Kumarakom

Kumarakom is a cluster of small islands on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake — the largest lake in Kerala and the longest lake in India — with the most concentrated density of luxury houseboat infrastructure and premium resorts in the backwaters.

The village of Kumarakom lies within the Kottayam district, where the Syrian Christian community has been present since the 4th century AD, and the cooking of the region — fish curries with coconut milk and raw mango, duck cooked with kokum, appam served with stew — is the Syrian Christian kitchen of Kerala at its most confident, with Arab and Persian echoes embedded in a completely Kerala flavour profile.

The bird sanctuary at Kumarakom, established on the former rubber plantation of the Baker Bungalow estate, is the most accessible birding site in the backwaters: herons, cormorants, egrets, and kingfishers visible from the network of pathways without the need for early starts or specialist equipment. The wetland management that maintains the bird habitat is the same management that maintains the agricultural productivity of the surrounding rice fields.

Places to Visit in Kumarakom

• Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
• Vembanad Lake
• Backwater canals

Things to Do in Kumarakom

• Bird sanctuary visit
• Sunset backwater cruise
• Lakeside Ayurveda retreat