Morning Walk to Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary and Boat Trip to Lake Vembanad, Kottayam, Kerala

"Whatever the occasion be, honeymoon, wedding, birthday, anniversary, leisure, or just a big 'Thank You', a truly memorable holiday destination that makes the perfect gift for any occasion." - Quote about Kumarakom, Kottayam in "God's own country - Kerala" - By Sachin Kumar Gupta.

Kumarakom Kottayam Sightseeing

Kumarakom is a serene, emerald green peninsula set in the backdrop of Vembanad Lake which is dotted with numerous traditional houseboats, rice boats, rafts and canoes. This backwater spot is abundant with flora and fauna, being especially rich in marine life. It took us 2 hours to reach Kumarakom after Kochi sightseeing. A wide variety of places to visit in Kumarakom spanning genres as diverse as nature, religious, and historic attractions make Kumarakom tourist places really memorable. Popular well known attractions include Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, Aruvikkuzhi Waterfall, and Juma Masjid, Vembanad Lake and Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple.

We had our amazing stay at Vivanta by Taj for 2 days, which was the small world in itself with lots of events and activities. We also enjoyed Thiruvathira and Bharathanatyam dances and instrumental Karnatic music on the Baker's house lagoon front. During our stay we also had short houseboat trip next day. Boating through Vembanad lake is the main sightseeing activity for a tourist to kumarakom. Vembanad lake ( Kayal/Kol) is the longest lakes in India and the largest in Kerala. It is connected to Arabian sea. This lake is known in many names according to its location, In Alleppey area it is known as Punnamada lake in Alleppey-Kuttanad, Kochi lake in Kochi. Pathiramanal Island is a small island in Vembanad Lake, easily reachable through boat.

 

At Kumarakom Government Jetty point, People can book a houseboat for a day cruise from 11am to 5 pm which includes a welcome drink, lunch and evening tea and snacks. Day cruise is better for the family, groups & those who don't like to stay in the houseboat compared to overnight stay package at less cost. We booked a overnight stay at backwaters of Alleppey for next day. Different types of boats offers different services at Kumarakom Government Jetty and nearby places.

Houseboats are good for a relaxing vacation for a day or two.
Motor boats are fast, cheaper, and can accommodate up to 80 persons.
Shikkara boats are traditional open canoe like country boat, the maximum capacity is 6 prersons.
Speed boats are for short faster trip but little expensive as per trip-time.

 

Kumarakom Bird Santuary: sometimes referred as Vembanad Bird Sanctuary.

Entry fee: 50 INR per person for Indian, 100 INR for foreigners.
Timings: All days of the week 6:30 AM - 5:00 PM

We had morning walk to this place which was just next to Taj Kumarakom, Kottayam. This sanctuary is situated on the banks of Vembanad Lake. It is a heavenly place for the travelling birds like Siberian stork, egret, darter, heron and teal. We were welcomed by many beautiful butterfly at entry garden. During the time when we visited, there were only few types of birds specially sea-crows and few other unknown. The overall walk is approx 2 KM one way.

 

You have to reach the watch towers for bird watching before you drop the plan to move further. As from watch towers only you would be able to watch the adobe of birds. It takes 2-3 hours to visit this place. Beyond the sanctuary, one can take a boat ride in Vembanad Lake or along the Kavanar River. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, (KTDC) which owns the largest chain of hotels in Kerala, including a resort in the middle of the bird sanctuary at Kumarakom, has opened an interpretation center in the bird sanctuary for the visitors.

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Albert Hall Museum Jaipur

Quote of the Post: "Albert Hall Museum is one of the finest and oldest museum of Rajasthan, located in Jaipur City." - Quote about Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur by Sachin Kumar Gupta

After visiting City Palace and Jantar Mantar, we reached Albert Hall Museum during our visit to Pink City. It was named after King Adward VII (Albert Edward) and foundation was laid by Prince of Wales. It is said that this old and famous museum was modeled on the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Its collection includes portraits of local kings, costumes, woodcarvings, paintings, and arts & crafts. It is also called the Government Central Museum, which is the home for the art of Jaipur.

Location: Ram Niwas Bagh, south of the Old City, Jaipur. The building is situated in Ram Niwas Garden outside the city wall opposite New gate. Being in the center of the city, one can reach the Albert Hall Museum from all directions easily. 

Entry Fee: INR 20 and additional INR 50 ($1) for a camera. This is also part of Composite Entry Ticket. At some places photography isn't allowed. 

Albert Hall Museum Timings: 9:00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily. One can also take a virtual tour of the museum. The Virtual Tour takes you through the museum giving you a glimpse of the courtyards and different galleries with a commentary about its display, collections and history.

The best time of the day to visit the hall is during evening, where you can enjoy the architectural beauty with sunset; or a horse ride if you wish to. Albert Hall Museum also provides shelter to a large number of pigeons. Pigeons can be seen on terrace of the hall all round the year. People also feed pigeons at the nearby roads. 

This unique museum is very well maintained, and is divided into lower and upper part. The museum has a rich collection of artifacts like paintings, carpets, ivory work, stone, armory, metal sculptures, colorful crystal works etc. Within the museum, we also visited 'Dolls Museum', Egyptian Mummy, Egypt collection, arms and armors. The mummy is the most popular of all the items displayed in the museum. It fascinated all my family members and for me, it was a recall of my visit to Egypt. Dolls museum contains a large number of lovely dolls and toys which has been collected from various countries representing different cultures across the world. The Dolls Museum in Jaipur attracts the tourists from various countries by its striking beauty of the collection of dolls from the traditions of several countries.

We took many snaps inside the museum, and some outside the museum. This place also houses a wonderful restaurant where we had our evening snacks. After that we enjoyed shopping at Nehru Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar, and further visited Govind Devji Temple and Hawa Mahal near City Palace.

If you want to timely visit Jaipur in a day or two days, click here.

Other attractions in Jaipur: 

• City Palace and Govind Devji Temple 
• Jantar Mantar 
• Hawa Mahal 
• Amer, Jaigarh and Nagargarh Fort 

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