Pages from my Wayanad Diary. Review on Wayanad

It was a two day trip that we went to without anyprior planning. We started at 5:00 AM on Saturday (1st August 2009) and came back on Sunday(2nd August 2009).

Wayanad District, in the north-east of Kerala , India , is set lofty onthe majestic Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100Meters above mean sea level.

The natural scenic beauty of Wayanad andits rich natural resources offer several opportunities for adventure tourism. The hills rocks and valley which make the very unique character of Wayanad provide a lot for catering to the ever increasing demand for adventure tourist.

Day 1

We left Bangalore at 5:00 AM in the morning.We had taken a cab to reach Wayanad. Reached Mysore at around 8 AM.

1)First we headed for Edakkal caves, as I had heard a lot about it. It is a 6000 yrs old cave with prehistoric carvings on the walls. Height is about 4000 ft above the sealevel. You need to climb stairs to reach the cave. The rocks are prettyrisky. The hill provides a magnificent view from the top. It is anexhausting climb but view of the valley below it is worth it.

Entry fees is Rs. 10/- . After reaching the cave, you can further trekfor 1000 ft at your own risk. There are no steps higher than this.

2)We had planned to go to Meenmutty falls.But due to heavy rainfall the waterfalls was closed for tourist. It wasa great disappointment since this is the highest waterfalls in theWayanad District.

3) Phantom Rock

5.5 km from Sultan Battery. A lofty rock with a skull shaped rock on top of it. Not much to see nearby.

4)Reached Kalpettaataround 2:30 PM . Kalpetta is the district head quarters of Wayanaddistrict. There are a number of hotels, resorts and home stays, ratesranging to fit everyone’s pocket.

Took a room at Chandragiri Hotel. Rate Rs. 920 for a double bed room.

5)Left for Pukkoot Lake at around 4:00 PM. This place is 15 Km from Kalpetta.

This is a beautiful naturally formed lake with thick evergreenvegetation around it. Entry fee is around Rs 10 /-. There are boatingoptions but it closes at 5:00 PM. Since we reached at 5:10 Pm, we couldnot go for boating. You can take leisure walk around the lake but it isnot advisable to take a walk after the dark.

6)Came back to the hotel at around 7:30 Pm.

7)Had dinner at an adjacent hotel, Hotel Woodlands. Food was very cheap and tasty.

Day 2

1.Left for Suchipara Waterfall at around 7 AM. 23 Km from Kalpetta. Entry fees is Rs 20/-

There are about 4 water fall in the same area. But we could only see Sentinal Rock Waterfalls, since the steps leading to the other waterfalls were too dangerous togo through. Going to the fall required quite a bit of walking. Thereare steps to reach the Sentinal Rock Waterfalls. This is truly a mustsee place.

2.Next we headed for Kanthanpara waterfalls.

From Suchipara Waterfall we went to Mepaddi then from there we went to Kanthanpara waterfalls.

There was a recent landslide at this place so it was a little dirty but the waterfall itself was a beautiful

one.

3.From here we went to Kuruva Island.

It is 45 km from Mananthavady. This a collection of 52 islands on theriver Kabini . The island is around 900 acres long. During the dryseason one can walk across the Kabini river to reach the island. Aguide would cost you Rs 100. You can also take a boat ride to theisland. But due to the heavy rain the entire the place was flooded andthe island was submerged in the water. We could not go to the island asthe boat services were closed.

1. From here we took Route B to reach back to Mysore. The road back waspretty rough and it is advisable not to take this road as road ispretty rough.

5.On our way back we also went to visit Brindavan Gardens.

6.Reached back to Bangalore at 10:30 PM.