Kerala backwaters are known for their stunning views and people rush to South Kerala to have a ride in houseboat and enjoy coconut palm-lines coasts of Kerala backwaters. Valiyaparamba backwaters in North Kerala are equally stunning and less crowded thus providing an ideal destination for back packers to take a ride in the still waters and enjoy a solitude break at pristine beaches. Valiyaparamba is an island with backwaters on one side and Arabian ocean on other side. Towards the ocean side, there is a big, beautiful, calm and clean beach where you can chill out and watch locals fishing.
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We enquired for the houseboat but every one was quoting crazy high rates, so we decided to explore Payyanur backwaters in public transport boat. Despite a holiday, there were very few people in the boat and being open from all sides, we had a complete view of beautiful Kerala backwaters. Boat arrived at Payyanur at 10 AM and we took a ticket up to Valiyaparamba which was the second last stop on the route.
Boat took around 1.5 hours to reach Valiyaparamba picking passengers enroute while we enjoyed backwaters with green coconut palm tree line and islands spread on the way. Boat attendant Damodar ji was a very friendly person and explained us about all the places on the way.
Kerala Backwaters Video: Views from the boat
After leaving the boat on the backwaters side of Valiyaparamba island, we went right through the middle of the island to reach on the opposite side of the beach. It was a 15 minute walk through the houses and soon we were at the beach with waves making a thumping sound against the sand. There was no one except the local fishermen catching their bounty. Beach was super clean and we relaxed under coconut trees and then walked along the beach, all alone listening to the sound of waves and wind. This is another hidden gem that we discovered during our voyage through North Kerala.
After spending some time on the beach, we walked back through the village and reached to the stop to catch back our ferry which was scheduled to arrive at 1:30 PM. Ferry dropped us mid way from where we took a bus to reach Payyanur Rail station and left Payyanur for our next destination in the voyage of North Kerala – to Guruvayur Temple (Kuttippuram railway station). We loved our ride through Valiyaparamba backwaters and the friendliness of Kerala people who guided us through out.
How to reach Valiyaparamba backwaters
Valiyaparamba Backwaters are very close to Payyanur. Payyanur railway station is on main railway line connecting Mumbai to South Kerala and thus one can easily take a train and reach Payyanur. A ferry can be boarded from Payyanur Jetty for a ride through beautiful Kerala Backwaters
Ferry Information for a ride through backwaters
We took ferry from Payyanur but its starting jetty is Ayitti jetty. All ferries start from Ayitti and then terminate at different jetties on the route. So, best would be to start your journey from Ayitti. If you want to catch the ferry from Payyanur, morning ferry reaches there at 10 AM and then turns back for Valiyaparamba and Ayitti jetty (~ 2 hour journey Payyanur to Ayitti). You may also call Ayitti jetty and get the schedule of ferries. Ferries run on all days and do not have any holiday breaks. Ticket cost from Payyanur to Valiyaparamba stop was only Rs 13 per person.
Places to eat in Valiyaparamba & Payyanur
Since, North Kerala has low tourist inflow, so you will also find limited food options. Most of the places are non-vegetarians and vegetarian places mainly serve rice and poori. So, if you happen to find a good food joint anywhere, do grab your food without a thought 🙂
Great article, This is the first time i have read about Valiyaparamba island and the tourism spots of that place. After reading this article I defenitly want to go there. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Arun for your kind words 🙂
Thanks for the info