Waynad, Kerala

Date of Journey : 29th Aug 2014 (rainy day)

Start location : Bangalore via Mysore–>Bandipur–> Sulthan Bathery–>Kalpeta

Total Distance Travelled( to and Fro) = 920 KM

Kerala Border Check Post crossing free for TT= Rs 3500

Here I am with you guys with one of my great travel experience- Waynad, Kerala also know as “God’s own Country” . After visiting this place, i realized why this place is so called as “God’s Own Country” 🙂 the beautiful and very green state of Kerala. This was the family trip, total of 8 members started from Bangalore at around 3:00 AM in the morning on a bright Saturday morning. We had hired a Force Traveller to ferry all of us to Waynad. On the way, we stopped at the KFC on the way to have some refreshments and then we passed through Mysore city and traversed through Bandipur forest.  While crossing we encounters dears of different kinds and the road were awesome. We thoroughly enjoyed the Bandipur crossing. 😉 Here is the few pics taken during crossing :

Bandipur National Park

  On the Kerala Check post, for crossing the states , they charged us Rs 3500 for TT.  Yeah it is much as just to cross within the states of India for Indians.. 😉 but yeah worth to go with.We had booked the cottage at Royal Palm Resort at the decent price. People were great and food too were up to the mark.  More info you people can get on visiting @ http://www.royalpalmwayanad.com/. This Resort is situated at Kalpetta ,all the site places are near by only..! Over all good choice..! :).  We reached Kalpetta , our destination in just about 7 hours since we left Bangalore . Our first stop (after a very filling b’fast) was Edakkal Caves, which has carvings from the Stone Age / Neolithic times ! The climb to the caves is fairly steep and can be a challenge for folks who are not in the right shape (yep, round i realized is not the right shape to be, while attempting to clamber onto the rocks to see what the neolithic man has carved !) Well, after Edakkal Caves with little energy left, we had a heavy meal (Chicken biryani. 😉 )following which, we went over to the our cottage, Kalpetta. After taking some rest again we headed towards the Pookode Lake.! This lake is surrounded by trees and forests and looks very scenic. Boats are available for visitors to avail, rowing boat, pedal boat etc.There are lot of facilities in the park attached for the children to play. Next place to visit was “Lakkidi View Point” ,Tourists stop at this view point to have a panoramic view of the nature at its best. A nice place for people interested in photography. The settling of mist on the mountains gives great joy. One can spend about an hour at this point provided the rain allows you too.

lakkidi view point

Tea State

This was the Day 1 Visit @ Waynad. We took the rest and had some games at resort (fire Camp, musics ) and ending the day with Awesome dinner. 🙂 🙂 Day: 2 (Sunday) We Woke up fresh on Sunday morning and got ready to visit couple of tourist spots.Our first stop (after a very filling b’fast) was Soochipara falls .Vehicles can not go close to the falls and we had to park our automobile a little distance away and walk for about 1-2 kilometres to reach the falls from ticket counter .The falls during rainy season is worth visiting.The falls are beautiful and the trek down to them was  serene. The water roars and comes down at long height. Though the steps are steep, it is worth visiting for a life time experience.  Here is the few pictures of this place :

Around Soochipara Falls

Soochipara Waterfalls

After Soochipara falls, our next destination was Banasura Dam . The Banasura Sagar Dam is located approx 20 km from Kalpetta, in Wayanad District of Kerala. It is the largest earthen dam in India and the second largest in Asia.The dam is surrounded by green hills and the hills were covered in rolling monsoon clouds – the place is immensely scenic. We did not do the speed boat ride and were content to soak in the tranquil beauty from the shore. 🙂 🙂 But definitely go in for the boating(speed boats) as it gives you great views of the mountains , it is highly recommended to take the boat trip. The charges are around 500/- for 10 min of boating-Worth to go…! This place is Well maintained. Jeep service is good, just Rs100  for all (8 person) to and fro . Entry fee  is around Rs 20 and for Camera it is Rs 25. I don’t have much pictures of this place…as i was lost in the nature forgot to capture anything .. 😉

Banasura Dam

I must admit, this was a very nice experience. After spending some time there, we finally decided to start on our journey back to Bangalore. Except for a short stop at a roadside tea stall for some hot tea (it was good !), we reached Bangalore virtually non-stop . Hope this blog will be helpful for you guys..!! 🙂 🙂 Cheers, Rajdeep