Kumarakom
Central Kerala · Vembanad bird sanctuary
Birdsong on the lake
2,000+ reviews
Overview
Why travellers come to Kumarakom
Kumarakom sits on the far side of Vembanad Lake from Alleppey, and trades the busy canal traffic for open water and stillness. It is built on a handful of low islands reclaimed from the lake, threaded with mangroves and dotted with luxury resorts that look straight out over the water. The draw here is calm: long lake views, slow country-boat rides through the mangrove channels, and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, where egrets, herons, darters and — in season — migratory Siberian cranes gather in the trees. Pair it with an Alleppey cruise and you have both sides of the lake: one lively, one serene.
At a glance
Kumarakom, Kerala
- Region
- Central Kerala
- Best time
- November – February
- From Kochi
- ≈ 1.5 hours
- Known for
- Bird sanctuary & lake stays
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
On film
Kumarakom, at the pace of the water
No photograph does the backwaters justice. Press play to see how a day in Kumarakom actually moves — shot on our own journeys through the water.
Highlights
What a day in Kumarakom looks like
- 01The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary at dawn
- 02A canoe ride through the mangrove channels
- 03Open sunset views across Vembanad Lake
- 04Lakeside Ayurvedic spa and wellness stays
- 05Toddy-shop lunches of karimeen and lake fish
Plan your stay
Cruise from Kumarakom
Browse curated houseboat packages departing near Kumarakom, or let us build a custom itinerary around your dates.
More in Kerala
Other destinations to explore
The Venice of the East
Alleppey
The beating heart of Kerala's backwaters — a lattice of palm-lined canals, lagoons and rice fields best seen from the deck of a private houseboat.
The rice bowl of Kerala
Kuttanad
One of the few places on earth where farming happens below sea level — an endless green quilt of paddy fields, dykes and canals between Alleppey and Kollam.
Where the backwaters begin
Kollam
The southern gateway to the backwaters, set on the vast Ashtamudi Lake — the starting point of the classic eight-hour cruise up to Alleppey.
