Kappad, 16 kilometres north of Kozhikode, is the otherwise unremarkable Kerala beach where Vasco da Gama's three small ships dropped anchor on 20 May 1498 — the first direct sea contact between western Europe and India. A small monument on a rocky outcrop on the south end of the beach commemorates the landing in modest Malayalam-and-English text.
The beach itself is quiet, with a few small fishing boats pulled up on the sand and a single low resort hotel behind the dunes. Combine the visit with a long stop at one of the seafood shacks; the prawns are usually excellent.