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Wooden deck over the backwater with a Chinese fishing net and palm-lined far shore, Sanskreti, Kumbalanghi, Kochi
Experiences

The island is the experience

On the island

Right outside your door

Real, unhurried island life, shaped by the water and the village around it. Things to do in Kumbalanghi range from backwater boat rides in Kochi to day trips from Fort Kochi.

Dark backwater at night with faint blue-green bioluminescent glow on the water surface — Kavaru phenomenon, Kumbalanghi, Kochi

After dark, seasonal

Kavaru, the glowing water

On certain nights the backwaters light up after dark, a natural bioluminescence with no parallel in the region.

Long wooden country boat gliding across calm Kumbalanghi backwaters with palm-lined banks, Kochi

Backwater & country-boat rides

Step onto an open country boat and let the backwaters do the rest. Slow, quiet, and one of the most beautiful ways to see the island.

Sanskreti waterfront deck with a wooden gazebo and lounge chairs over the backwater at sunset, Kumbalanghi, Kochi

The infinity deck

A wooden deck reaching over the water, with the Chinese fishing nets at work and the sun going down beyond the gazebo.

Sanskreti main pool and adjoining kids' pool with white loungers and coconut palms around the deck, Kumbalanghi

Slow poolside days

The full-length infinity pool, a kids' pool, and long afternoons by the backwaters.

Kumbalanghi village houses and coconut palms along a still backwater channel, Kochi

On the island

Kumbalanghi Model Village

India's first model tourism village, the island you are already on.

More to do

Around the island

On request · charges apply

Village tour

Walk through Kumbalanghi, see traditional crafts like coir and copra making, and get a real feel for island life.

Fishing

Cast a line into the same waters the family has fished for generations. A slow, meditative morning.

Bird watching

The island's trees and waterways are home to a wide variety of birds. Early mornings are best.

Kayaking

Paddle through the backwaters at your own pace.

Cycling

Explore Kallanchery the way the locals do, past paddy fields and coconut groves.

Curio shop

Pick up something to remember the island by, local crafts and keepsakes.

Beyond the island

Explore Kochi, just across the water

A short hop from the island brings you to Fort Kochi's heritage quarter, the backwaters and a few favourites a little further out. How to get here

Row of cantilevered Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against an orange sky at sunset on the Fort Kochi waterfront
Fort Kochi

Chinese fishing nets

Sunset on the harbour

Whitewashed façade of the Mattancherry Dutch Palace with sloping tiled roof and arched entrance, Kochi
Mattancherry

The Dutch Palace

Murals & royal portraits

Narrow Jew Town lane in Mattancherry lined with heritage shopfronts in blue, yellow and green, Kochi
Jew Town

Paradesi Synagogue

Spice-trade lanes

Whitewashed façade of St. Francis Church with a stepped gable and central cross, Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi

St. Francis Church

India's oldest European church

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica with white and pastel façade and twin spires against the sky, Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi

Santa Cruz Basilica

A painted cathedral

Open sacks of colourful spices and dried goods lining a shopfront along Mattancherry's Bazaar Road, Kochi
Mattancherry

Spice Walk, Bazaar Road

Pepper, cardamom, ginger

Indo-Portuguese Museum in Fort Kochi — colonial-era stone building set in a walled garden with tiled roof
Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi museums

Coastal & colonial heritage

Kathakali dancer in green face paint, red lips, white chutti frame and towering ornate headdress, Kochi
Evenings

Kathakali & Kalaripayattu

Dance-drama & martial art

Yellow-and-black auto-rickshaw parked on a quiet heritage lane in Fort Kochi, Kochi
On request

Tuk-tuk heritage trail

Through the old quarter

Wooden country boat on the wide Vembanad backwater near Kumbalanghi, with palm shore in the distance, Kochi
From the island

Backwater day cruise

A long, slow ride out

Marine Drive seafront promenade in Ernakulam with waves lapping a stone wall and city skyline beyond, Kochi
Ernakulam

Marine Drive

A breezy seafront

Palm-lined Cherai Beach on Vypin Island with waves rolling onto pale sand and open sky above, Kochi
Day trip

Cherai Beach

Sand & sea on Vypin

Two elephants standing at the Periyar river's edge at the Kodanad elephant training centre, near Kochi
Day trip

Kodanad on the Periyar

Elephants by the river

Plan your days

Stay, and let the island unfold

Tell our travel desk what you would like to do and we will arrange it around your stay.

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