Experience the rustic Kumarakom Life!

If you want to spend a few days away from everything urban, Kumarakom is the place to be! A very popular destination in Kerala with not much crowd around.

Kumarakom Map

Kumarakom is like a serene village where time stands still! It doesn't have the rich history and monumental buzz of Cochin. Nor does it have the soaring altitudes and lush green tea estates of Munnar. What it has is, abundance of nature, open spaces and quietness that lets you laze around lapping up the calm backwater views.

Vembanad Lake in Kumarakom

There are several well known hotels and resorts spread across Kumarakom but the one we chose was the KTDC WaterScapes Resort which is located right inside the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. It is a simple resort built to be extremely eco-friendly offering fantastic views of the Vembanad Lake. It is also one of the only resorts in all of Kumarakom that has independent huts for accommodation build on top of stilts with water canals passing through them. The resort has no internet connectivity in rooms which makes life even more simpler.

Entrance to KTDC WaterScapes

The WaterScapes huts with canals

The best way to spend a day at Kumarakom is spot a free boat and paddle around in the maze of canals within the resort property, get on to the hammock under your hut and read as much as you like, take a dip in the resort pool, book yourself a therapeutic Kerela spa treatment, and when you are done with all that, just step out of the resort and walk around the quiet bird sanctuary!

The best time to walk around the sanctuary is early morning. The forest is quiet and the uneven path is like an adventurous trail expedition. It may feel a little too quiet at times, but the sanctuary is well managed by the resort and therefore safe. At the end of the sanctuary trail, you may spot a local fisherman with a canoe. It is safe to hire a canoe ride with him because he will take you around the Vembanad Lake showing you different bird varieties and help you in understanding the ecological significance of the area.

Early morning at the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary

The resort has a single restaurant that offers some of the fine dishes of Kerela. However, I was in favor of sampling home styled food. So I headed out away from the resort to a small shack outside the village. At the shack I ordered a vegetarian thali which was actually a smaller version of the traditional Sadya (an elaborate vegetarian meal eaten during festivals and important occasions in Kerela).

South Indians are known to have a staple diet consisting of rice and that is what dominated on the thali. The other dishes included rasam, thoran, avial, buttermilk, pickles and papad. The Indian bread (also known as Roti) was conspicuous by it's absence. The meal was very delicious and what made it better was the personal attention by the owner since we were the only guests there.

Kerela Thali

Every city in Kerela has something unique to offer and Kumarakom is no different. Leaving Kumarakom after a two days stay was fine because there is very little to do there, but a longer visit with the intention of just doing nothing can also be fantastic.

Early morning canoe ride

Some interesting facts about Kumarakom -

• Kumarakom got a global appeal after Arundhati Roy's book "The God of Small Things" mentioned a bordering village in the same Kottayam district as Kumarakom. 

• November to February is the best time to see the migratory birds at the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary especially the Siberian cranes. The other popular birds are the egrets, kingfisher, water ducks, herons and more. 

• Karimeen is a popular fish and a delicacy. This fish is especially found in the backwaters of Kerela and should be tried if you enjoy seafood.  

• Fill your self up with a lot of coconut water. Not only is it healthy but also available in abundance.

If you have read this article and have also visited Kumarakom, please share your experience because I'd love to hear!