1 experience in Kumarakom
Kumarakom backwater day cruise 
Kumarakom, Vembanad Lake, Kerala
Kumarakom backwater day cruise
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Kumarakom travel guides
Kumarakom Travel Guide: Vembanad Lake, Birds and Village Backwaters 
Travel guide · Destinations
Kumarakom Travel Guide: Vembanad Lake, Birds and Village Backwaters
Kumarakom is a cluster of islands on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, Kerala's largest lake, about 14 km west of Kottayam. The main places to visit in Kumarakom are the bird sanctuary on the lake shore, the canals and paddy fields of the village, and Pathiramanal island, reached by boat. One or two nights is enough, and December to March is the driest time.
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Frequently asked questions
How would you spend two days in Kumarakom?
Walk the bird sanctuary at dawn on the first day, then take the day cruise across Vembanad, back by evening. On the second, cross to Pathiramanal, join a village programme of coir making or net fishing, and eat duck or fish cooked in coconut milk at a toddy shop.
What is there to see near Kumarakom?
Kottayam, 14 km east, has Thazhathangadi, an old riverside quarter whose Juma Masjid is known for its wood carving. Ettumanoor's Mahadeva temple keeps seven and a half gold-plated elephant figures for its festival, Vaikom's temple stands by Vembanad, and Aruvikkuzhi waterfall, 18 km from Kottayam, drops about 100 feet through rubber plantations.
What are some offbeat things to do in Kumarakom?
Watch clam gatherers standing knee-deep in the shallows; Kerala Tourism notes the black clam shells end up in cement and fertiliser. Learn a little coir making or net fishing on a village programme, try kallappam, which is made with toddy, or take a boat to Pathiramanal's roost.
Should you choose Kumarakom or Munnar?
Kumarakom is flat water, birds and village life on Vembanad Lake; Munnar is tea-estate country high in the Western Ghats, with Eravikulam's Nilgiri tahr close by. If you can fit in only one, let the season decide: the tahr's park is closed in February and March, while migrant birds are at Kumarakom from November to February.
About Kumarakom Tours & Experiences
The main things to do in Kumarakom are a cruise on Vembanad Lake, a dawn walk in the bird sanctuary, a boat to Pathiramanal island and a village programme of coir making and net fishing. Our Kumarakom backwater day cruise takes in the lake and a sanctuary stop over half a day or a whole one, with no night aboard.
Reviewed by Experience My India Editorial Team · Updated 21 Oct 2026
Things to do in Kumarakom
Cruise Vembanad for a day
Our Kumarakom backwater day cruise leaves the Kumarakom jetty on a smaller boat than the overnight houseboats, threads the backwater channels and crosses open Vembanad, Kerala's largest lake, past villages, paddy fields and fishing. You are back by evening.
Walk the bird sanctuary early
Kerala Tourism recommends the 1.5 km walkway at dawn, when the flocks are out; it ends at an observation tower. Its year-round residents include egrets, herons, kingfishers, darters and cormorants. The day cruise stops at or near the sanctuary, from the water or on foot as the lake level allows; entry is extra.
Cross to Pathiramanal
A boat is the only way onto Pathiramanal, a ten-acre island in the lake about 5 km from Kumarakom, where cormorants and other water birds roost; Kerala Tourism records some 90 species there.
Join a village programme
Kumarakom's responsible tourism programme, begun with the village panchayat, opens the place's working life to visitors: coir making, net fishing and weaving coconut fronds, around paddy fields that sit below sea level.
See the Onam-season boat race
In August and September, the Onam season, Kumarakom holds a boat race of its own on the Kavanar and Kottathodu rivers; most entries are smaller veppu, odi and churulan boats, with a few snake boats.
Choosing between our tours and experiences
The day cruise, listed with our houseboats in Kumarakom, is the one trip we base here: an experience to add to a Kerala route, with road transfers from Kochi or Alleppey. For a night on the lake instead, our Kerala honeymoon houseboat can board here as a private charter, the Alleppey houseboat cruise spends a night on the same water, and the Kerala family holiday builds its houseboat time around Alleppey or Kumarakom. More on the Kerala page.
When to go for these
December to March is dry at Kottayam, the closest IMD observatory, with less than 55 mm of rain a month; June averages about 610 mm and October about 330. Resident birds are easiest to see from June to August, and migrants arrive from November to February. The cruise runs all year, but monsoon water can disrupt it.
Planning tips
Pack binoculars and start early, when birds are most active and the water calmest. Kerala Tourism asks visitors to stay well back from the birds and avoid noise. Our Kumarakom travel guide covers how to get here.
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