Palakkad Tour Packages from Coimbatore

How far is Palakkad from Coimbatore?

Palakkad is about 55 km from Coimbatore, roughly an hour's drive. The Palakkad district tourism page lists Coimbatore as the nearest airport, 55 km away, and puts Palakkad Junction railway station 5 km from the city. This is the nearest Kerala town to Coimbatore, so it works as a day trip.

The district page calls Palakkad the gateway to Kerala from the north. A 40 km break in the mountains, the Palakkad Gap, lets traffic cross between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Palakkad is also called the granary of Kerala for its paddy plains, so the landscape past the border changes quickly from the Coimbatore side.

Palakkad day trips from Coimbatore

We run two one day tours from Coimbatore. Both cover Palakkad Fort, Malampuzha Dam and the Kalpathy heritage village, and both bring you back to Coimbatore the same evening. The Heritage Day Tour starts at ₹1,499 per person and the Malampuzha One Day Tour at ₹2,500.

The Palakkad Heritage Day Tour suits small groups who want the fort and Kalpathy. The Malampuzha One Day Tour has a fixed 7 am pickup and returns about 8 pm. Prices depend on group size and vehicle, so the quote is for your party. Meals and entry tickets are extra.

What to see in Palakkad

The three standard stops are Palakkad Fort, Kalpathy and Malampuzha. The fort and Kalpathy are in the city, and Malampuzha is about 10 km out, with the rock garden half a km from the garden on the way back towards Coimbatore. Together they fill one day without rushing, with lunch in Palakkad.

• Palakkad Fort. Hyder Ali of Mysore built it in 1766 and the British took it over in 1790. The district page lists it open 8 am to 6 pm, within a moat, with a Hanuman temple at the entrance and an archaeology museum inside. It is now preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Kalpathy. An agraharam on the Kalpathy River, settled by Brahmin families who moved from Thanjavur in the 1790s. Kerala Tourism says its Shiva temple resembles the Kasi Viswanatha temple in Varanasi. The Kalpathy chariot festival is held in November.
• Malampuzha Dam and gardens. The dam is the largest in Kerala. The district page lists the garden open 10 am to 7.30 pm, with a rose garden, a ropeway and lit fountains on weekends and holidays. Boating is available on the reservoir from 10 am to 6 pm. The ropeway pauses at lunchtime, so we plan around it.

Longer trips from Palakkad

Palakkad district also holds Nelliyampathy, a hill station at 467 to 1,572 m above sea level, about 65 km from Palakkad town. Our 3 day Nelliyampathy plan costs from ₹7,499 per person and includes the hotel. The district page lists view points such as Sitharkundu and Manpara, and trekking subject to permission from the Forest Division.

Palakkad is also the first stop on the road to Thrissur. The 2 day Athirapally Thrissur plan starts at ₹5,999 per person. For more, see our pages for Nelliyampathy, Athirapally, Thrissur, Pollachi and Kerala.

Best time to visit Palakkad

Palakkad has a tropical wet and dry climate. March and April are the hottest months, and July is the wettest, with most of the roughly 100 cm of annual rain falling in the south-west monsoon from June to September. Winter and the weeks after the monsoon suit the fort and Kalpathy best.

Malampuzha is lit up on weekends and holidays from 7 to 8 pm, so a Saturday trip suits an evening visit. The Kalpathy chariot festival is in November, which is worth knowing if you want the street quiet or want to see it at its busiest.