Located on the banks of the Vembanad Lake, the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is spread across 101 acres. The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, an ornithologist's paradise is a favourite haunt of exotic birds like egrets, darters, herons, teal, bitterns, brahminy kites, marsh harries, waterfowl, cuckoo and wild ducks. Also Siberian storks migrate here every year.

A visit to the Sanctuary, placed within the lush acres of wooded land nearby, acquaints you to the variety of migratory birds that flock in thousands, some from the Himalayas, some even from as far as Siberia. In addition, you can watch the native kingfishers ablaze in psychedelic colours, experience a walk under rookeries of egrets and night herons or lone golden-backed woodpeckers and even delight in the acrobatics of the paradise fly-catchers.

Pathiramanal (sands of midnight), an enchanting island on the lake, can be accessed by boat from here. The Vembanad Lake is a combination of rivers and canals, it is so to say, just another paradise. It incidentally forms the joining point of all the rivers making it a wonderful picnic spot.