What to Wear and Bring for Mangrove Kayaking in Kerala

Clothing: light, quick-drying fabric works far better than heavy cotton or denim, which stays wet and heavy for hours if it gets splashed. Synthetic athletic wear or a swimsuit under light clothing is the practical choice.

Footwear matters more than people expect. Strap sandals or proper water shoes are worth wearing — loose flip-flops come off in the water and are genuinely difficult to recover once they're gone. Bare feet work too, but the mangrove mud and occasional shell fragment make shoes the more comfortable option.

Sun protection is not optional here — you're on open water for parts of every route, with little shade beyond the tunnel section itself. Sunglasses with a retaining strap (so they don't end up in the river), reef-safe sunscreen, and a hat that won't blow off are worth packing.

Bring a reusable water bottle rather than a disposable one — the backwaters you're paddling through are the same ones we're asking you to help keep clean. A change of clothes for afterward and a dry bag or waterproof phone pouch round out what you actually need. Everything else — passports, jewellery, anything irreplaceable — is best left at your accommodation.