Following the success of its inaugural season, with departures selling out shortly after launch, Pandaw Cruises is strengthening its presence in India by announcing the expansion of its Kerala Backwaters programme.
The company is introducing a second vessel and new three- and four-night itineraries, providing travellers with more opportunities to discover the charm of southern India through an authentic and immersive river journey.
The expansion responds to growing demand for river experiences that go beyond India’s traditional touring routes, allowing guests to more easily combine a Kerala Backwaters cruise with wider itineraries including destinations such as Rajasthan, Delhi, Mumbai, Darjeeling and Assam.
The new shorter journeys follow the model already introduced by Pandaw on the Hooghly Ganges River in Bengal and are part of the company’s strategy to offer increasingly flexible river experiences across different regions of India.
Pandaw’s Kerala Backwaters cruises reveal a more authentic and tranquil side of the state of Kerala, travelling through a network of lakes, canals and waterways that for centuries served as vital routes for transporting spices, coir and goods between inland villages and the historic port of Kochi.
On board Pandaw vessels, guests can immerse themselves in local culture by exploring the colonial streets of Fort Kochi, visiting centuries-old churches and temples, experiencing traditional Kathakali performances and meeting riverside communities where daily life continues much as it has for generations.
Paul Strachan, CEO and Founder of Pandaw, highlighted that the company had identified the potential of the Kerala Backwaters from the very beginning, recognising them as one of the most distinctive experiences within the Pandaw portfolio. According to Strachan, the positive response from guests confirmed this vision and encouraged the company to expand the programme with a second vessel and new itinerary options.
Supporting this expansion, Pandaw has celebrated the traditional launch ceremony of the new RV Kerala Pandaw, whose hull entered the water ahead of its inaugural season scheduled for 2027.
Designed specifically to navigate Kerala’s characteristic narrow waterways, the new vessel will be a boutique river ship featuring just 10 cabins, spacious open decks and intimate public spaces, creating a more personal and relaxed atmosphere on board. The ship will also offer locally inspired cuisine, reflecting the flavours and culinary traditions of the region, while expert-led excursions will take guests beyond the waterways to discover Kerala’s culture, heritage and everyday life. With its small size and design tailored to the local environment, RV Kerala Pandaw is intended to provide an immersive way of exploring the region, combining river cruising with close encounters with its landscapes, communities and cultural heritage.
RV Kerala Pandaw will join RV Kochi Pandaw, significantly increasing available capacity while preserving the exclusive and intimate small-ship experience that has defined Pandaw journeys for more than 30 years.
The new three- and four-night itineraries are already available aboard RV Kochi Pandaw, while RV Kerala Pandaw will officially join the programme in 2027.
With this new phase of development, Pandaw Cruises is strengthening its investment in the Indian market, where the company now offers one of the country’s most extensive collections of boutique river expeditions, including itineraries on the Upper and Lower Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Kerala Backwaters.
The expansion confirms Pandaw’s commitment to creating increasingly authentic and personalised journeys, combining small-ship cruising, cultural discovery and direct encounters with local communities and destinations. The Kerala Backwaters have become one of the signature experiences of the Pandaw philosophy: slow, meaningful explorations that reveal the most authentic character of the places visited.
Giorgia Lombardo