Wayanad's ethereal 345-sq-km sanctuary is accessible only by two-hour jeep safari (₹680), on which you might spot langurs, chital deer, sambar, peacocks,…
Must see attractions in Northern Kerala
- Top ChoiceWayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
- Thirunelly Temple
Thought to be one of the oldest temples on the subcontinent, Thirunelly Temple huddles beneath the Brahmagiri Hills 15km southwest of Tholpetty. Non…
- Edakkal Caves
These remote hilltop 'caves' – more accurately a small series of caverns – are celebrated for the ancient collection of petroglyphs in their top chamber,…
- Fort St Angelo
One of the earliest Portuguese settlements in India (constructed with permission from Kannur's rulers), the 1505 St Angelo Fort looms tall on a promontory…
- Wayanad Heritage Museum
In the village of Ambalavayal, 12km southwest from Sultanbatheri near the Edakkal Caves, this small but fascinating museum exhibits tools, weapons,…
- Bekal Fort
The huge laterite-brick Bekal Fort, built between 1645 and 1660, is the largest in Kerala and sits on Bekal’s rocky headland with fine views. It passed…
- Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Muthanga)
The location of the eastern entry gate to Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, accessible by two-hour jeep safari only.
- TThalasseri Fort
The coastal town of Thalasseri (formerly Tellicherry), 20km southeast of Kannur, was a major cardamom and pepper export hub under the British East India…
- MMiskhal Masjid
Around 2km southwest of Mananchira Sq, this 650-year-old mosque is an attractive (mostly) wooden four-storey building supported by impressive wooden…
- AArakkal Museum
Housed in part of the royal palace of the Arakkal family, a powerful Kannur dynasty with its roots dating to the 12th century, this harbourfront museum…
- TThottada Beach
Framed by low palm-sprinkled headlands and a shallow lagoon, this beautiful powdery gold-sand expanse, 8km southeast of Kannur centre, is home to the area…
- KKappil Beach
Isolated Kappil Beach, 6km north of Bekal, is a beautiful, lonely stretch of fine gold-hued sand with calm water, but beware of shifting sandbars…
- NNileshwar Beach
Around 18km southeast of Bekal, Nileshwar's gorgeous beach is a tranquil, palm-bordered expanse of blonde sand that fades into the hazy distance; there…
- WWayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Tholpetty)
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary can only be visited by two-hour jeep safari; this is the location of the reserve's northern gate.
- KKerala Dinesh Beedi Co-Operative
The Kannur region is known for the manufacture of beedis, those tiny Indian cigarettes deftly rolled inside green leaves. This is one of the largest and…
- UUravu
An 11km drive east from Kalpetta, the Uravu nonprofit collective of 200 workers (most of them women) creates all sorts of artefacts from bamboo. You can…
- LLoknath Weavers’ Co-operative
Established in 1955, this is one of the oldest cooperatives in Kannur and occupies a large building where weavers busily work away to the click of looms…
- PPayyambalam Beach
Kannur town's main sandy strand is the blonde, 4km-long Payyambalam Beach, 3km west of the train station, just past the military cantonment.
- PPanamaram Jain Temple
Seemingly being allowed to collapse into oblivion, this ancient, partly ruined roadside Jain temple displays fine stone carvings backed by lush greenery…
- CChurch of South India
This bright-white church opposite Mananchira Sq was established by Swiss missionaries in 1842; its unique European-Keralan architecture features a three…