pickup to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry highlights, led by an English guide.
“Faiser was our guide. He was ver professional and cordial. He took us to all the must see attractions. There were no complications. We highly recommend his services.”
A 4-hour Udaipur tour with a private City Palace and Jagdish Temple guide, plus a shared boat ride on Lake Pichola.
“Organisation of pickup was brilliant, same Tuk Tuk driver and was really safe. Tour guide was great, but perhaps all tours happen a bit too fast. Would get this for the boat tour/boat ride (self guided) as the lake pichola is beautiful. You could probably get a better price buying your own combined ticket but…”
Goa dinner cruise on the Mandovi with live DJ, AC dance floor, veg/non-veg buffet, magic show, traditional dances, and optional hotel transfer.
“not as advertised. it looked nothing like the photos. we did not get picked up by a bus, it was public transport. and the cruise wasnt the same in the photos. we just left. looked too dangerous to get on.”
A full-day Kolkata route of temples, a Hooghly River boat ride, colonial landmarks, and Ganga Arti at Babu Ghat.
Private Hyderabad tour with Golkonda Fort, Charminar, Salar Jung Museum, Chow Mohalla Palace, plus evening boat ride on Hussain Sagar.
“Wonderful day!”
1.5-hour Kochi cruise past Chinese fishing nets, Mattancherry sights, and possible dolphin spotting, plus a Mattancherry walk.
“De activiteit voldeed niet aan onze verwachting! Een gammel rondvaartbootje met vieze oude reddingsvesten en een niet zo prettige gids. Er werd wat rondgevaren in de lagoon zonder enig doel en na een drie kwartier ‘dobberen’ naar Mattanchery gevaren als eindpunt met nog een korte wandeling door Joodse main road. Ander eindpunt dan voorzien en…”
4-hour Mandovi River dinner cruise in Goa with a Bollywood DJ, folk dance shows, buffet for veg and non-veg, and big views.
“Very bad food higly priced will never recommend this place please don't go”
2-hour evening Ganges boat ride from Assi Ghat with an English guide, passing 55+ ghats and Manikarnika cremation views.
Fly from Delhi to Varanasi in a day for Sarnath, Kashi Vishwanath, a Ganges boat ride, and Ganga Aarti with a guide.
Every region, and every way to travel it.
