Kumarakom

KUMARAKOM

Kumarakom is an emerald peninsula of paddy fields, meandering lagoons and backwaters that juts out into Lake Vembanad. It is rich with slender coconut palms and mangroves providing accommodation for nesting birds of a hundred varieties. This is not an area for sighseeing but rather for relaxing, a place to take in and absorb the natural beauty and the sense of peace that pervades.
From the vastness of Lake Vembanad to the quiet streams just large enough for a canoe, the Backwaters form the arteries through which rural daily life calmly flows – children splashing in the water, women washing clothes at the water’s edge, fishermen up to their necks in water digging out fish with their feet, rice barges transporting coconuts and rice (the staples of the Keralan diet) and, above all, an overriding sense of peace and tranquility that permeates every aspect of this stunning region.

In addition the area is a birders paradise and the bird sanctuary here, which is spread across 14 acres is a favourite haunt of migratory birds. Egrets, darters, herons, teal, waterfowl, cuckoo, wild duck and migratory birds such as the Siberian stork are a fascination for visitors. The best way to watch the birds of the Kumarakom sanctuary is a boat trip round the islands.