KUMARAKOM

Kumarakom in Kerala, South India is just a few miles (16 km) from the nearest city, Kottayam. As entry point to India; you can fly to Mumbai (Bombay) or Chennai (Madras). There are daily flights to Kerala where, as entry points, you have a choice of three international airports - Kochi (Cochin), Kozhikode (Calicut) and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
From the Cochin International Airport it is an 85 Km delightful ride by road to the Muhamma boat Jetty. From the Trivandrum International Airport it is a 175 Km (approximately 3.30 hours ride by road) to the Muhamma boat jetty. From the Calicut International Airport it is 180 Km ride to Muhamma

The village of Kumarakom is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake in Kerala, a state in India. Geographically, it is located at 9.35 North and 76.26 East. Kumarakom's soil is extremely fertile due to the proximity of the water source, this has resulted in the growth of a wide variety of flora in Kumarakom, especially the mangrove and coconut trees. Vembanad Lake is home to several types of marine life exclusively the 'Karimeen' (Pearl Spotted Fish), the 'Chemeen' (Prawns) and the 'Konju' Tiger Prawns.

Positioned 14 kms from Kottyam and around Kuttanad region lies Kumarakom popularly known as the rice bowl of Kerala. A huddle of tiny islets on the Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is a pictorial, unsoiled village. An incredibly stunning ecstasy of mangrove forests, pea green paddy meadows and coconut coppices intermingled with enthralling waterways and canals. Kumarakom, located on the Southern coast of India enjoys a proportionate tropical weather. 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 is quite cheap, 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.

Taj Garden Retreat the first modern tourist resort in Kumarakom is established in the Victorian two storied bungalow built by Alfred George Baker in the year 1881, on huge pieces of Teak wood rafters packed in mud as a base. This house on the lake at Kumarakom was the house of four generations of the Baker family, for over hundred years. The bird Sanctuary and the two storied Bungalow built by Mr.A G Baker on the muddy land are places of interest for tourists from all over the world. The bungalow still remains grand but silent reminder of an age and people whose hard work cannot be erased by time.