Idyllic Kumarakom

During my last trip to Kerala we visited idyllic Kumarakom.

Kumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam, in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala

Fishing is mainly done using the small boats (vallams) and gill nets (gear). The main catches are black clam , Karimeen (Pearl spot) and shrimp.

Kumarakom has a wide variety of houseboats and is well known throughout the world for houseboat experience. They are used only for tourists these days. A separate boat known as Kettuvallam is used by the people to go fishing or to transport goods. Apart from these, there are elegant special boats like Kochu-odi Vallam, Odi-Vallam, Iruttukutthi Vallam, Churulan Vallam and Chundan Vallam(Snake Boat), which take part in the boat races around Onam time. More than 1000 oarsmen in boats of different sizes and shapes will participate in this event. Even though Snake Boats participate in this race, the importance is given here is for iruttukuthi, in which about 50 oarsmen row. The Kumarakom boat-race is conducted in the big canal in the centre near the market. The Sree Narayana Ever Rolling Trophy will be given to the winner at the end of the day.  There is a private sailing club in Kumarakom, located on the shore of the Vembanad lake.

The Mahindra Kumarakom resort is spread over 18 acres and the cottages are located either on the lake’s banks or perched picturesquely on stilts that rise out of the water. All of them are surrounded by water and offer peace and serenity to visitors. So you can choose to relax and shed stress, or rejuvenate with Ayurveda in the middle of such beautiful surroundings. The resort offers a variety of facilities for the comfort of the guest. One can get ready to be pampered by warm Kerala hospitality and delicious Kerala cuisine served in the resort’s restaurant and have a memorable stay.