The Kerala Island Where Boats Outnumber Cars & You Can Experience Authentic Village Life

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By Srimoyee Chowdhury 24 August 2025

Munroe Island, locally called Munrothuruthu, is a cluster of eight islets where the Kallada River meets Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala’s Kollam district.

Car-free life Here, there are no cars, no engines — only narrow canals, wooden canoes, and quiet village lanes that define life on water..

Rustic tranquillity Time slows amid lush coconut groves and palm-lined pathways. At sunrise, fishermen paddle in steady rhythm across mirrored waters.

Heritage gem The red-brick Dutch Church, built in 1878, stands beside serene waters — a quiet sentinel of the island’s colonial past.

Glide through a maze of narrow canals, drift beneath mangrove arches, and watch the world reflected in glass-like backwaters.

Local life See village life unfold — coir-making, fishing, children playing, women washing clothes — all woven into the gentle rhythm of the water.

How to reach Munroturuttu station lies on local rail routes from Kollam, Kochi, and Trivandrum. From Kollam city, a taxi or boat ride of 20–30 minutes brings you to the island.

Peaceful homestays Stay in small, family-run riverside homestays. Hosts guide canoe rides, serve home-cooked Keralan meals, and share stories of the island.

Best time to visit Come between October and February for cool, calm days and vibrant greenery. Post-monsoon is ideal, avoiding heavy rains and floods.

Why visit? If you crave unplugged travel — no traffic, no crowds, no noise — Munroe Island offers pure backwater bliss on the water’s edge in ‘God’s Own Country’.