A place that is quite popular among basketball players in Kerala but could have been popular with tourism as well !! Surrounded by Hills, waterfalls, water bodies and greenery, Chandanakampara offers a promising vacation !!
Paithalmala : A must visit spot close to Chandanakampara with breathtaking views and blood sucking leeches. A morning walk would be the best option in case you plan to trek. The government lodge close to this spot would be an ideal location to stay. You could take your vehicles till the lodge and then starts a trek through the forest to reach this absolute beauty. Beware of leeches - you would need some salt to keep them away.
Palakkayam thattu : A place that has picked up popularity and tourist attraction quite late. Strange that this place went unnoticed earlier. This qualifies as a must visit in case you visit Kannur. The right time to visit this place would be at sunset since you would be surrounded by clouds with a breathtaking view. You could travel by your own vehicle till the entrance and then preferably opt for a jeep (there are jeeps waiting at the entrance which would charge you Rs.300 for some off road travel). Once you reach the spot beyond which vehicles are not allowed, you would find Five star restaurant and here starts the trek. Though a small stretch to walk, the place looks ideal for nature lovers. After visiting a few spots we returned to the base and headed back home.
Mother Teresa church - A flawless human being who led by example and showed the world what charity means. A church built in the name of this humble woman has a historic relevance of being the first few churches built in her name. Natives have experienced several miracles here. However this church remains unknown to people outside Kannur, probably because there was
barely any publicity for this place.
Alakapuri falls : A small walk through a forest which leads you to a waterfall and that Alakapuri falls. Not often would you get to stand beneath the waterfalls. Do remember to carry a towel as you would be tempted to get drenched !! The trek to this falls reminded me of Meenmutti falls in Wayanadu.
Meeshakavala : Close to Alakapuri falls is a junction named after a man who gained popularity with his mushtache. Not sure what his name is but he is addressed by the natives as "Meesha" and hence the junction is termed as Meeshakavala. This small town celebrity is the only one to run a tea shop in these premises so do not forget to stop by for a cup of tea and bread omlet.
Muzhipilangadi beech : A 2 hour drive from Chandanakampara will take you to the only drive in beech in India. In case you happen to wonder how people drive their cars along the beechside as seen in some movies, this is the place that would clear your doubt. Surprisingly the waters weren't fierce enough to soften the sand along the shore. This place also offers space for people to learn car driving. You would also spot fishermen with their boats filled with fishes.
Quarry : Another spot in Chandanakampara that you could visit in case you have some spare time would be the quarry. Though there is nothing much that you could do here, the drive to this spot and the view from the quarry is good.
Apart from the above spots, there are various other spots like Sasipara that you could trek or visit. A native by name Sasi had apparently jumped off this cliff and ever since, this was place was known as Sasipara !!
Basketball court : This blog would be incomplete if I don't make a mention about the basketball court. It amazes me that the whole town is filled with sportsman spirit and in most families you would find at least one basketball player. Like I said earlier, Chandanakampara is popular among basketball players and this place hosts numerous tournaments inviting teams across the state and at times other states as well. Every morning you would find players of all age groups working out with their routine exercises and the schools in this town give more priority to Basketball than other sports.
This sums up my experience in Chandanakampara and I feel proud to have my better half from here !! :)
Paithalmala : A must visit spot close to Chandanakampara with breathtaking views and blood sucking leeches. A morning walk would be the best option in case you plan to trek. The government lodge close to this spot would be an ideal location to stay. You could take your vehicles till the lodge and then starts a trek through the forest to reach this absolute beauty. Beware of leeches - you would need some salt to keep them away.
Palakkayam thattu : A place that has picked up popularity and tourist attraction quite late. Strange that this place went unnoticed earlier. This qualifies as a must visit in case you visit Kannur. The right time to visit this place would be at sunset since you would be surrounded by clouds with a breathtaking view. You could travel by your own vehicle till the entrance and then preferably opt for a jeep (there are jeeps waiting at the entrance which would charge you Rs.300 for some off road travel). Once you reach the spot beyond which vehicles are not allowed, you would find Five star restaurant and here starts the trek. Though a small stretch to walk, the place looks ideal for nature lovers. After visiting a few spots we returned to the base and headed back home.
Mother Teresa church - A flawless human being who led by example and showed the world what charity means. A church built in the name of this humble woman has a historic relevance of being the first few churches built in her name. Natives have experienced several miracles here. However this church remains unknown to people outside Kannur, probably because there was barely any publicity for this place.
Meeshakavala : Close to Alakapuri falls is a junction named after a man who gained popularity with his mushtache. Not sure what his name is but he is addressed by the natives as "Meesha" and hence the junction is termed as Meeshakavala. This small town celebrity is the only one to run a tea shop in these premises so do not forget to stop by for a cup of tea and bread omlet.
Muzhipilangadi beech : A 2 hour drive from Chandanakampara will take you to the only drive in beech in India. In case you happen to wonder how people drive their cars along the beechside as seen in some movies, this is the place that would clear your doubt. Surprisingly the waters weren't fierce enough to soften the sand along the shore. This place also offers space for people to learn car driving. You would also spot fishermen with their boats filled with fishes. 
Quarry : Another spot in Chandanakampara that you could visit in case you have some spare time would be the quarry. Though there is nothing much that you could do here, the drive to this spot and the view from the quarry is good.
Apart from the above spots, there are various other spots like Sasipara that you could trek or visit. A native by name Sasi had apparently jumped off this cliff and ever since, this was place was known as Sasipara !!
Basketball court : This blog would be incomplete if I don't make a mention about the basketball court. It amazes me that the whole town is filled with sportsman spirit and in most families you would find at least one basketball player. Like I said earlier, Chandanakampara is popular among basketball players and this place hosts numerous tournaments inviting teams across the state and at times other states as well. Every morning you would find players of all age groups working out with their routine exercises and the schools in this town give more priority to Basketball than other sports.
This sums up my experience in Chandanakampara and I feel proud to have my better half from here !! :)
