Wayanad Travel

Wayanad, One of the fourteen districts in Kerala (India) is situated in an elevated picturesque mountainous plateau in Western Ghats. It lies between north latitude 11degree 26'28'' and 11degree 48'22'' and east longitude 75 degree 46'38'' and 76 degree 26'11''. Providing a panorama of undulating mist clad hills and dales, Wayanad is blessed with a unique geographical position. Luxuriant plantations of coffee, tea, cardamom, pepper and rubber are strewn all over the hills of Wayanad. Situated at a height of 700-2100 m above sea level, it is bound on the east by the Nilgiris and the Mysore districts of Tamilnadu and Karnataka respectively. It shares the borders with Coorg district of Karnataka on the north, on the south with Malappuram district and on the west with Calicut and Cannanore districts. The natural scenic beauty of Wayanad and its rich natural resources offer several opportunities for adventure tourism. Located at the northeastern tip of Kerala, Wayanad was earlier a part of Kannur district. Panorama, Manathavady and Kabini, the fast flowing rivers lend a unique beauty to the whole region.
Valliyoorkavu FestivalLocated high in the Wayanad Hills at Valliyoorkkavu, 3 kms from Mananthavady town, the temple is dedicated to goddess Bhagavathy. The idol of the temple is believed to be self- manifested and the annual festival is held in March.

Silent Valley National Park

Location : 40 km from Mannarkkad, Palakkad district, north Kerala.
Attractions : Extremely fragile, a unique preserve of tropical evergreen rain forests lying above the equator and the forest strip which causes the summer rains in Kerala. The Silent Valley National Park has an area of 90 sq km is located in the north eastern corner of the district. It rises abruptly to the Nilgiri Plateau in the north and overlooks the plains of Mannarkkad in the south.
The core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the Silent Valley National Park. Despite its name, the Silent Valley (the clamour of Cicadas is conspicuously absent here) echoes with the sounds of teeming wildlife. The denizens of this sprawling habitat of endangered virgin tropical forests include rare birds, deer and tiger.
Perhaps, nowhere else can one also find such a representative collection of peninsular mammals, over a 100 species of butterflies and 400 species of moths and other fauna like the Ceylon Frog Moth, Great Indian Hornbill, the Nilgiri Laughing Thrush and the Lion-tailed Macaque.
The river Kunthi descends from the Nilgiri hills, an altitude of 2000 m above sea level, and traverses the entire length of the valley and rushes down to the plains through the deep forest. The river Kunthi never turns brown and is always crystal clear, perennial and wild.
The evapo-transpiration from these forests is much higher than from any other surfaces. This cools the atmosphere, helps easy condensation of water vapour and thus causes the summer rains.
Getting there :
Nearest railway station : Palakkad, about 80 km.
Nearest airport : Coimbatore (in neighbouring Tamilnadu State), about 55 km.

Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary




Location : About 16 km east of Sulthan Bathery, Wayand district, north Kerala.
Best time to visit: June to October.
Attractions : Freely roaming elephants and tigers.
An ideal destination to watch herds of wild elephants, the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous with the protected area network of the Nagarhole National Park and the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in the neighbouring State of Karnataka and Mudumalai of Tamilnadu. This sanctuary spread over 345 sq km is rich with fauna and flora, and comes under Project Elephant.
Elephants roam freely here and tigers are sighted frequently. Various species of deer, monkeys, birds etc also live here. The trees and plants in the sanctuary are typical of the south Indian moist deciduous forests and west coast semi evergreen forests. A drive along the road to Muthanga and further, offers chances to watch these roaming beasts. Elephant rides are arranged by the Forest Department.
Getting there:
Nearest railway station : Kozhikode, about 97 km by road from Sulthan Bathery.
Nearest airport : Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode, nearly 120 km from Sulthan Bathery.

Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls
(18 km from Kottayam town)2 km down a mud lane from Kumarakom, this beautiful picnic spot where streams tinkle as they make their way through the landscape and waters roar as they cascade down the mountains from a height of 100 ft. Tourists can also enjoy the shade of the rubber plantations here.

water falls

Athirappalli and Vazhachal

Location: Athirappalli 63 km from Thrissur and Vazhachal 68 km from Thrissur.
Athirappalli and Vazhachal, the two scenic and popular waterfalls on the edge of the Sholayar forest ranges are just 5 km apart. The Athirappalli Falls joins the Chalakkudy river after plummeting down a drop of 80 feet. Vazhachal is part of the Chalakkudy river. Both the waterfalls, their cool, misty waters cascading down in the backdrop of thick green forest and rocky terrain, are a scintillating experience to visitors.
Getting there :A good motorable road takes you to Vazhachal and Athirappalli from either Kochi or Thrissur town.
Nearest railway station : Chalakudy,about 30 km away
Nearest airports : Cochin International Airport, about 58 km from Thrissur.

mansoon rains

Through the Lens - Monsoon rains


The rains and the elephants are special entities of Kerala. The monsoon rains give fresh lease of life to plants and animals every year. And the elephants brighten up people’s spirits during celebrations and festive occasions. The snap of the month has a gentle jumbo, relishing the monsoon rains as it walks on a road to its destination with the mahout on top.