Kannur’s little gem: The picturesque Palakkayam Thattu

The people of Kannur take pride in the magnificent view of Palakkayam Thattu. For them, it’s their own, this popular tourist destination, located at a distance of 28 km from Thaliparambu on the way to Coorg.

Many come here to celebrate the holidays.

The valley of Palakkayam Thattu, which grabbed fame recently on social media, is popular for a cave named Ayyanmada Thurangam, which is believed to be the evidence of once existed Buddhist culture in the area.

Palakkayam Thattu is lined by rubber and cocoa trees planted by migrants from Central Kerala. This place is also known as Kottayam Thattu, as it is mainly inhabited by the people from Kottayam.

The view of the golden sunset is a must-see. It is as if the sun were setting on the palm of your hand.

How to reach

The ticket counter at the check post welcomes you to the Palakkayam Thattu. Enter through the gate and the bamboo groves to the hilltop. The eastern villages of Thaliparambu can be seen on the iron benches near the barricaded ridge. The row of cliffs, the adventure park, the tents, and the viewpoint are just some of the attractions there. It is a must-visit location for those who love trekking and adventure tourism. Several waterfalls (in the rainy season) and mountain ranges add to the beauty of Palakkayam Thattu.

Paithalmala is another popular hill station in Kannur, which is a few kilometres away from there. The beauty of Palakkayam Thattu is entrancing when seen from the top of Paithal hill.

This hill station gets rainfall throughout the year. Even though people visit here in all seasons, it’s better not to visit in rainy seasons. However, the ideal time for a photographer to visit here to get some stunning shots of the green and misty mountain is during the monsoon (from June to October).

Beware of leeches if you are visiting this place during the rainy season. Another hurdle people face during the rainy season is the grasses that develop into the walkways, which makes hiking troublesome.

A square cement frame has been set up to enjoy the distant view from the Palakkayam hilltop, which makes a great addition to your social media snaps. The scenic beauty, the adventure park, the tent camps are also not to be missed. The activities and arrangements for visitors were brought in after recognizing the tourism potential of the Palakkayam Thattu gave a much-needed facelift to the place.

People from other states started coming to this unknown hill station soon after it became a social media hit.

The best time to visit the place is morning 6 to 7:30am and evening from 5 to 6:30pm. However, visitors are allowed entry to the place from 6am till 10pm. Palakkayam Thattu is almost 56 Kilometers (34.8 Miles) away from Kannur Town. The nearest towns are Naduvil and Pulikurumba. To reach the top of Palakkayam Thattu, you can either trek uphill or hire a taxi Jeep which will cost almost Rs 200. The nearest national highway is at Thaliparambu (National Highway 66) which connects Goa and Mumbai in the north and Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in the South.