With a focus on the famous snake boat races, or Vallamkali, Kerala boat race excursions in India provide an exciting window into the state's rich cultural heritage. These races, which highlight Kerala's nautical tradition, are mostly held during the August–September Onam festival and include long, elaborate boats rowed by coordinated teams. Usually held on the second Saturday of August, the most well-known is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha, which attracts large audiences with its atmosphere of competition and celebration.

Other significant occasions that combine ceremony and spectacle in Kerala's backwaters are the Champakulam Moolam Boat Race in June and the Aranmula Uthrattathi Boat Race in September. Immersed in Kerala's lush, water-bound appeal, visitors take in the indigenous cuisine, such as sadya, colorful boats, and rhythmic chants. These trips, which offer a distinctive fusion of sport, tradition, and natural beauty in God's Own Country's tranquil canals, are most popular with adventure and culture seekers and are best organized for the monsoon to post-monsoon season.