Fort Kochi and Mattancherry

Drift across the lagoon, south west of the mainland Kochi, arrive in Fort Kochi and wander through its discreet by-lanes and bustling thoroughfares that have witnessed much of this ancient port’s turbulent history. Visitors will pass through cobbled lanes, arched doorways, secluded courtyards and the sun baked tiled roofs. One explores the narrow alleys of the bazaar in Mattacherry with its air thick with aromas of spices.

St. Francis Church

Constructed sometime in 1503 AD, the St.Francis church is built of a mixture of brick and mud. First built by the Portuguese, occupied in war by the Dutch and the English and in the process, renovated every time – it is the oldest European church in India. Topped by a roof made of tiles and a gable framed by timber, the churches steeple, ancient walls, an arched nave, carved, wooden pulpit, the confessional the baptism platform and book rests, all resonate with its history.

Vasco da Gama the Portuguese conquistador, once lay buried here in a corner inside the church. A gravestone today marks his memory besides eminences from the Dutch and Portuguese periods of colonial occupation of this town. A baptism and marriage register in the church contains records dating from 1751 and is a source of interest with many Dutch travellers seeking to trace their ancestry.

Chinese Fishing Nets

Casado settlers brought the Chinese fishing to Kochi. Perched in a row at the edge of the waterfront in Fort Kochi, their large bamboo frames dip ponderously into the water to rise with their copious nylon nets containing leaping, silvery fish that may be purchased, coated with spices and cooked at shack nearby.

Indo - Portuguese Museum

The museum displays a16th century teak altar piece, a 19th century silver and wood cross used in processions, an exquisitely wrought monstrance, a 19th century chasuble, sculptures, precious metal ware and numerous sacral from the era of Portuguese colonial rule in Kochi.

Jew Street and Synagogue

Jew Street is a narrow street that leads to an ancient synagogue, lined on either end with weathered old buildings that today contain curio shops displaying carved wood furniture, brass and bronze sculptures, delicate crockery, jewellery and much else.

The synagogue at the end of the street was built by the once thriving community of Jews in1568 and contains 19th century Belgian glass chandeliers and lamps, the gleaming pillars and the floor made of hand painted, blue ceramic tiles from 18 century China, each embellished with a distinctively exquisite willow pattern. Other noteworthy artefacts and memorabilia in the synagogue’s collection include gold crowns presented to the community of Jews by the Rajas of Cochin and Travancore, 4th century inscribed copper plates stating the privileges granted to the community by the Raja of Cochin and an oriental rug presented to the community by Haile Selassie, the late Ethiopian emperor.

Visitors will also see a pulpit with brass rails looking over the hall, beside a gilt columned, exclusive gallery for women. A replica ark made of teak displays four gold and silver encased scrolls of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament).

Dutch Palace

The palace was gifted to an erstwhile king of Cochin by the Portuguese in appeasement for the desecration of a temple. Subsequently, extensions were added on and the structure renovated by the Dutch. The palace showcases some of the finest mythological murals in the country that depict images illustrating various episodes from Hindu mythological literature like the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Puranic legends. The palace also contains a gallery in its central hall that displays portraits of various Rajas of Cochin. A bedroom displays sumptuous tempera paintings in rich warm colours besides numerous other works of art displayed in different parts of the palace.

Designed in the vernacular ‘naalukettu’ style of architecture with a central courtyard and low, wooden ceilings, the flooring inside is a mixture of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime, plant juices and egg white that gives off the rich sheen akin to that of black marble. Interestingly, European influences are also evident in the palace’s arches and in the proportions of various chambers.

Hill Palace Museum

The largest archaeological museum in Kerala, the Hill Palace Museum is situated on grounds that spread over 54acres on a hill in mainland Kochi. Built in 1865, the complex houses 49 traditionally-styled buildings that house a heritage museum and the surrounding grounds contain a deer park, a pre-historic theme park and a play area for children. The estate also grows several species of rare medicinal plants in its gardens. The museum’s collection displays the crown and ornaments of the erstwhile Cochin royal family, their furniture, paintings, sculptures in stone and marble, weapons, inscriptions, ancient coins and epigraphic compilations.

Museum of Kerala History

Situated amidst giant, overarching trees, the museum serves as a monumental testimony to Kerala’s heritage. Kerala’s mythic creator, a statue of the sage Parasurama himself greets visitors at the entrance to the museum. Historical epochs and episodes from the Neolithic age to the contemporary are showcased here through life sized scaled representations complemented by light and sound shows. Additionally, a gallery of art showcases a collection of over 200 original paintings and sculptures by modern Indian artists.

Kerala Folklore Museum

The museum’s fa?ade is a tall wood and brick building designed in the vernacular idiom of Kerala architecture. The entrance to the museum is a remnant of a 16th century temple in Tamil Nadu. Visitors enter through a doorway adorned with a ‘manichitratazhu’, traditional door locks that were once a part of all homes in Kerala.

The museum’s three floors contain artefacts classified according to the regions that they originate in, every object here a testimony to Kerala’s vibrant art, folk, dance and cultural traditions. The objects on display in the museum are a veritable treasure trove that contains masks, wood, stone and bronze sculptures, costumes, quaint musical instruments, traditional jewellery, Stone Age utensils, rare and esoteric astrological and medicinal manuscripts.

Visitors will find the live performances that are conducted in a theatre, beneath a splendid 17th century wooden ceiling every night on the top floor.

Alappuzha

Alappuzha is one gateway to the fabled back waters of Kuttanad. Situated south of Kochi, the town was, at a point of time in its history, referred to as ‘Venice of the east’. Visitors will visit an ancient lighthouse, get to sample an abundance of sea food including prawns, lobsters and fish.

The wetlands around Alappuzha are a haven to migratory birds - common teal, duck and cormorants that flock here seasonally and will be of interest to birders.

Alapuzha comes alive and is particularly worth visiting when the annual ‘Snake Boat’ races take place on the Punnamadalake, where hundreds of oars work in synch accompanied by rousing songs and percussion.

Champakulam

A hamlet situated beside the Pampa River- visitors here are in backwater country, south of Alleppey, composed of a maze of canals and streams, snaking through large stretches of paddy (for most part, cultivated below sea level).

The St. Mary’s church in Champakulam is believed to be one of the oldest churches in Kerala and is perhaps among the earliest seven churches that the apostle St. Thomas is believed to have built. Inscriptions in rock around the church are eloquent testimonies to its venerable history.

The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race, where indigenous boats with their prows resembling serpents poised to strike, is one the oldest and popular snake boat races in Kerala. Dozens of these ‘snake boats’ – each 138 feet long, the oars of up to a hundred boatmen to a boat flashing in the sun, accompanied by the rousing cadences of traditional songs and percussion is a sure fire adrenalin rush for a visitor.

Marari

Life here is idyllic, most resorts are built around a village of fishermen and women. Life here maintains a languid tempo, as it has for hundreds of years. At dawn, fishermen will return with the incoming tide, bearingthe night’s catch. For visitors this is an opportunity to buy some fresh fish. Marari offers a fine sand beach sand, pristine blue skies and stretches of swaying palms. Marari could also be described as a gentle emotion, an invitation to travel further and explore Kerala’s fabulous backwaters.

Kumarakom

Set beside the vast expanse of theVembanadlake, Kerala’s largest freshwater lake, Kumarakom is a very popular backwater destination composed in most part of a maze of canals, islets and expanses of water. The lake abounds with fascinating variety species of marine and freshwater fish, namely, shrimp and Pearl Spot. No tour of Kumarakom is complete without a visit to its fascinating bird sanctuary.

Once a rubber plantation, the sanctuary, today, is spread over 14 acres beside a river and is home to numerous species of migrating and endemic birds. Its erstwhile owner developed it into, a sanctuary for waterfowl, cuckoos, owls, egrets, herons, cormorants, moorhens, darters, Brahmani Kites and ducks besides Siberian cranes, parrots, teals, larks to name few of the species that are resident here.Best times to visit are at dawn, when the birds emerge from their arboreal perches and fly out in flocks across the lake.

Munnar

Initially used as a summer resort by the British, Munnar isa picturesque hill station composed of undulating mountain slopes carpeted by expanses of tea plantations. Stretches of dense forests line its mountains and pristine valleys, home to numerous species of exotic bird, animal and plant life.

Situated in the Western Ghats range of mountains at an elevation of a little over a 1000m, ‘Munnar’ owes its name to the rivers at whose confluence the town was built. And once every twelve years, the hillslopes around the town turn a vivid shade of blue when the ‘Nilakurinji’ flowers bloom.

No visit to Munnar is complete without a visit to the Eravikulam National Park. Anamudi, the tallest peak south of the Himalayas in India – towers over the park, composed of a plateau, grasslands profuse with clusters of shola nurtured by perennial streams. Eravikulam is also home to the largest surviving population of nilgiritahr besides gaurs, sambar deer, golden jackal, jungle cat, dhole, leopards and tigers. More elusive are nilgirilangur, stripe-necked Mongoose, Indian porcupines, nilgiri martens, small clawed otters, the ruddy mongoose, and the dusky palm squirrel. Elephants are seen foraging in the park serenaded by the black-and-orange flycatcher, the Nilgiri pipit, wood pigeon, the white bellied shortwing, Nilgiriverditer flycatchers and the Kerala laughing thrush. The Eravikulam National Park is currently being assessed for being classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Anayairankal

Eponymously referred to as ‘elephants descend here’, the nomenclature, perhaps aptly, describes the singular attraction that Anayarinkal holds out to a visitor – to be able to view herds of elephants arriving from the surrounding forests to drink at a large reservoir abutting a dam in the area and surrounded by lush evergreen forests and tea plantations.

Mattupetty

The area around the Mattupetty Dam and its reservoir, just outside Munnar town,attracts many animals that dwell in the surrounding forest, who come to drink and forage at the reservoir.

Mount Carmel Church

The earliest Catholic Church built in the high-ranges around Munnar, it was constructed by Father Alfonso, a Spanish missionary who served in the area.Visitors to the church will get to view a pair of splendidly fashioned statues of Christ, a Madonna and a grotto dedicated to ‘Our Lady of Lourdes’.

Tea Museum and Factory

Atour of the museum and the attached factory will provide visitors an insight to the business of tea cultivation and processing. Displayed in the museum’s collection are objects from the origins of the plantationsin the early 1900s, depictions of the lives of pioneers and memories of more recent times -sepia-tinted photographs, antique and relatively contemporary machinery, early office and home equipment. Another section of the museum contains furniture and fittings from colonial era bungalows.

Visitors may also sample varieties of tea grown in the plantations in Munnar and processed in the factory and then view a video film depicting the history of Munnar and its tea plantations.

Cheeyappara and Valara Water Falls

Both, the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls emerge from dense forests. Cheeyappara cascades down a hill slope in seven gigantic steps, whist Valara is essentially a chain of cataracts skittering down a large rock face. Travellers with a passion for the outdoors and trekking will find it worth their while to explore the area besides being great spots for a quiet picnic.

Pothamedu View Point

Pothamedu is a major tea plantation hub near Munnar. The highlights of the area are the stunning panoramic views from a mountain top, vistas of tea, coffee and cardamom estates, lush forest clad valleys and lofty peaks shrouded in mist. Yet another spectacular sight on a clear day is the gigantic arch of the Idukki Dam in the distance.

Periyar National Park

Set in a valley fringed by the Cardamom hills and the River Periyar running through its heart, the Periyar National Parkis spread over 350sq.km and consists of evergreen and moist decidious interspersed by grasslands that embrace a lake formed by the Idukki dam. The park a protected area and elephant and tiger reserve, home to a fascinating number of species of flowering plants, trees, mammals, birds, fresh water fish, reptiles and insects, many of them unique to the area.

Periyar Lake

Most travel itineraries involve a cruise on a motor launch along the Periyar River and a lake. Situated in the heart of the Periyar sanctuary, surrounded by lush, forest clad hills, herds of elephants and deer emerge to drink, rest and cool themselves in the lake. More than 30 species of fresh water fish thrive in the lake besidesriverine Otters. Darters, egrets and kingfishers are also often spotted in the area. Guest will also view herds of gaur, sambar and bison foraging on the grasslands beside the lake. The herds of gathered animals beside the lakeis particularly dense in summer.

Varkala

Famous for its 2,000-year old Janardana Swami Temple, an important Vaishnavaite shrine, Varkala is a small coastal town near Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram. The ancient Vaishnavite shrine is situated beside the Papanasam beach and the water in the ocean here is believed by Hindus to contain divine properties that provide absolution after death.

An ancient bell salvaged from a Dutch ship that was wrecked on these shores long ago is on display in the town. Locals believe that the crew of the unfortunate vessel escaped unscathed from the incident and that its captain, believing that they owed their good fortune to the presiding deity in the temple, gifted the ship’s bell to the town in gratitude. Visitors with an interest in Kerala’s social history may also find a mausoleum set stop a hillock and dedicated to Narayana Guru, an eminent social reformer, interesting.

Papanasam Beach / Varkala Cliff

The SedimentaryCenozoic cliff formations towering over the coastline at Varkala are a uniquegeological formations, at places, abutting into the sea, named by geologists as the ‘Varkala formation’.The rocks also give birth to numerous water spouts rich in mineral content that find use in the popular Ayurvedaspas that line the edge of the cliff.

Thiruvananthapuram

The city is the capital of Kerala and of the erstwhile rulers of Travancore as well. Historically a centre of trade, the city first finds mention in mythology dating from 1000BC. It is believed that a fleet belonging to Solomon called at a port named Ophir (perhaps today’sPoovar) near Thiruvananthapuram, seeking to trade in spices, ivory and sandalwood.

The city today is spread over seven hills and is a significant information technology hub. To visitors, Thiruvananthapuram offers palaces, ancient temples and historical structures, wide tree lined avenues, essentially a synthesis between the past and the contemporary.

Horse Palace Museum

The museum, once a palace, derives its name ‘KuthiraMalika’ or ‘Mansion of Horses’ from the 122 horses carved into the wooden wall brackets that support the palace’s southern roof. The museum’s display is contained in a portion of the palace and consists of possessions that once belonged to the Travancore royal family– elephant tusks transformed into thrones, a faux tree that can be heard to produce eight notes when tapped, ancient mirrors crafted in Italy and Belgium thrones made entirely of elephant tusks, a ‘musical tree’ that produces eight distinctive tones when tapped, Belgian and Italian mirrors, crystal chandeliers, paintings, ornaments, musical instruments, and idols and sculptures made from white marble.

The floor above the museum once served as private spaces for the royal family and contains what was once a chamber for audiences, a library and an alcove where a great musician-king conceived his compositions. Visitors will also be intrigued by a work of art by the renowned Russian artist Svetoslav Roerich on display, that is, in its impact for most part, an illusion – the face and the shoes of the subject appear to turn towards the onlooker from different perspectives.

Napier Museum

The Napier Museum was designed and built in 1854 in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, with gothic roofs and minarets, ornamentation and natural ventilation. The museum displays a collection that includes rare archaeological and historic artefacts. An art gallery next door displays works of the famous artists RajaRaviVarma and Nicholas Roerich besides Mughal and Tanjore art. A zoo spread over 55 acres in the premises, also established in 1857, is one of the oldest in India and worth a visit.

Ponmudi

Set in a landscape composed of dense tropical rainforests and mountain slopes, Ponmudi isa hamlet that was once a retreat of choice for aristocracy and is today a very popular hiking/trekking destination.Visitors will also enjoy participating in safaris through the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary. With the Kallar River flowingthrough, the park is home to a fascinating range of flora and fauna – elephants, sambar, leapords, lion-tailed macaques and the Malabar Gray Hornbill.The area around Ponmudi offers additional natural attractions as well - Echo Point, Golden Valley andthe Ponmudi Falls.

Padmanabhapuram Palace

Perhaps one of the best preserved examples of traditional Kerala architecture the palace was built in the 16th century AD. The woodwork on its fa?ade and interiors is intricate, built of rosewood and teak, with carved ceilings that display ninety different floral patterns, splendid 17th and 18th century. Elsewhere visitors will see murals, windows of colored mica, royal chairs with Chinese carving, a four-poster medicinal bed, Belgian mirrors and a vast floor of gleaming black obtained from a mixture of egg white, jaggery, lime, burnt coconut, charcoal and river sand.Visitors will see granite urns that once stored curd and buttermilk, an open air bath, a granite dance hall, and secret underground passages.

Kanyakumari

Situated on the southern extremity of the Indian peninsula, Kanyakumari is veritably India’s ‘land’s end’ where the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal mingle.Kanyakumari was historically significant from theSangam period in Tamil history with a flourishing culture, commerce and trade. Besides the stunningly beautiful seascapes, visitors here could opt to visit temples, a memorial dedicated to the Hindu philosopher Vivekananda and a gigantic statue built in memory of Tamil poet-philosopher-saint, Tiruvalluvar, the imposing grandeur of the 100-year old Our Lady of Ransom Church with stained glass windows, soaring spires and a cross built oftarnished gold crowning its roof. Step outside the town and one could visit beaches of differently coloured sand, expanses of paddy fields bordered with lines of coconut tree set against the majesty of the Western Ghats. And at the end of the day one just might be blessed with a stunningly beautiful sunset. On full moon evenings, when the sky is clear, the landscape turns magical, the moon rises and the sun sets, simultaneously over the ocean.

Poovar

A small coastal village south of Thiruvananthpuram, Poovar is reputedly one of the earliest Muslim settlements on the western coast of India. An ancient mosque here is believed to be about 1400 years old and one of the earliest built in India. A popular myth narrates that King Solomon’s legendary fleet stopped at Poovar’s port to trade in sandalwood, ivory and spices. A mostly deserted but scenic beach stretches along the coastline to the town’s west with the Neyyar River emptying into an estuary.

Kovalam

A very popular beach destination, Kovalam consists of three scenic beaches separated by rocky outcrops that together form what some travel writers describe as ‘the crescent of Kovalam beaches’. Situated south of Thiruvananthapuram, a short drive along a winding highway leads to Kovalam.

Lighthouse Beach

The southernmost of Kovalam’s three beaches, an ancient light house set on a rocky premonitory on one end and is a popular getaway for visitors that love soaking in the sun and soft sand beneath their feet.

Hawa Beach

Hawa is Kovalam’s largest beach, best visited at dawn when fishermen push their boats into the incoming tide to set out to sea. The water in the bay is calm for most part of the year and attracts droves of visitors wanting to swim and bask in the sun. Parties are held on the beach on moonlit nights during the season.

Samudra Beach

The northernmost of Kovalam’s beaches, Samudra is a relatively tranquil getaway when compared to the other beaches. The cove is shallow and visitors wanting to swim could wade in and walk a substantial distance before encountering significant depth. Bordered by steep headlands fringed with palm groves, visitors could drive here or else opt to walk from or to Hawa beach along a sea wall. The view is exciting - waves lashing the rocks below.

Vizhinjam

Essentially a village populated by families that depend on fishing for a living, Vizhinjam is also famous for its traditional Ayurveda treatment centres and beach resorts. It is also a major fishing harbour. The village is bordered by a line of hills that look out at the sea and offer visitors spectacular views of the ocean and tree carpeted landscape. A trip to a cluster of ancient cave temples outside will interest history and culture buffs.

Kozhikode

An ancient trading port, the city of Kozhikode is a melting pot of cultures. With a history that gains prominence from the time that Arabs traded from the 7th century AD, followed by the Portuguese, French, Dutch and English colonialist and commercial freebooters, who have all left a discernible impact on the city’s culture and its cuisine. A scenic city spread over undulating hillocks that descend to the sea, Kozhikode’s architecture is a meld of its history, colonial rule and the contemporary. Kozhikode is also renowned for an ancient boat-building yard in Beypore, where boats are still built using age old techniques. When in Kozhikode, do sample Halwa, a viscous indigenous sweet made of flour and sugar.

Kozhikode Beach

Over many hundreds of years, naval battles were fought off this coast, for control of land, water and the trade in spices. Cargos were loaded in ships bound for Europe from the currently ruined north pier set off the Kozhikode beach.Here, French traders established a trading point, referred to in the vernacular as 'Horse's Jumping Point' –prized breeds of horses were transported here from Gujarat and Arabia and transported to Europe.

Sweet Meat Street

Reputedly in existence for about six hundred years old, renowned sweet manufacturing families from Gujarat resided here, earning the street its name. Today, the shops lining the street offer much more than sweets. Besides a fascinating variety of products, the enticing aroma of frying banana chips, a very popular snack in Kerala, often attracts passing customers.

Mishkal Masjid

The Mishkal mosque is ancient and named after its 14th century builder NakhoodaMishkal, an Arab trader, built mostly of timber, bereft of cupolas and minarets.This five storeyed mosque was partially destroyed in a fire in the course of a battle with Portuguese colonialists. Never entirely repaired subsequently, the mosque even today bears signs of the conflagration.

Mother of God Cathedral

Architects from Italy built this marvellous example of Gothic church architecture in 1724. Containing curved arches and colonnaded spires typical of the Neo –Roman style, also on display is a portrait of St. Mary that dates back to 200 years.

Pazhassi Raja Museum

Named after an erstwhile king, the museum displays an eclectic collection of ancient artefacts from the Megalithic age and the Indus Valley Civilization comprising pottery, toys, stone and metal sculptures. Also on display are coins, models of temples, burial urns and umbrella stones. Areas in the museum are devoted to weapons and caps used by British and French soldiers and exquisite Panchaloha idols and stone statues.An adjacent artgallery exhibitsthe renowned Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma whose paintings are a fusion of indigenous mythology and European technique.

Valiyangadi

Valiyangadi comprises primarily of a bustle filled street cutting through an ancient area of commerce. The area bears a history stretching back to about 600 years, it is even today one of the most important commercial hubs in Kozhikode. A cultural melting pot, Valiyangadi is home people of diverse faiths and origins. Most people here are engaged invarious traditional businesses and occupations, just as their forefathers did they did centuries ago. Many enterprises still use a unique system of finger-code language first recorded by the Chinese traveller Ma Huang in 1403.

Beypore Port and Fishing Harbour

An ancient boatyard, Beypore is set besidethe mouth of the Chaliyarriver and even today builds boats named ‘dhows’ in Arabic or ‘urus’ in vernacular Malayalam. The artisans at the yard build these boats using the very same techniques that have been handed down through centuries. The Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama records that the crafts built in Beypore were more than a match in speed and manoeuvrability to his ostensibly modern ships.

Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary

Home to a fabulous variety of endemic and migratory bird species, the Kadalundi sanctuary is spread around a cluster of islands, the Kadalundipuzha River flowing through its heart, surrounded by hillocks. Terns, Gulls, Herons, Sandpipers, Cormorants, Whimbrels and Brahminy kites, Turnstones, Red and Greenshanks and come to the sanctuary to roost between November and April annually. Many species are endemic to the area. The river abounds in numerous species of fresh water fish, mussel and crabs. The surrounding mangrove forest is home to Otters and Jackals.

CVN Kalari Sangam

Kalarippayat is an ancient martial art-form with its origins in that also serves as a regimen of physical mobility, strength and mental discipline. In order to imbibe the essence of Kalarippayat, guest may opt to stay in the Kalri for an entire day, watching the exercises that students and instructors participate in. Their daily routine also includes meditation and Ayurvedic massages to condition the body and mind. Demonstrations are held daily for visitors as well.

Bekal Fort and Beach

The Bekal fort is the largest and perhaps the best preserved fort in Kerala. Shaped like a gigantic, it is situated on a gentle rocky promontory looking out at the sea with waves dashing against its formidable walls. The fortification is believed to have been built sometime in course of early 13 century AD and seems to have been designed solely for military defence, being bereft of a palace and administrative buildings. An ancient temple mosque in the premises are as in so many historical monuments, a testament to religious harmony that has permeated much of Kerala’s history. Visitors will find many aspects of the fort interesting – defensive fortifications in the form of a zigzagging pathway from its gates, trenches around the fort, a secret tunnel to the south, a magazine, ports for guns built at various levels on the outer walls of the fort, designed to cover different angles of fire. Climbing the observation tower, visitors will view a mostly lush panorama stretching across the vast blue expanse of the Arabian Sea. The sunsets in particular, viewed from the tower, are truly spectacular.

Kannur

Kannur, historically finds mention in ancient Greek, Roman and Arab records with mythical anecdotes surmising that Kannur might have been the mythical port of Naura, where the wood to build the great temple of Jerusalem was procured. Other records bequeathed by ancient travellers mention that Kannur’s port was a great emporium of the trade in spices.

Named Cannanore by English colonialists, the district is bordered by the Western Ghatmountains in the East and the Arabian Sea to the West. Kannur’s landscape is replete with experiences to hold a visitor in thrall – eclectic cuisine, ancient forts and places of worship, venerable cultural and educational institutions. Many of Kerala’s vibrant folk art forms were born in the area.

St.Angelo Fort

Situated outside Kannir town, this well preserved fort was built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de Almeida, a Portuguese Viceroy. Built at a time of conflict, the fort’s turbulent history begins almost after its completion, besieged in the ‘Siege of Cannanore’. The fort’s Portuguese defenders were resolute andwroe down the attackers. Once the siege was lifted, the Portuguese would rule over Kannur for a century and half. The Dutch captured the fort in 1663 and remodelled it. Later, they sold it to the Arakkal chieftains who were local feudatories, who were in turn subjugated by the British. The British, then, established a formidable garrison of strategic importance on the Malabar Coast.

Payyambalam Beach

The beach for most part is secluded and serene. Lapped by surf, the beach is popular picnic spot for Kannur’s residents and ideal to watch a spectacular sunset at the end of a day of visiting sites in and around Kannnur.

Cinnamon Valley

Considered the largest cinnamon plantation in Asia, the valley itself is cradled by the Western Ghats, with the pristine Anjarakandy River flowing through. Established by the East India Company in 1767, spread over 200 acres and fringed by a lush forest, besides cinnamon, the plantation also cultivates coffee, tea, cloves, vanilla, pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. The cinnamon is exported to many European markets. In the plantation’s processing plant visitors will have an opportunity to view the extraction of cinnamon oil.

Muzhappilangad Beach

Considered Asia’s largest drive-in beach, visitors may enjoy the experience of motoring along the 5 km curve of the beach.

Situated off the highway between Kannur and Thalassery, a naturally formed barrier of black rocks off the shore protect the beach from the tide. The annual beach festival is an important tourist attraction.

Visitors may also take part in adventure sports provided here - paragliding, parasailing and micro-lite flights besides water sports, power boating or else float out to sea in a catamaran and at the end of it all sample the famed Malabar cuisine from the many eateries in the vicinity of the beach.

Arakkal Museum

The museum has been established in a section of a palace that belonged to the Arakkal family. Powerful feudal chieftains in the area and once the only Muslim royal family in Kerala, the museumis dedicated to artefacts and heirlooms that belonged to the family. Worth visiting for travellers with an interest in history.

Tellicherry Fort

A foreboding structure with towering walls and bastions, intriguing tunnels to the sea and intricately carved huge doors, the fort is built with a mixture of quicklime, white of egg and sugar cane (an indigenous technique) in 1708 by the British East India Company. Once a colonial bastion on the Malabar Coast, an interesting aspect in the structure is its quirky entrance, situated on top of a gigantic wall.

Wayanad

Wayanad is essentially a plateau formed out of the descent of the Western Ghats, its surface composed of lofty ridges and deep forested valleys, spice plantations and paddy fields. Archaeological evidence from the 10th century reveals that the forests in Wayanad have been inhabited for more than 3,000 years. Remnants of New Stone Age civilization lie scattered across Wyanad, most prominent being two caves with cuneiforms and hieroglyphics in Edakkal.

Kuruvadweep Island

The island is one amongst a group of islets in a tributary of the Kabini River, surrounded by an evergreen forest that is home to a fascinating variety of vegetation, rare orchids and wild flowers, fresh water lakes and numerous species of butterflies. The islets are home to migratory birds whose calls can be heard above the sound of rushing water.

Tholpetty and Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuaries

Situated in North Wayanad, Tholpetty and Muthanga sanctuaries together form the Wayand Wildlife Sanctuary, which in turn is contiguous with the Nagarhole National Park and part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. A fascinating diversity of flora and fauna is what visitors will observe, both endemic and migratory.

Chembra Peak

Chembra is the tallest peak at 2100 metres, in Wayanad, posing formidable challenges to visitors attempting to reach its summit. Nvertheless, the attemotis an exhilarating experience. Expanding vistas of the lush and mountainous landscape open up as one climbs higher along the peak.

Banasura Sagar Dam

The dam is the largest earthen dam in Asia and numerous resorts dot the undulating landscape overlooking its reservoir. Treks to Banasura Peak start from here as well. Visitors could also opt to explore islets that were formed in the reservoir as a consequence of the dam being constructed.

Edakkal Caves

Dating back to the Stone Age, the caves are situated beside an ancient, now disused trade route that once linked spice plantations of the Western Ghats to ports on the Malabar Coast. The Edakkal caves were formed with a large piece of rock splitting away from a larger mass causing clefts and fissures on the cliff face. The walls of these caves feature pictographs, drawings of human and animal figures, tools and as yet undeciphered symbols that date back to over 8,000 years ago and the only known examples from the period in South India.

Athirapally and Vazhachal Waterfalls

The waterfalls on the Chalakudy River are one of the largest in Kerala, cascading from a height of about 80 feet amidst very scenic surroundings of forests, streams and rivulets. Athirapally is a riparian ecosystem and the forests surrounding the falls are rich in endangered and endemic flora and fauna. Declared as an ‘Important Bird Area’ by The International Bird Association, the area is unique in that it is the only place in the Western Ghatmountains where visitors can spot four different varieties of endangered Hornbill species.

Kerala Kalamandalam

Set beside the Nila River, an area historically a cradle of Kerala culture, Kerala Kala Mandalam is India’s premier institution imparting training in and conducting performances of Kerala’s classical arts. Founded in 1930, indigenous art forms like Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Mohiniyaattam, Panchavaadyam besides numerous other disciplines are taught following the ancient GurukulaSambradaaya system that requires student and teacher to live and study together.