I have been to Kerala seven times, yet the pink lagoons of Malarikkal Village only caught my attention this year, when I was flicking through Vogue India and a beautiful photo of millions of floating pink flowers caught my eye.
I read on to find out that this happens every year in Kottayam in Kerala in August, September and October when the pink water lilies in the lakes around Malarikkal Village are in full bloom. The fuschia lagoons are quickly becoming an influencer attraction, so I thought I would go and see for myself whether the lilies really look as beautiful as they did in Vogue, before this spot becomes too 'Insta-famous'.
In this article, I will tell you how to see the water lilies at Malarikkal Village, how much to budget, where to stay, and other things to do in the area.
CONTENTS
Planning a Trip to Kerala
Kerala was once named one of Nat-Geo's Top 10 Paradises on Earth, and rightly so. I have written extensively about planning a trip to Kerala, so I will share these articles here:
A Guide for Independent Travel in Kerala
Coming Home to Kerala – A 10-Day Itinerary of the Most Popular Places in 'God's Own Country'
The Ultimate One-Month Itinerary for South India
Backwaters & Beaches | The Perfect Kerala – Goa Itinerary (Coming Soon)
If this is your first time travelling to India, you may also find these articles very useful:
Where is Malarikkal & How to Get There
Malarikkal Village is in Kottayam, which is serviced by Kottayam Railway Station. Train is my preferred mode of transport in India, and you can read all about the nuances of taking the train here in my guide: How to Buy a Train Ticket in India as a Tourist & Train Classes.
An auto from Kottayam Train Station or your hotel/homestay to Malarikkal Village will be about 200rs, and take about 20 minutes.
If you prefer to drive, there is paid parking by the pink lagoon, just search 'Malarikkal Tourist Village' in Google Maps.
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Where to Stay Near to the Lilies
There are a couple of places right by the lake, however they felt overpriced for what they were, so I chose to stay in Kottayam Town at Akkara Homestay. This is a beautiful old mansion right on the river and I paid 2000rs for a huge double AC room with breakfast included. There are plenty of other options on booking.com.
How to Plan Your Day When Visiting the Water Lilies of Malarikkal
So remember the pink lilies only bloom in August, September, and October, which is the tail end of India's monsoon season.
It is best to visit the lagoons between 6am and 9am, because as the day heats up the lilies wilt and droop and do not look as pretty. As with most famous attractions, it normally pays off to be the first one there if you want to avoid the crowds.
I arranged for an auto to collect me from Akkara Homestay at 5:45am and it did not show up on time, so I started walking to the main road. I happened to walk past a lady walking her dog and when I asked her where the nearest auto stand was, she ran into her house and pulled her son out of bed! It turned out he was an auto driver and I waited in their garden while he frantically got washed and dressed to take me to Malarikkal!
He only charged me 150rs for the 20-minute journey to the Malarikkal Village, so I paid him double that for his rude awakening and asked him to come back and get me after 90 minutes.
I had arranged for a boatman by Whatsapp to meet me at the lagoons at 6am, however, I will not share his details here as he did not show up either! This turned out fine as there are plenty of people offering boat trips when you arrive.
The first lake you reach is where the shared boats take off for 100rs per person. If you want a private boat keep walking to the furthest lake, where you can pay 1000rs for your own canoe and the boatman's photography skills for an hour (whether you ask for a photoshoot or not, you will get one.)
It really is as beautiful as the pictures, and none of the photos in this article are edited, it was amazing! Millions and millions of bright pink lilies as far as the eye can see! We rowed out to the centre of the lake where the boatman enthusiastically wrenched some water lilies out of the water to make me a bouquet, and proceeded to take about 150 photos and videos of me, he has certainly done this before!
I gave my bouquet to my driver's mum for helping me earlier that morning, even though she lives close by, she had never been to Malarikkal.
Other Things to Do near Malarikkal
Akkara Homestay offers excellent Ayurvedic massages which I indulged in the night I arrived, priced at 2500rs for one hour.
Nearby to Kottayam, you have the Idukki District, with beautiful hill stations like Vagamon and Gavi and the very popular Munnar.
Alleppey is also not too far away but if you would like to see the famous Kerala backwaters I would suggest choosing Munroe Island in Kollam District instead, so check out my article: 48 Hours of Serenity: How to Visit Munroe Island, Kerala.
Thank you for reading my post: How to see the water lilies at Malarikkal Village, Kerala.
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Happy Travels
xx
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