Kuttanad, the amazingly beautiful land of luxurious green paddy fields in Alappuzha district is popularly known as the 'rice bowl of Kerala'. This small area lying between the sea and the hills is made up of a maze of waterways including lakes, canals, rivers and streams.

The altitude of the area extending for about 900 sq. Km., ranges from 0.6 m above to 2.2 m below sea level. It is the only place in India, where agriculture is done below sea level. Most of the land remain under water, for the major part of the year. Four main rivers such as Pampa, Meenachil, Manimala and Achankovil flow into Kuttanad. During monsoon, water rises to submerge most of the farm area and the top soil and minerals washed out from the highlands gets deposited here, making this area highly fertile. At other times the farm is deliberately flooded in a controlled manner to facilitate rice farming. Besides paddy, bananas, Yams and Casava are grown in plenty here.

Earlier boats were the only means of transport in the area, but now there are road access to the place. To get a feel of the picturesque place one must take a boat ride from Alappuzha to Changanacherry (2 1/2 hours) in Kottayam district. Most of the snake boat races are held through the maze of lakes and canals in Kuttanad. Houseboat cruises through the area is an out of the world experience for the tourists.