KERALA ROAD TRIP PART 1 : WAYANAD #MemoryLane

Overshadowed by other popular tourist destination like Alleppey, Kochi and Munnar, Wayanad is an untouched emerald in God's own country!

One January, not so long ago, we were in Bangalore for work and as always wanted to extend our stay and seek out some hidden gems, this time, in the south of India, but didn’t know where to begin! South India has sooo many options that we were spoilt for choice. We eventually narrowed it down to Wayanad and Cherai, for the simple reason that we had never heard much about either so we decided to check them out ourselves!

Thankfully for us, our cousin (who lives in Bangalore) generously let us borrow his car for a week and that allowed us to turn this journey into a road trip without blowing our budget. So we were to go from Bangalore --> 3 days in Wayanad --> 3 days in Cherai --> Bangalore --> Fly to Delhi

The drive from Bangalore to Wayanad is approximately 280kms which we wanted to cover in about 7 hrs but it ended up taking 10hrs with lots of pit stops!! There are 3 major route options from Bangalore to Wayanad, the one that we took;

Route 3: The Somnathpur-Bandipur Route

Bangalore → Channapatna → Malavalli → Somanathapura → Gundlupet→ Bandipur → Wayanad

While traveling on a budget, both of us prefer to always book our hotels/stay after physically seeing the places, because if one thing travelling has taught us, it is that the best quaint little places don’t advertise themselves online. We left Bangalore around 12pm, thinking we’d reach by evening and go look around for our hotel but of course we got late. On our last pit stop, we realised that it would be after dark when we reach Wayanad and therefore difficult to find a place to stay so we decided to check Airbnb and found The Wayanad Stay by Paul & Susan. We initially booked it for a night thinking we’ll go exploring the next morning to see better options.

The Wayanad Stay by Paul & Susan:

We reached The Stay past 10.30pm and it was quite dark then so we couldn’t make out much, only that the host Paul was super sweet and made sure we were checked in comfortably. The next morning when we woke up is when we realised how beautiful the place was. Massive en-suite room with an attached balcony which conveniently had a hammock on it, overlooking tall coconut trees and coffee plantations. We were sold and extended our stay there for 2 more nights.

Paul and Susan, ever so sweetly had prepared a hearty breakfast for us, traditional Appam, Puttu and this amazing digestive drink called Karingali Vellam!!

They were also very helpful on recommending hidden places to explore (that’s the best part about living with locals). There is something for everyone in Wayanad; caves, hills, waterfalls, treks and so much lush!!

Soochipara Waterfall:

To our disappointment, most of the waterfalls were closed off due to dry season and fire hazards, but we found one which wasn’t!

Once we reached Soochippara, a 30 minutes trek lead us to the Falls which was 200 meters high and offered a cliff face, ideal for rock climbing. Also, the waterfall formed a large pool, perfect for swimming. Although a bit busy due to lack of other options because of the shut down, It's still a great place to spend some quality time with your family or friends!

Kurumballakotta Trek:

As you already know by now, we love sunrises and wanted to capture the Wayanad sunrise. After discussing with Paul, we decided to head up to Kurumballakotta the next morning at 5am. Kurumballakotta is a monolith hillock which is at a height of 3220ft above the sea level. After a simple uphill walk, you are engulfed in the misty layers and the fleeting view of the layering luscious greenery is indeed a sight to behold.

Qatar Bakery & Restaurant: Amazing Middle-Eastern food!!

While coming back to Pauls’, we spotted the restaurant. The place was buzzing with people and enticed us with its beautiful lights. We decided to have our last meal in Wayanad there. The most amazing Middle-Eastern food!! Spicy, meaty oh so good!!

The next morning after we were packed and having our breakfast, Namrata just happened to mention that we didn’t get a chance to pick up some local brewed coffee and Paul came to our rescue once again. To our surprise, he simply packed 1 kg of coffee from his own plantations and gifted it to us (we still enjoy it).

There is so much to do and see in Wayanad; Chembra Peak, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kuruva Island, Pakshipathalam, Pookot Lake, Banasura Sagar Dam, we could have easily spent an entire week only in Wayanad exploring and will definitely go back!!

Our next leg of the journey was going to be Cherai! Watch out for the second part of this blog on the whats, hows and wheres in Cherai!

To read about the full story, know some pro tips and get a real feel of the place by our pictures, read the full story at https://www.thetripseekers.in/ and if you want to know our detailed itinerary, our expenditures and see more of those beautiful pictures, get in touch with us at info@thetripseekers.in and definitely follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetripseekers.