Kadamakkudy cruise services will begin from Ernakulam on Saturday, October 10, with the State Water Transport Department deploying its solar-powered vessel Saurya 2 for two scheduled tourist journeys linking the city with Fort Kochi and the Kadamakkudy islands.
Bookings for the services will open on Friday. The first cruise, called See Kochi, will leave the Ernakulam boat jetty at 11am and return at 1pm after a two-hour journey. The route will pass Bolgatty, Vallarpadam, Vypeen and Fort Kochi. Tickets will cost Rs 200 per person.
The second service, See Kadamakkudy, will depart at 3pm and return to Ernakulam by 7pm. The four-hour cruise will navigate through nearly 12 island clusters, including Kothad and Pizhala, before reaching the Kadamakkudy viewpoint. The return journey is planned to coincide with sunset views. Tickets for this service will cost Rs 300 per person.
The launch marks SWTD’s first dedicated tourist vessel service to the Kadamakkudy islands, an archipelago north of central Kochi that is connected by a network of waterways and island settlements. The service places the islands within a scheduled tourism circuit beginning at the Ernakulam boat jetty rather than relying only on road-based access and separately arranged excursions.
Passengers arriving at Kadamakkudy will be able to visit a local resort that offers kayaking and water sports for an additional Rs 100. Snacks will be included in the cruise package. The 30-passenger vessel will also have a music system, while SWTD plans to introduce online booking at a later stage, according to a senior department official cited by Times of India.
SWTD has announced fare concessions for younger passengers. Children below five years will travel free, while children below 11 years, including school groups undertaking educational trips, will receive tickets at half price. The concessions could allow the service to serve both leisure visitors and organised school excursions, although the department has not announced passenger capacity beyond the vessel’s 30-seat limit or the mechanism for group reservations.
The cruise also brings a local economic dimension to the new route. Kadamakkudy panchayat president M S Antony said the expected increase in visitors could create opportunities for local enterprises, Kudumbashree units, small vendors and businesses connected with hospitality and tourism. The scale of that benefit will depend on how visitor spending is distributed across the island clusters and whether the new service operates consistently beyond its initial launch.
The two services will operate daily from the Ernakulam boat jetty, with the first departure at 11am and the Kadamakkudy service leaving at 3pm. SWTD’s next stated step is to introduce online ticket booking for the solar cruise service.
