God's Own Country

Wayanaad, a district in northern kerala around 260kms from Bangalore, can be best described as a land of scenic beauty. Every corner of the place has a different look and gives you a feeling of calmness. If Kerala, reminds you of coconut palms and backwaters then you are in for a surprise. Wayanaad is far from that description. Bordered by Karnataka and Tamilnadu, Wayanaad boasts of many natural waterfalls and wildlife sanctuaries. Bamboo plantations can be seen in the northern part of the district while the central and southern areas are home to Tea & Coffee plantations.

Our trip started from Bangalore early in the morning at 6.30AM on 1st May. We drove down Mysore Road towards Srirangapatnam from where we took a diversion towards Hunsur. From Hunsur we went to Nagarhole where we actually crossed the Karnataka Border and entered Kerala. Driving through the Rajiv Gandhi wildlife sanctuary one can see quite a few animals wandering leisurely around the grounds. From Nagarhole, we reached Tholpetty. The Begur Wildlife Sanctuary is very near to this place and is on the way. We planned to visit the park the next day. Our hotel booking was at Thirunelli which is around 25kms from Tholpetty. We decided to visit the Kuruva Islands before going to the hotel. Kuruva Dweep is a small island accessible through a ferry/boat and is basically a forest park. If you are in the mood for a relaxed and chilled out day then this is the ideal place. Keep walking around the jungle path for as long as you want ;-).

We returned from Kuruva Islands and went straight to the hotel (Tamarind Thirunelly), reaching there at around 4.30PM.

Next day was an all India Bandh because of which we had to make some changes to the days plans. Left the hotel at around 11AM and went straight to Iruppu Falls (Around 30 kms from Thirunelly). This is in the Brahmagiri Wildlife range and a dip in the water is considered holy. The 'Blue Flutter' butterfly is a rare species that can be seen around the falls.

We left Iruppu around 2PM and headed towards the Begur sanctuary. Sanctuary timings are from 7-9AM and 3- 5PM for visits into the park. A guide is mandatory per vehicle. As we entered the sanctuary, we were informed that sighting of animals is purely on luck, which more or less dampened our spirits of seeing some exotic species of animals. Nevertheless, the first thing we saw was the common spotted deer. A few kms into the park and we spotted the Malabar Giant Squirrel jumping around merrily on a tree. It is apparently the largest of its kind in Asia. Moving ahead we saw something black running on the road. Excitement over a possible sighting of a bear made the driver of the vehicle speeden up. Sadly, it turned out to be just a wild boar! We did see the Bison and Sambhar Deer though. The guide informed us that the sanctuary covers a total area of 76 square-kms and shares its area with the Nagarhole wildlife park. Home to around 16 Tigers according to last years census, the number has increased to more than 20 now. On our way out of the sanctuary, we spotted an elephant with its kid near a pond. The previous evening a whole herd was spotted at the same place, which sadly was no consolation. The Indian Langur was the last animal species we saw on our way out.

We checked out of the hotel early in the morning next day around 7.30AM. The plan was to visit the Edakkal Caves & Meenmutty falls before heading back for Bangalore. Travelling all the way from Thirunelly in the north to Meppadi in the south took us near the Meenmutty falls- a distance of around 80Kms. The falls are on the Kalpetta-Ooty highway and is a 2km Trek though a jungle. Our guide told us that it is an adventure trek and the route is a bit difficult. However, we never anticipated it to be exactly what he said! Narrow jungle path, slippery at places and very very steep! If the descent downhill was difficult, the climb uphill was tougher. Definitely, not recommended for first time Trekkers. The fall however is breathtaking. Our trek approach was from the top of the falls and we reached the view point which was at the halfway level of the entire height of the fall. Water falling in 3 stages over 300m. We didn't have the strength nor the courage to move any further to the base of the fall and hence rested at the view point before climbing back. And it was indeed a climb in the true sense. Slippery earth, steep path & footholds being the roots of trees & rocks embedded in the hill! Had to stop many times to catch our breath before we finally reached the top. Sadly, this adventure meant that we had to cancel the visit to the Edakkal caves, which is a place worth seeing. It's the first thing on my list when I visit the next time.

We started on our way back to Bangalore around 2PM from Meenmutty. Return was through Sultan Bathery-Bandipur-Mysore and took around 5 hours.

One trip to Kerala, and you realize why it's called God's Own Country! We thoroughly enjoyed the 3 days spent in nature's lap in the jungle. Pictures here...

Some info that might be useful:

KTDC Hotel Bookings: send a mail to centralreservations@ktdc.com with your contact details. They will call back within 2 hrs of receiving your mail. Pretty good hotels and reasonably priced.

Accomodation at Homestays at Meenmutty: Call Mr.Saji/Sachin at 9745296928(m) 04936217271(R) for arrangements. Price range from Rs.750/- to 1000/-

Road Map of Waynaad: