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Whats so special about Wayanad? Wayanad is a district in North East Kerala, adjoining the Nilgiris in Tamilnadu and Coorg / Kodagu and Chamarajnagar districts in Karnataka. The western side of Wayanad is nestled in the hills of Western Ghats, while the east is covered with thick protected forests. Thus, the place offers a variety of choices for a nature lover, from excellent trekking experiences to lush waterfalls to wild life safaris. The place is so dear to me ever since I came to Bangalore in 2000 and started going to Kozhikode, my home town, via Wayanad. I did a Kozhikode - Bangalore Bike Trip in April 2002 and followed it with numerous drives criss crossing Wayanad, making it one of my favourtite places to be. How to reach Wayanad? The major towns in Wayanad are Kalpetta (west), Sulthan Bathery (east) and Mananthavady (north). Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery has the National Highway 212 (Kozhikode - Mysore - Kollegal) passing through the town, Mananthavady has a few state highways connecting it to Mysore, Coorg, Kozhikode and Kalpetta. Sulthan Bathery is about 115kms from Mysore (260 from Bangalore) and Kalpetta is 25kms from Sulthan Bathery towards Kozhikode, i.e., 140kms from Mysore and 285kms from Bangalore. The NH212 is closed at 9PM to 6AM between Bandipur and Kerala boder. Mananthavady is about 30kms from Kalpetta, via Koyilery, Panamaram and Kainatty, with Kainatty about 3kms off Kalpetta on NH212 (towards Sulthan Bathery). From Sulthan Bathery, one can take the NH212 till Beenachi and then go via Kenichira, Nadavayal, Panamaram and Koyileri - about 40kms. Mananthavady is about 110 kms from Mysore by the Mysore - Mananthavady road which goes via HD Kote, Kabini, Bavali and Kattikulam. This road though, is closed from 6PM to 6AM and a few kms of road around Kabini is in extremely bad condition. An alternative road to Wayanad, which is open all night is via Hunsur, Gonikoppal, Kutta, Tholpetty and Kattikulam, which is about 150kms from Mysore to Mananthavady. This road is narrower compared to the NH212 and other state highways and is in bad condition at some stretches. Chembra Peak Chembra peak is the most popular trekking destination in Wayanad. It is touted as the tallest peak in Wayanad at an altitude of 2100m. The trek to Chembra starts from a watch tower located within Chembra estates. One can hire a jeep or auto from Meppadi to reach the watch tower. If you have your own vehicle, its a 10-20 minutes drive from Meppadi town. Almost half way, make a stop at the Vana Samrakshana Samithi office, which issues permits for trekking. Guides are also available from here. The trek is quite challenging with a very steep climb, first leading to a heart shaped lake and then to the top of the peak. It could take an average of 3 hrs to reach the peak. The trail is also quite scenic and offers a good view of the surroundings. At the peak, be prepared for taller hills further south and if you are carrying an altimeter, it will show about 1850m altitude here. This is because, the Chembra peak where public is permitted to go is only about 1850m and there are taller peaks towards south - including the real 2100m peak of Wayanad. In spite of this little disapointment, trek to Chembra is an excellent experience. Meppadi town is about 12kms from Kalpetta and there are regular buses available to go there. Check the Chembra Trek Page for my personal experiences at Chembra or the Wayanadan Mala Trek Page for a trek report from the 2100m peak in Wayanad. Meenmutty Falls Check the Meenmutty Trek Page or Meenmutty - Nilambur Trek Page for my personal experience there. |
Banasura Check the Banasura Trek Page for my personal experiences there. Thirunelli Temple Check the Thirunelli - Brahmagiri Trek Page or Thirunelli - Pakshipathalam Trek for my personal experiences there. Brahmagiri Peak Check the Thirunelli - Brahmagiri Trek Page for my personal experiences there. Pakshipathalam Trek Check the Thirunelli - Pakshipathalam Trek for my personal experiences there. Soochippara Falls I have shared some of my personal experiences at the Soochippara falls in the Chembra Trek Page. Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary Edakkal Caves I have shared some of my personal experiences at Edakkal in the Meenmutty Trek Page. Kuruva Island Pookot Lake I have shared some picture from my personal experience at Pookot in the Pookot Trip Page. Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary Wayanadan Mala The tallest peak in Wayanad at 2100m rises out of a valley with thick forest cover at south Wayanad. The peak is not mentioned in many public records of the forest department and is practically un-named. So, let me call it the Wayanadan Mala, which means the 'hill of Wayanad'. Since, its existence itself is disputed, as of now, it is practically impossible to get trekking permissions to this peak from the forest department. The peak is visible from a jeep track between Kalladi (a village en route Soochippara from Meppadi) and Thollayiram (which has a few estates). Some of the foot trails off this jeep track actually leads to the peak. The peak is also visible from the top of Chembra as well as from the top of Velalrimala / Vavul Mala. This hill is also the origin of many streams - including the ones which goes to Soochippara and Thusharagiri waterfalls - which finally joins in the Chaliyar river. I was fortunate to do a few treks in this region, like the Muthappanpuzha - Choorthottippara - Ramanpara - Madhavanpara - Kangaroopara - Perumkolli - Wayanadan Mala trek, Muthappanpuzha - Kalladi trek and the Muthappanpuzha - Swargakunnu trek. |