Malappuram · Kerala
Nilambur and the teak
The oldest teak plantation in the world, and the Malabar kitchen.
When to come
November to March.
How long
A day, on the way north.
Getting there
Kozhikode airport is in the district, forty minutes from Nilambur.
Malappuram is the most Muslim district in Kerala and the one least arranged for visitors, which shows in the food more than anywhere: this is where the biryani is worth the argument, where pathiri replaces appam, and where a wedding feast runs to courses nobody outside Malabar has heard of.
Nilambur has the Conolly's Plot teak plantation, planted in 1846 and the first in the world, with trees you cannot get your arms around. The Nilambur–Shoranur railway line runs through country worth the ticket on its own.
Kadalundi, on the coast, is a bird sanctuary where the river meets the sea, and it fills with waders between November and April.
Malappuram, in photographs
Worth your time, or not?
Tell us how many days you have and who is coming, and we will tell you whether Malappuram belongs in them — and what to leave out to make room for it.