Wayanad travel guide

Coffee and spice country with caves, peaks and wildlife sanctuaries. Most people stay 2–4 nights. Best months: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May.

Highlights

• Edakkal Caves
• Chembra Peak trek
• Banasura Sagar Dam
• Muthanga or Tholpetty jeep safari
• Coffee plantation stays

Things to do in Wayanad

• Edakkal Caves petroglyphs · 3 h · about ₹100 per person. A steep 45-minute climb to rock carvings thousands of years old; entries per day are capped, so arrive early. Closed Mondays.
• Chembra Peak trek to the heart-shaped lake · 5 h · about ₹1,000 per person. A forest-department guided trek with a limited daily quota; it closes in heavy rain and fire season, so check before you go.
• Banasura Sagar Dam and speed boats · 2 h · about ₹400 per person
• Muthanga or Tholpetty wildlife jeep safari · 2 h · about ₹1,200 per person. Forest-department jeeps with guides, first come, first served at the gate in the morning and late afternoon; elephants and gaur are common. Sanctuaries can close in summer.
• Kuruva Island bamboo rafts · 3 h · about ₹200 per person. River islands reached by bamboo raft with a daily visitor cap; closed in the monsoon.
• Coffee and spice plantation walk · 2 h · about ₹500 per person
• Pookode Lake pedal boats · 1.5 h · about ₹200 per person

Where to stay in Wayanad

• Kalpetta and Sultan Bathery hotels (budget, ₹1,500–₹3,500 a night): Town hotels on the main road, central for Edakkal and Muthanga.
• Plantation homestays around Vythiri and Meppadi (mid, ₹4,000–₹9,000 a night): Coffee-estate homestays with home-cooked Malabar food.
• Vythiri forest resorts and tree houses (premium, ₹12,000–₹30,000 a night): Rainforest villas and tree houses with pools, 1h from the main sights.

What to eat

• Bamboo rice payasam and Malabar dishes: Plantation homestays and Kalpetta restaurants
• Kozhikode halwa and Malabar biryani: On the way via Kozhikode (SM Street and old restaurants)

Getting there

• ~2.5–3h to CCJ (Kozhikode) or Kozhikode station
• ~6–7h to Kochi

Good to know

• Jun–Sep: very heavy rain and landslide risk on hill roads; follow district advisories, and treks and Kuruva Island close.
• Wildlife sanctuaries can close in the dry months for fire risk; Edakkal Caves and many sights close on Mondays.

Kerala itineraries with Wayanad

• Wayanad long weekend: caves, peaks and plantations · 5 days, Wayanad · from ₹19,200 per person, base estimate before flights. Northern Kerala's green highlands from a coffee-estate base: the Edakkal petroglyphs, the Chembra Peak trek, a jeep safari and Banasura's reservoir.