Palakkad – A country side holiday retreat
Palakkad, located at the foot of the Western Ghats makes a thoroughbred tourist destination. Well known for its vast expanses of paddy fields and palms, the thick tropical jungles, history, culture and traditional Ayurvedic treatment centres, Palakkad has indeed a unique character and personality that not many destinations can match.
Often known as the granary of Kerala, Palakkad has vast tracts of paddy fields. People are friendly and the city still clings on to its bucolic charm of the yesteryears.
The tourist attractions of Palakkad are diverse as chalk and cheese. From wild life sanctuaries like silent valley park, Attapady hills and Parambikulam to some of the most beautiful dams like malampuzha, mangalam, pothundi and siruvani, it will indeed be a life time experience for you.
Palakkad Fort, which dates back to 1766 and constructed by Hyder Ali, the father of Tipu Sultan, remains the landmark of this city. One of the best preserved forts in India, this medieval era granite fort situated right at the heart of the city could well be your first stopover.
Some of the places to visit in Palakkad include Malampuzha Dam and Gardens: Well known as the “Vrindavan of Kerala”, Malampuzha is nothing short of a scenic paradise. You can enjoy a boat ride in the reservoir or spend some time in the sprawling garden, which has an amusement park and telescopic tower among others.
While you are in Palakkad , you are only around 50 km away from the hill resort of Nelliyampathy, well known for its luscious oranges and wild life trails among many other reasons. A drive along the hair pen bends will be a visual delight as it offers some of the best snap shot moments for you in the form of lush green orchards, paddy fields, rolling valleys and tumbling waterfalls. The pleasant climate and the breath taking natural finery do attract many tourists from far and wide; however, Nelliyampathy still remains one of the lesser known hills stations that make it comparatively quiet and tranquil. Nelliyampathy is a popular trekking spot and its hill ranges that are at a height of 467 meters to 1572 meters are well cut for para gliding and other adventure sports as well.
Invariably Palakkad tour packages include a trip to Silent Valley National Park, which is spread over an area of 90 sq. km . It is the only remaining evergreen forest in the Western Ghats and is home to many endangered animals like the lion tailed macaques.
Some of the other places to visit in Palakkad include the tribal hamlet of Attappady, nestled deep inside the forests. You can have some well cherished moments of a rue tribal experience in Attapadi where the inhabitants live the way their ancestors did a hundred years ago!
In case you are planning a quick getaway, Palakkad would be a perfect choice as it is easily accessible and has enough and more activities and attractions to keep you hooked all through your trip.
The nearest airport is located in Coimbatore at a distance of 55 km towards East and the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is at a distance of 160 km south.
Palakkad, being one of the important gateways to Kerala, is well connected to all important cities in India through a wide network of Highways and roads. KSRTC and private buses ply to different parts of the state and to Tamil Nadu.
Palakkad is a divisional headquarters in the Southern Railways. Regular train services are available from Palakkad Junction Railway Station to almost all Indian Cities.
