Kumarakom, an unbelievably beautiful paradise of mangrove forests, emerald green paddy fields and coconut groves interspersed with enchanting waterways and canals adorned with white lilies.

Kumarakom is an international tourist destination known to backwater tourism and bird sanctuary. Yes, its home to a number of rare species of migratory birds. In recent years, Kumarakom has acquired the status of a celebrity tourist hot spot.

Kumarakom lies 14 kms from Kottayam, a cluster of tiny islands on the Vembanad Lake. . Kumarakom is a part of Kuttanad, the 'granary of Kerala' in Alleppey, which is described as the 'Venice of the East'.

Kumarakom offers excellent facilties like boating, fishing and sightseeing for the adventure seeker. If you want to experience the everyday life in an Indian backwater town, then you should take a boat cruise down the Kumarakom lake or a boat trip to the nearby town of Alleppey. You will see people going about their jobs like paddy farming, fishing, prawn farming, coir manufacture and almost a peep into the homes on the banks where women are mostly engaged in their daily chores.

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary

The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary will be a delight for the bird watcher and the tourist alike. This 14 - acre Bird Sanctuary is located on the eastern banks of the Vembanad Lake. The common dwellers here are the waterfowl, ducks, cuckoos and wild ducks. If you are lucky you will chance upon a Siberian Crane, a special visitor during the migratory season.

There are several activities for visitors, depending on how much time, money and local language skills they have.

The Bird Sanctuary can be visited by canoes, which can be arranged with local fishermen at the entrance to the sanctuary. A two-hour rowing canoe trip may cost about INR 200-250, and is best undertaken in the evening or early morning to avoid the afternoon sun.

House boats or speed boats can cover longer distances but cost more to hire.

Aymanam village
Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things is set in Ayemenem or Aymanam village, which adjoins Kumarakom. The explosive success of this novel has given some added touristic impetus to this area. The Taj Garden Retreat hotel complex is centered around a building that is called "History House" in the novel; it was built by British missionary Alfred George Baker, whom the locals called "Kari Saipu" (possibly an elided form of "Baker Sahib"), as in the novel. Four generations of Bakers lived in the house until 1962, speaking Malayalam, and even wearing the mundu. The Baker Memorial School, Kottayam, was started by a daughter of this family in 1925. The Baker family's house is in ruins in the novel, as it was in reality before was developed into a hotel and has been restored by the Taj group. The Ayemenem house, where Arundhati Roy spent part of her childhood (like the twins in the story), can also be visited in the village, which can be reached by boat along the Meenachil river that figures prominently in the story.