By road
~48 km from Kochi
South India · Kerala
Kumarakom, Kerala
Bird-song mornings on Vembanad Lake · ~48 km from Kochi
Getting there
By rail
Kottayam, ~16 km
By air
Cochin International Airport (COK), ~85 km
Best time to visit
November to February, or June-July for the bird sanctuary
Don't miss
Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
Vembanad Lake
Bay Island Driftwood Museum
Things to do
Bird sanctuary walks
Fishing with village nets
Ayurveda by the lake
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Jigyasu · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Binoculars, repellent, quick-dry clothing
A quieter corner
Sunset shikara ride to the R-Block paddy polders below lake level
About Kumarakom
- Lakeside
Where it is
Kumarakom is a village of canals, coconut groves and rice fields on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake in Kerala's Kottayam district, a short drive west of the town of Kottayam.
History
Kumarakom was long a village of rice farmers and fishers on the shore of Vembanad Lake. The English Baker family lived in their lakeside house here for four generations until 1962, and part of their land, a former rubber plantation known as Baker's Estate, is now the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary.
People
Kumarakom's Malayalam-speaking villagers farm rice, fish in the lake and canals and tap coconut palms for toddy. Karimeen, the pearl-spot fish, is the local speciality, fried or cooked in banana leaf, and toddy shops serve it with tapioca.
Known for
- Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
- Houseboats and shikara rides on Vembanad Lake
- Karimeen, the pearl-spot fish
- Ayurvedic resorts along the lake
Did you know?
Vembanad, on whose eastern shore Kumarakom lies, is the longest lake in India, and its wetlands are protected as a Ramsar site of international importance.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.