Wayanad Travel Guide: Chembra, Edakkal Caves, Banasura and the Forests

Wayanad takes its name from Vayal Nadu, "the land of paddy fields", Kerala Tourism says, and the district stands between 700 and 2,100 metres above sea level in the Western Ghats. Kerala Tourism lists Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery, Vythiri, Mananthavady and Meppadi as its major places. The sights are spread out. The district administration measures Phantom Rock at 18.8 km from Kalpetta, Banasura Sagar at 21 km, Edakkal Caves at 26.6 km and Tholpetty at 54.5 km, so pick one side of the district for each day.

Chembra Peak and the heart-shaped lake

Chembra is the highest peak in Wayanad, at about 2,100 metres according to Kerala Tourism and the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). A heart-shaped lake lies on the way up, and DTPC says it does not dry out in summer. The council describes the trek in two sections, from the jeep drop-off to the lake and then on to the peak, and says the second half is now restricted because of wildlife activity. Trekking needs permission from the Forest Department, and DTPC lists offline booking only. Check what is open on the day before you drive out. Our Chembra Peak trek guide describes the walk itself.

Edakkal Caves

The district administration points out that Edakkal is not a cave but a prehistoric rock shelter, formed when one huge boulder wedged between two larger ones; the name means "a stone in between". It stands at about 1,200 feet above sea level, and the engravings include human figures, animals, tools and scripts. Kerala Tourism places the carvings in the Neolithic age and the site on the Ambukuthi Hills. The district says they were discovered in 1895 and that finds from the nearby burial sites, called muniyaras, are kept in the Wayanad Heritage Museum.

Banasura Sagar Dam and the Banasura hills

The district and Kerala Tourism both call Banasura Sagar the largest earthen dam in India. Built in 1979 across the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabini, it is made of stacked rocks and stones and is known for its views and boat trips. Above it, DTPC lists the Banasura hills at about 6,800 feet and a trek along the Meenmutty, Kattukunnu and Aanchola route, which needs Forest Department permission and which DTPC advises for ages 11 and over. The Banasura Meenmutty waterfall, over 800 feet high, is not the Meenmutty falls near Meppadi, which DTPC describes as closed and visible only from a viewpoint on the Meppadi to Gudalur road.

Soochipara (Sentinel Rock) Waterfalls

DTPC describes a three-tiered cascade near Kalpetta, also called Sentinel Rock Falls, and puts it about 23 km from Kalpetta bus stand. Soochi is Malayalam for needle, and the council mentions a needle-shaped cliff nearby. The council's entry also mentions swimming at the Vellarimala falls. Rain changes both the flow and the paths, so ask the staff whether bathing is allowed that day and follow their instructions at the gate.

Kuruva Island

Kuruva, or Kuruvadweep, is a group of uninhabited islands in the Kabini river, a protected delta of about 950 acres. DTPC says visitors cross by fibre boat or bamboo raft and that the Forest Department looks after the islands. It is a place for a slow walk among birds, orchids and medicinal plants rather than a quick photograph.

Muthanga and Tholpetty: the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Kerala Tourism describes the sanctuary as two ranges, Muthanga and Tholpetty, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, with elephants, tigers, leopards and several kinds of deer; the Forest Department runs the jeep safaris. DTPC says Muthanga was established in 1973 as part of Project Elephant, adjoins the protected areas of Nagarhole and Bandipur in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, and stops selling tickets for a trip once its vehicles are full. The district says Tholpetty runs a jeep safari twice a day, lasting one and a half to two hours, with a lake where animals come down to drink. Sightings are never guaranteed.

Pookode Lake and Phantom Rock

A freshwater lake 770 metres above sea level near Kalpetta, Pookode has a walk around the shore, boating and an aquarium, DTPC says, and the council puts it about 12 km from Kalpetta bus stand. It is also where the Panamaram river begins before it joins the Kabini. It makes an easy afternoon stop. Close to Kalpetta too, the district's Phantom Rock is a rock formation that resembles a skull, popular with photographers and nature lovers, 18.8 km from Kalpetta.

Lakkidi, Neelimala and the Chain Tree

Kerala Tourism names the viewpoints at Lakkidi and Neelimala for sunrise and sunset views over the valleys. At Lakkidi, DTPC lists the Chain Tree, where a colonial-era legend says the spirit of a tribesman called Karinthandan was bound to a tree. DTPC puts Lakkidi 57 km from Kozhikode railway station and 66 km from Calicut airport.

Thirunelli Temple

Dedicated to Vishnu and standing beside the Brahmagiri hills, Thirunelli is also called Sahyamala Kshetram and the Kashi of the South, DTPC says. The Papanasini stream beside the temple is held sacred, and families come to perform rituals for their ancestors. Ask about the temple's entry and dress rules before you go.

Wayanad shares Kerala's two monsoons. IMD's normals put the dry stretch at December to March: across the state, 34.9 mm of rain falls in December, 8.4 mm in January, 14 mm in February and 32.8 mm in March, and Kozhikode, the gateway city that IMD's brochure lists, has normals of 30.3, 3.3, 3.5 and 21.4 mm. The south-west monsoon normally reaches Kerala on 1 June, and June and July are the wettest months, at 643 and 720 mm across the state and 800.3 and 814.0 mm at Kozhikode.

The second wet spell is the north-east monsoon. Kerala's October normal is 303 mm, more than September's 259.5 mm; Kozhikode's is 275.1 mm; and IMD's district table puts Wayanad's normal for the first 24 days of October alone at 166 mm. At Thiruvananthapuram the normals are 281.5 mm in October and 198 mm in November. So October and November are not dry months, even though Kerala Tourism names October to May as the best time for the district.

Rain also decides what is open. When IMD has issued heavy-rain alerts, Wayanad's District Collector, who chairs the District Disaster Management Authority, has ordered trekking and adventure-tourism centres closed until further orders, citing the risk of landslides, particularly in the Vythiri and Meppadi panchayats, and urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel to hilly areas. Under an orange alert, tourist destinations were closed across the district. Such orders can arrive a day ahead and be withdrawn, so confirm with your host and DTPC before you set out. Our best time to visit Kerala guide has the whole state month by month, and our monsoon page covers travelling in the rains.

Kerala Tourism says stays range from resorts and eco-friendly homestays among plantations to budget hotels. Kalpetta is the practical base, because the district measures every sight from it, and buses reach it from nearby cities. For Chembra, the Meppadi side is the approach. Taxis are the usual way between sights.

• Book forest permits through DTPC or the Forest Department, and treat opening times as changeable: most DTPC sights run on daytime hours.
• Check closures before you leave your hotel in any rain alert; the Collector's orders cover trekking, adventure centres and, at times, all tourism.
• Kerala Tourism says about half of Kerala's tribal people live in Wayanad's interiors; arrange village visits and cultural programmes through DTPC or the Responsible Tourism initiative.
• Keep to marked paths and the guide's instructions in the sanctuary and on forest trails.