Kuttanad, beyond the houseboat

Kuttanad, the low-lying delta country around Alappuzha and Kottayam, is among the few places in the world where rice is grown below sea level. Kerala Tourism puts the lowest point at about 2.2 metres below sea level, though not all of Kuttanad is that low. In 2013 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recognised the Kuttanad below-sea-level farming system as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Fields are protected by earth bunds and managed with canals and pumps, and people live on strips of land between water and paddy.

Most visitors see it from a houseboat. That is a pleasant way to spend a night, but it also puts many boats on a fragile lake system. If you take one, choose an operator that treats waste properly and employs local crews, and ask how the boat disposes of sewage. If you want a quieter option, hire a small canoe with a local paddler to enter the narrow canals where larger boats cannot go, or rent a bicycle and ride the bund roads between paddy fields in the early morning.

Kumarakom, on Vembanad Lake, is a good base for a different kind of visit. The lake is a Ramsar-listed wetland, and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is a place to watch resident and migratory birds in the cool months. The village is also known in India for a responsible-tourism programme that began in 2007 and links local farmers and women's groups to hotels; our People & Places pages look at it.

Eat locally: karimeen, the pearl spot fish, is a regional speciality, and toddy-shop-style meals are part of Kuttanad life. Ask your host before you order, and if you do not eat fish, ask about the vegetable and coconut dishes.

January is a pleasant time to go: cool, dry and comfortable for outdoor time. The monsoon, from June to September, changes everything, and the region's flooding in recent years is a reminder that the landscape is under pressure.