From beaches to forts, you have it all in Kannur, Kerala, India

From beaches to forts, you have it all in Kannur, Kerala, India

My family and I visited Kannur(Cannanore) in April 2017. This can be a good long weekend travel option for people from Bangalore. Ideally, I would suggest you to opt a road trip rather than a train or bus. You can easily set aside 2 days, to see the attractions in Kannur.

Places that we visited:

Sargalaya / Iringal Craft’s Village (Enroute Kannur from Kozhikode)

Geographically, this is in Kozhikode district but don’t miss this place if you are travelling from Kozhikode to Kannur by road. Sargaalaya is a 20-acre arts and crafts village in Iringal(near Vadakara). There are lot of traditional crafts, available for sale at a decent price.

The tourists can also enjoy boating in the Moorad River.

Good to see such initiatives from the side of Kerala Government.

Angelo Fort:

It is infact a symbol of influence from various Europeans who had ruled this place. This is comparatively as smaller fort. You can also see a jail inside, with lot of prisons.

The beautiful location facing the sea, the well-maintained gardens inside the fort and the peaceful ambience gives an experience for the visitors.

Payyambalam Beach:

This is the longest beach in Kannur. Another popular spot for locals as well as the tourists. There are lot of water sports available here. Lot of people visit here to do Kite – Flying.

Entrance of the beach looks very odd and small.

There is a small bridge which takes you to the beach. There are lot of monuments at the side of this bridge. These monuments commemorate the lives of famous political leaders who had played an important role in Kerala politics.

Payyambalam beach has appeared in several South Indian films and advertisements. The Tamil movie Alai Payude, directed by Mani Ratnam, Worldspace ad by A.R.Rahman, and many more have scenes filmed here.

Sri RajaRajeswara Temple:

The Rajarajeswara temple is a Shiva temple located at Taliparamba in the Kannur district of Kerala, South India. The temple is regarded as one of the existing 108 ancient Shiva Temples of ancient Kerala. It also has a prominent place amongst the numerous Shiva temples in South India. As the custom, only men enter the Naalambalam during the daytime, while women standing outside. Women can enter the Naalambalm all days once the Athazha pooja is over in the evening. It is assumed that after Athazha pooja the lord is in an aspect of a very pleased and gracious disposition accompanied by his consort goddess Parvathi — this is considered to be the most auspicious time for women to enter the Naalambalam as they get the occasion to worship the divine couple.

Muzhappilangad Drive In Beach(around 4 Kms):

This is one of the favourite hangout spot for locals/tourists. This is a Drive in beach, where you can drive through the beach in your vehicle along an unbroken stretch of 3-4 Kms. This is simply amazing. This is the longest Drive in Beach in Asia. Not far from the southern end of the beach is the Dharmadam island.

Dharmadam Island:

Dharmadam Island (Green Island) is an nice island located at Thalassery. It’s a beautiful place with coconut trees and dense bushes extending upto 5 acres. The island is just 100 meters from the mainland of Dharmadam. The island is surrounded by the Anjarakandy river on three sides and by the Arabian sea on the fourth side. The island is a beautiful sight from the Muzhappilangad beach.

During low tides, the sea becomes less intense making it possible for tourists to visit the island. Walking through the shallow waters to the island is an exciting experience. However, do not venture to the island alone, as the water can rise expeditiously during high tide. Get advice from a local guide as you travel to Dharmadam through the low tides.

An alternative way to reach Dharmadam is by taking a boat from the south end of Moidu Bridge which is close by on the Kannur-Thalassery highway.

There is also a small well in the island whose water is not salty.

Other Places Near By (within 25 Kms):

• Thottada Beach (10 Kms)
• Choottad Beach (25 Kms)
• Meenkunnu Beach (10 Kms)
• Arakkal Museum (3.5 Kms)
• Parassinikkadavu Muttapan Kavu (19.5 kms)
• Parassinikkadavu Snake Park and Mini Zoo (16 Kms)
• Vismaya water Theme Park (17.5 kms)
• Thalassery Fort (21 Kms)

Food:

There are a lot of options for foodies here in Kannur.

Raandal: I really liked the food that we had from here. Fish Biriyani and Mango Fish curry are worth trying. The desserts and special drinks were equally good. They have very good options for Vegetarians aswell.

Sheen Bakery: Don’t forget to buy butter cakes from here. Seems they have many branches across the city.

Accommodation:

Kannur have a lot of hotels, homestays and resorts. Ensure to book in advance during long weekends or vacations. Personal recommendation would be to take a home stay.

We stayed in ‘Harris Sea Shell Beach Home’. I would definitely recommend this place to my fellow travellers. There is a beach very near to the resort. The sea view from this resort is amazing.

How to Reach:

Air: The nearest airport was Kozhikode International Airport.

Recent Update: A New International airport is now open in Kannur ( December 2018). Lot of domestic players have also started operations from here. Do search in some websites to see the connectivity to your place.

Train: The nearest railway station is Kannur Railway station.

Bus: Kannur also have one private bus stand and one KSRTC (Kerala State road Transport Corporation) Bus stand. There are lot of state and interstate connecting buses available from here.

Important Disclaimer: The political history of Kannur is not great compared to other states. So please check with your resort/hotel and ensure that there are no political fights/hartals in Kannur as such or the specific place that you intend to visit.