Trip to Wayanad

We decided to visit Kerala during the monsoon. So when we could take a day off in July we decided we would go to Wayanad. Wayanad is located at a distance of 280 kms from Bangalore. So on 6th July at 7 we started off from Bangalore.

Day 1:

Bangalore- Mysore - Gundulpet -Bandipur -Sultan Bathery - Wayanad. ~280 kms.

Though we wanted to start around 6:30 we ended up starting at around 7:00. The road taken was Bangalore- Mysore - Gundulpet -Bandipur -Sultan Bathery - Wayanad. We had booked our stay for 2 nights at Planet Green Plantation Resorts. Bangalore- Mysore road was a breeze as usual except for the speed bumps at regular intervals. The roads from Mysore to Gundulpet is ok. Once we entered Bandipur we were cruising at a slower place hoping to spot some animals. We didn't see a single animal for a long time and when we had almost given up we suddenly spotted a Elephant and a calf who had just crossed the road. :). The best part of the drive through the forest was that due to the recent rains the jungle was lush green and was a treat to eyes. Soon after we entered Kerala for the first time, and the greenery continued.

The road shown in Google maps to reach the hotel was under construction so we wasted around an hour trying to get to the hotel. We finally reached the resort around 2 in the afternoon. The hotel staff had called us earlier and asked us what we wanted to have for lunch. So we had some simple but tasty vegetarian food. It started raining in the evening and so we just relaxed in the resort and ended up watching Djoko - Federer match. Dinner was also an extremely tasty fare.

Day 2:

We decided to start off the day early since we wanted to cover atleast some tourist places before it rained again. So we left the resort after having breakfast at around 9.

First on the list was a viewpoint called the Lakkidi View point. The view from this point was beautiful. This place thought is infested with a lot of monkeys. Also, this place is littered with trash. I wish tourists are little more careful about where they throw the trash. :(

Next on the list was Pookode lake. This was a total waste of time. There is nothing to do here and once you have seen the Ooty lake and the kodai lake this just seems lackluster. There is a pathway along the lake but since it was monsoon it was full of leeches. We just spent about 15 mins here and headed towards the next place on the list. Tickets was priced at 15 Rs per person and 20 Rs for a still camera.

The third on the list ( also the last place we ended up visiting during our stay) was the Banasura Sagar Dam.The drive to the dam is a treat to the eyes. The entire road is filled with Tea estates and is without a doubt one of the best drives that we have had until now. Banasura sagar dam is the largest earth dam in India and definitely worth a visit. Tickets were priced at 20 Rs per person and 25 Rs for a camera. There is a option of taking the Jeep for 80Rs per person or to walk about a km to reach the dam. We decided to walk and reached the top of the dam in about 20 mins. The view of the Banasurasagar lake is amazing. You can also walk upto the Earth dam .We spent about an hour and a half here. It was almost lunch time and so we decided to come back into town and have lunch at hotel woodlands. I had read good reviews of this place but the vegetarian fare was ordinary. The non veg section though was completely full with people waiting outside. After lunch we decided to just drop in the rest for a while and then go look at some waterfalls. Fortunately or unfortunately the moment we stepped foot into our room it started to rain heavily. So we decided to drop the idea of visiting the waterfalls and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the balcony with some hot pakodas and tea. :).

Day 3:

This was the day we would travel back to Bangalore. Since we wanted to reach bangalore around afternoon we decided to check out early around 9. The drive back was smooth. Unfortunately the drive through the forest was uneventful and we didn't even spot a monkey.... We reached Bangalore around 3 after stopping for lunch at KFC near Channapatna.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience to just see the beautiful landscapes of Wayanad. Hoping to go there some time again soon.