Things To Do In Bekal

Bekal is a tiny town nestled along the northern coasts of Kerala. The city derived its name from the term Baliakulam, which signifies a huge palace. This coastal hub hosted a towering palace and a revered royal family several years ago. The town is studded with several majestic forts, remains of ancient regimes, and delightful beaches. These traits mean tourists can spend some time in the company of silent backwaters, enjoy the stunning coastline of Bekal, take up adventurous water-sports, or revel in the presence of the diverse flora and fauna that throng the region. Let us take a deep dive into some of the wonderful things tourists can do in Bekal, this new emerging holiday destination.

Bekal Beach Camp is a vibrant resort set up in the area surrounding Bekal Beach. The resort offers a perfect mixture of traditional and modern amenities of Kerala. Spread across two hectares of countryside area, this resort offers striking panoramas of Bekal Fort and Bekal Beach. Tourists can experience the flamboyant legacy and motivating nature of Malabar while biding their time at the resort. The resort area is built to cater to the whims and fancies of its guests. Tourists can take off on refreshing walks along the beach whenever they wish to. The best thing about this resort is that all these services are accessible at a modest budget.

Kottancheri Hills form a part of the resplendent Western Ghats. These hillocks are decorated with lush green rainforests surrounding them. The tall trees of the forest form a thick foliage with their highest branches. Trekking up these hills is adventurous and pleasing to the eye because of these impressive canopies that are on display from atop the hill. Situated about 50 km away from Bekal, Kottancheri Hills offer a number of intriguing pathways that lead to the top. The astounding vistas that the rainforest presents en route the peak of the hills can leave trekkers awed. It is only fitting that people consider this hilly terrain a trekker’s route toward attaining nirvana.

Bekal Fort is a resounding specimen of old-world architectural brilliance. The fort was constructed by the Ekkary Shivappa Nayaka as part of a war strategy in 1945, and thus boasts of some remarkable defense mechanism around its campus. One of the mightiest forts in Kerala, Bekal Fort has constantly withstood the continuous pounding of waves over several centuries, resembling its well-fortified structure.

Tourists can scale to the top of the fort’s towers of observation and be greeted with a fabulous picture of the Arabian Sea. All of the surrounding cities also become visible while at the top of the tower. Several beautiful spots prevail within the 40-acre landscape of the fort, such as steps that descend down to a splendid water tank, crevices that provide striking pictures of the valley, a tunnel that opens out facing south, and some expansive stairs leading up the towers. This fort is truly a historian’s paradise, while nature freaks would also find solace in the company of nature’s grandeur.

Situated around 19 km away from Bekal, Valiyaparamba is an astonishing extension of the backwaters of Northern Kerala. These backwaters form a vicinity where waters from four distinct rivers converge. These rivers create a tracery of waterways that flows across coconut groves and paddies. Tourists can hop onto traditional houseboats named Kettuvallam to explore these magnificent backwaters. Tourists can ride through floating lush greenery and spot some of the most delightful flora and fauna prevailing here. Valiyaparamba is also well-known for its collection of attractive islands. Visitors are sure to forget about the outside world and cherish this trip in the company of complete serenity.

Nileswaram Palace is a majestic palace located at a distance of about 12 km from Bekal. This palace once formed a province ruled by the Nileshwaram Rajas. These kings came to Nileswaram more than 500 years ago. Nileswaram Palace showcases some of the finest architectural specimens of ancient times. This knowledge center was set up by the Department of Archaeology to spread awareness about the different cultures and architectural marvels that graced the town in those days. The palace is well connected to the tranquil backwaters of Bekal, presenting visitors with engrossing landscapes. These features not only attract historians and intellectuals, but also nature lovers.

The Bekal Hole Aqua Park is situated about a kilometer away from Bekal Fort. It is one of the most popular aqua parks in the whole of northern Malabar. This eccentric park offers several water rides including water cycles and pedal boats. Tourists can de-stress and refresh themselves by pedaling their way through the soothing backwaters. Additionally, visitors can take a ride in one of those thin and long canoes to explore the calm backwaters in an invigorating manner. Families find this place apt to unwind and have fun in the cool waters.

Situated around 58 km away from Bekal, Ranipuram is filled with grassy hillocks and diverse flora and fauna. The forests are studded with various animal species such as leopards, jungle cats, Malabar giant squirrels, macaques, several exotic birds and butterflies, and therapeutic plants. On a lucky day, the tourists might also be able to spot wild elephants making their way through these hillocks.

The Ranipuram Hill is located within the forest vicinity and scales up to a height of around 780 m. This steep passage coupled with the tricky forest trails that lead uphill offer trekkers a perfect adventurous outing. With stairs providing directions to the top of the hill, panoramic sceneries are available in abundance through these trails. These are all fitting incentives for a trekker’s paradise.

The Nityanandashram Caves lie within close proximity to the Hosdurg Fort around 500 m away from the main town of Hosdurg. A collection of 45 caves inhabit the forest area in this region. The unique aspect here is that these caves were built out of a solitary laterite rock. These unbelievable facts leave tourists in amazement and are the reason for large crowds visiting the caves from all over the world.

Swami Nityanand built Nityanand Ashram at these caves. Built out of panchaloha, a stunning sculpture of the Swamy taking up a seated stance graces the cave area. In addition, a large portrait of Swamy Nityananda decorates the caves. It is believed that no matter which angle you use to look at this picture, Swamy Nityananda still seems to look straight at you. A trip to Bekal would be incomplete without discovering these marvelous caves.