Valiyaparamba- A Backwater delight

Kavvayi Backwaters located near Payyannur, a major railway station is the third largest backwater in Kerala and the largest one in north Kerala. The 'Kavvayi Kayal' as called by locals, consists of several small and large islands. Valiyaparamba island is the largest among them and stretches over 16 sq km.

Hanging Bridge in the backwaters

 Valiyaparamba is just 30km from Bekal, a major tourist attraction in northern Kerala. The island can be reached by road or service boats.

A secluded island in the backwaters which can be reached by boats

 How to Reach:

By air: Mangalore is the nearest major airport ( about 105 km)
By Rail: Payyannur (Kannur dist).  The railway station is situated at a walkable distance to Kotty jetty. There is a service boat to Valiyaparamba at 10.30am in the morning and the same boat returns at 3.30 pm.

By Road: from Kannur side, get down at Payyannur. Take an auto from bus stand and go to kotty jetty at minimum charge. Tourists from Kasaragod side, should get down at Kalikadavu and hire an auto and go to Ayitty boat jetty.

We were a group of 10 students from Mangalore. We took a train to Payannur and we missed the only service boat that operates.  Hence, we hired an auto to Ayitty boat jetty which is approximately 8km from Payannur.  The service boat  departs at 1 pm from this point and reaches Valiyaparamba at 1.10 pm.

We continued on the service boat as we were more interested in Valiyaparamba backwaters than the island itself. The boat halts at Pandiala. From Pandiala, we took a country boat back to Payyanur after a 1.5 hr journey in boats. From Payyanur, we travelled in a train to Bekal and spent the evening watching the beautiful sunset.   

You can hire houseboats in Valiyaparamba at approx. 4000INR per night and cruise in the backwaters.

Sunset at Bekal