thoni cruise:

photo: thoni cruise in tirur river,  monsoon 2004

If Venice has its gondolas and Dal lake its house boats, the Nila has its Thoni. A country boat that will move at the pace you want it to. And, for a never before experience, go on a thoni cruise even as rain falls and casts its spell on you... Snap up pictures of village life as it goes by slowly. Frame by frame. Glide along backwaters formed by tidal waves of the Arabian Sea and sail past small islands dotted by rare mangroves.

Cruise for half a day or full day, the 48 kms long Tirur River that merges with River Nila at Ponnani. The cruise begins with a visit to the literature park at Thunjan parambu in Tirur and concludes in Vakkkad Beach near Ponnani.