Wayanad - Evergreen subtropical savanna

Wayanad, the evergreen subtropical savanna is the nature's green paradise, situated in Kerala! The trip to Wayanad has been one of the most memorable trips to green worlds in India.. Started on a friday early morning from our bustling Bangalore city. Drove via Mysore,Gundlupet to finally reach Wayanad by noon. It hardly takes 7.5 hours from Bangalore. We had booked accomodation @Wynberg Resorts near Kalpetta, the district headquarters. Wynberg, an eco-friendly resort is located amidst the evergreen verdant spice plantations. Wynberg serves the authentic kerala cuisine which includes the yummy puttu, jackfruit varities and many more mouth watering dishes. The resort has luxury cottages, tents and tree tops. Accomodation is amidst greenery and very eco-friendly!

We relaxed for a while and started by around 3 pm to explore Wayanad's beauty. As guided by the host @the resort, we planned for visit to near by places. On travelling for about half an hour, we reached Edakkal Caves, a place known for the evidence of stone age civilization with it's pictorial writings. We had a small 1km trek to the caves. These neolithic caves have fascinating etchings of the stone-age civilizations! The expedition inside the caves was adventurous and fun-filled! Beside the caves is a good view point to enjoy the scenics around.

On the way back to the resort, we went to the Karapuzha Dam, the second largest earthen dam in India. This place has very good landscape beauty! Around the sun set time, this was a cool place to rejuvenate ourselves!! The dam is earthen, one of it's kind to be seen in India. With not much crowd, this place provided an enchanting experience!

The second day in Wayanad began with all josh to unravel the remaining wonders of this place. We headed to the Soochippara Falls with stops @many coffee and tea plantations on the way.
The route to the falls itself renders a cooling therapy to eyes! On reaching this sentinel rock water falls, we relaxed with the cascade sprinkling droplets on us, caressing the body and the mind! The falls have dense forests of the Western ghats in their backdrop. This breath taking sight of the water falls is worth the adventurous walk to reach the cascade drop! Wayanad has other cascades to add to it's beauty, Meenmutty, Kanthanpara and Chethalayam, to name a few...

After filling our breadbasket, we headed to Pookot Lake, which is one of the most sought after tourist place in Wayanad. Pookot, a natural fresh water lake, amidst the picturesque evergreen dense forests, gives a visual treat.

The boating facility is very good, which allowed us to spend time in the lake, appreciating the serene waters. The lake is surrounded by park for children, many handicrafts and art shops, spices shop, an aquarium too. The path way surrounding the lake is very well maintained, allowing touristers to take a stroll amidst the tropical vegetation.
Around 3kms from the lake, Vythiri is a hill station, which is a must-see place in Wayanad. While in Vythiri, we filled our lungs with unpolluted mountain air! It's a sleepy little heaven which has only the sounds of chirping birds and the wisp of mountain air, scented with the fragrance of spices. As the dusk fell, we returned to Wynberg resort, ending the adventure filled day.

The last day @Wayanad began with checking out from the resort. Drove to Kuruva dweep island, which is 950 acres island on one of the tributaries of the river Kabini. It is a group of seven islands which can be traversed using ferry boats or by drifting through the waters. Rafting is also provided in the seasons. Nature walks from one island to another was very exciting! The river is shallow @many places, easing people to drift from one island to the next.. On the way back to our sweet home, we drove via the Nagarahole forest area to get a view of a few deers, wild dogs, boars and elephants. A trip to Wayanad ended with a bunch of cherishable memories of the green world!