Wayanad is one of the most beautiful road trip destinations in India. You really need to drive to this place to take in the abundance of natural beauty around this green paradise. The pristine locales of Wayanad are the perfect stress busters that can make you forget all your worries in life! Here's a brief summary of my recent road trip from Bangalore to Wayanad.
I traveled to Waynad on 14th February with my wife leaving Bangalore around 8.30Am to reach Raindrops resorts by 4.30Pm. I had booked my accommodation in Raindrops Resort very close to Muthanga wildlife sanctuary. Raindrops Resort is located in a 200 acre Coffee plantation. It is truly a place to unwind far from the “Maddening Crowd” and is peaceful and serene. The Resorts in Wayanad is surrounded by mountains and lush greenery all around which is exhilarating. Since I do a little bit of writing I found this place to be ideal for my work.
The staff are polite well trained and make you comfortable all through the stay. The room allotted to me was spacious with a sit out where from the sunset can be watched. A Mini fridge, coffee maker and bottled water were available in the room to make the stay more comfortable. The rooms are maintained clean with change of bedspreads and towels every day. The resort also has a swimming pool and an ayurvedic massage center. The room service and food quality were quite good.
The morning walk through the plantation was beautiful with the river flowing on one side. There is also a viewpoint where you can see the water flowing from Meenmutty falls. On the whole, it was a nice stay we had at Meenmutty Heights and we do plan to visit the place again since we did not visit all the tourist spots during this visit.
During our stay in Meenmutty Heights, we visited quite a few tourist spots in a relaxed way and did not try to cover all tourist spots since we like to enjoy the place and spend time rather than madly rushing around.
Soochipara Water Falls
Nice place to visit while at Waynad. These stretches of waterfalls at Soochipara near Meppadi have heights ranging from 100 - 200feet and the pool at the foot of the falls are ideal for a quick dip. The more conservative people can have equally good fun just taking in the scenery One should be prepared to walk about 1/1.5 Km to reach the fall. The pathway through the forest is well laid up to a point. The steps leading to the falls is not so comfortable to walk and near to the falls it is really bad and one needs to be very careful not to slip. The forest department is doing a good job at the entrance by restricting carrying of cigarettes, matches, lighter and plastic material to avoid littering and forest fire. There is an entrance fee of Rs.50/- and charges for still cameras Rs40/- While going down to reach the falls is not very difficult climbing back leaves one breathless. There are small shops at the entrance where one can buy tea/coffee, cool drinks and snacks. At least half a day is required to visit this waterfall.
Lakkidi View Point
One of the highest locations in Wayanad, Lakkidi also commands picturesque scenery. Llakkidi is situated 700 m above MSL, at the crest of Thamarasseri Ghats pass. Lofty peaks, gurgling streams and green forests add magic to the journey up the winding roads to this Lakkidi. There is nothing much to see here except you have a good view of the valley and roads below. A good place to take photographs.
Chain Tree
This is on the roadside about 1Km from Lakkidi viewpoint. There is a small temple below the tree and the chains can be seen. It is said that a tribal youth named Karinthandan guided a British engineer to find the path through the dense forest to Wayanad. But the greedy engineer who wanted to take full credit of this discovery killed Karinthandan. The angry soul of this tribal started troubling travellers who used to visit Wayanad. It is said that one priest chained this angry spirit to this tree and hence the name chain tree
Pookode Lake
A must visit place for people going to Waynad. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. This perennial fresh water lake, nestled among wooded hills, is the only one of its kind in Kerala. Boating facilities, a children’s park, a handicrafts and spices emporium and a fresh water aquarium are among the tourist facilities available here. For people who like boating, there is a facility to use the pedal boat and row boat but the charges are quite high. The entry fee to the lake is Rs.20/- for adults and still, the camera is Rs.20
Banasura Sagar Dam
One of the largest earth dam in India, as well as the Second largest in Asia. There is a mini - hydel project. A good place to visit but nothing much to see. There is an entry fee to visit the dam and a long walk is required to reach the dam.
Kuruva Dweep
This is really a nice place to visit. This 950 acre, uninhabited island on the Kabini River is an ideal picnic spot. The wooded stretch of land is home to rare species of birds, orchids and herbs. The most interesting part is the Kabini River crossing in a bamboo raft. There are uninhabited islands in the Kuruva Dweep but one needs to be prepared for the long treks. The right time to visit this place will be after monsoon ie. September to January when the forest will be lush green. This is a good place for bird watching and the forest department will provide necessary help. During Monsoon the river crossing will be closed ie., from June to August. There is an entry fee at Rs.80/- for adults and still, camera is charged Rs.50/-
Neelimala View Point
We were told that going to Meenmutty falls will be difficult and the falls can be seen from Neelimala View Point. One has to hire a jeep @ Rs.400/450 for going to some distance i.e.,a part of the way to viewpoint and walk about half a kilometre to reach the viewpoint. One can see the magnificent Meenmutty falls falling from a height of 300Mtrs in three stages. We can also see a Chaliyar river winding through the hills. The view from the Neelimala viewpoint is awesome. The cool fresh air on the hilltop is really invigorating and makes it worth visiting this place.
