Malabar · Western Coastal Strip
How to reach
By air
- Calicut International Airport (CCJ) — At Karipur, on a ridge about 25 km from Kozhikode. The main gateway, and the busiest single route out of it is to the Gulf.
- Kannur International Airport (CNN) — Opened in 2018; the closest airport to the Theyyam belt and to the northern coast.
By rail
- Kozhikode (CLT) — The region's main station, in the middle of the city.
- Kannur (CAN)
- Thalassery (TLY)
- Tirur (TIR) — For Ponnani and the southern edge.
- Nilambur Road (NIL) — The end of a branch line from Shoranur that was built to bring teak out of the valley, and still runs several trains a day on that alignment.
By road
NH 66 — the coastal spine, running the length of the regionNH 766 — Kozhikode to Mysuru over the Thamarassery pass and through Bandipur, closed to traffic at nightNH 966 — Kozhikode to Malappuram and PalakkadThe Palchuram and Kuttiadi ghat roads, the alternative climbs onto the plateau
By water
Beypore port, and the sand bar the uru yards sit onKavvayi backwaters at Payyannur — channels and islands with public ferries and no houseboatsPonnani harbour at the Bharathapuzha mouth
Getting around
KSRTC and private buses reach almost everywhere; on the plateau a jeep is the practical vehicle. The Thamarassery pass has nine hairpins and is the bottleneck for everything moving between the coast and Wayanad, so allow for it. For a kaliyattam you need a local contact and a willingness to be somewhere at three in the morning, which is when many of the important kolams appear.
How to reach Malabar by air, rail, road and water, and how to get around once there. (7)