Kasaragod District, Kerela
District Headquarter: Kasaragod
Distance: 50 from Mangalore, 350 km from Cochin, 550 km from Trivandurm, 152 km from Coorg, 320 km from Mysore and 380 km from Bangalore
Journey time: Around 1 hour from Mangalore, 9 hrs from Bangalore.
How to reach there: You can reach there by KSRTC bus from Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore and Coorg. By train you can go upto Mangalore and then by bus upto kasaragod. If you would like you can also hire your own transport.
Route: Bangalore – Srirangapatna bypass – coorg – mangalore – Kasaragod or Bangalore – Hassan – Mangalore – kasaragod
Where to stay:
In Kasaragod — Apsara Regency, Hotel City Tower, Holiday Inn, Poinachi
In Bekal — Eeeyam lodge at Palakkunnu,Udma – Fort land Tourist Home at Udma, Rajan Rest inn at Palakkunnu, Udma
In Kanhangad — Green land lodge atKanhangad, Hotel City Palace at Hosdurg, Elite Tourist Home at Kottachery, Bekal International at Kottachery
In Nileshwar — Nalanda Resorts (3 star), Near Nileshwar river, Happy Tourist Home, Nileshwar
Where to eat: You may try the restaurants in these hotels or try local eatries.
Language spoken: Malayalam, Tulu, Beary, Hindi, English
Kasaragod become a seperate district on 24 May 1985. Kasaragod is bounded by western ghat hills in the east and in west by Arabian sea. Earlier Kasaragod used to be a trade center with export to Maldives and Arab countries. A large part of Kasaragod used to be the part of the Tulu kingdom and has been ruled by Vijaynagara empire, Ikkery Naiks, Hyder Ali/Tipu Sultan and finally Birtish.
What to see:
1. Bekal Fort: Bekal fort is the biggest fort in kerela and was built by the Ikkeri Nayakas. The fort is located at the shore of Arabian sea. It located around 14 km from Kanhangad and 11 km from Kasaragod town. The nearest railway station is Bekal fort railway station.
2. Ranipuram: Ranipuram is a small hill station located around 48 km away from Kanhangad town. Here you can watch wildlife, flora and fauna. The proposed Ranipuram wildlife scantuary will be boon to tourism. Ranipuram is also popular for trekking. Bus services are available from Kanhangad and jeep service is available from Panathady. KTDC cottages are available for hire. Contact – KTDC.
3. Kareem forest park – Kareem forest park is India’s first and only private scantuary. The only man made forest in the Kerala is spread over 32 acres. The forest had diverse species of trees, birds, insects, reptiles etc. The park is situated at Puliyamkulam, near Parappa (near Nileswar) around 23 km away east of kanhangad town.
4. Thalangara Children’s Park – The parts is located around 4 km from Kasargod town near a fishing harbour. You can see many birds and few animals.
5. Anandashramam and Nithyanandashramam: Anandashramam is located around 5 km from Kanhangad Railway Station, was founded in 1939 by Swami Ramadas, a great Vaishnava saint of modern times. Nityanandasramam is located around 1/2 km from Hosdurg town and is situated on hillock. It was founded by Swami Nityananda. You can check the Hosdurg fort nearby.
You can also visit some other places if you have time like – Malik Deenar Masjid, Valiyaparamba backwater, Chandragiri fort, Kanjan Junga (a artist village located around 16 km from Kasaragod), Kanwateertha Beach Resort, Kottencheri hills (30 km from Kanhangad town), Maipady Palace ( 8 km from Kasaragod), Ananthatpuram Lake temple, Madhur Temple in Kasaragod.
There are also some forest reserves which may be explored namely –
Malom wildlife sanctaury – Located around 28 km from Kanhangad town.
Adoor wildlife sanctuary – Located around 35 km from Kasaragod town.
Parappa wildlife sanctuary – Located around 22 km from Chervathur town.
Kammadam sacred grove wildlife sanctuary – Spread over 50 acres and located around 25 km from Kanhangad town.