The greatest travellers and explorers of the ancient era Marco Polo, Ibn Battula, and Abdul Fida wrote about this tiny group of islands in their travelogues familiarising the Kavvayi before the global audience. Kavvayi islands tucked within the surrounding backwaters is a glorious tourist destination near Payyanur in the Kannur district. The place was earlier known as Kavil Pattanam which facilitated many spice trading and commercial sales including the Damascus steel, banned by the British in the 17th century.
It was Sir William Hogan, who changed the name from Kavil Pattanam to Kavvayi Islands, the largest backwater islands in all of Kerala. It is surrounded by five rivers, the major Kavvayi River and its tributaries Kankol, Vannathichal, Kuppithodu and Kuniyan rivers. The humans who populated in the islands are living on agriculture and fishing. The islands are a perfect spot to launch various fishing competitions. One can take a serene boat ride through the Kavvayi backwaters to enjoy the magnificence of the islands.
Kavvayi Island offers three different kinds of tourism opportunities. Fishing along the banks of the river provides acqua tourism, a relaxing boat ride through the pristine waters vouch for backwater tourism and a visit to the Kavvayi islands meeting with people and observing their houses and lifestyles would be rural village tourism. For many kinds of astonishing views out there, the Kavvayi islands are an idyllic destination for your weekend fun.
