Kottayam: Domestic tourists have found new ways so that they do not tax their wallet much while visiting popular tourism destination Kumarakom.Tourists who take the help of tour operators and websites end up spending huge amounts on hiring boats of different hues to enjoy a trip through the backwaters of Kumarakam, a local trader told The Covai Post.

Smart tourists, who have shoe string budget, carry out a thorough research before embarking on such voyages, the trader said.There are many cheap trips on backwaters which includes travel to Muhamma in Alappuzha from Kumarakam jetty at a cost of a paltry Rs 10 in government-operated boats and that too at regular intervals.

In five minutes, the boat will be the huge Vembanad Lake which appears like an ocean for the first-time travellers.The flight of cormorants, egrets and seagulls makes the trip fascinating. A 25-minute travel will take one to Pathiramanal Island, the paradise for bird watchers. And the trip ends at Muhamma in about an hour.

On the other hand, there are tourists who prefer high end travel. This includes a one-hour travel in shikara boat at Rs 700 an hour per person when it is Rs 500 each in motor boats.Houseboats charge Rs 7,000 for a day starting from 11 am to 5 pm.A maximum of 45 persons are accommodated in it. Food for the day is provided aboard for Rs 400. These are the normal trips available for tourists who do not do much research and go by the advice of tour operators and tour facilitators.