29 April 2019
Well, it was a long due trip to Wayanad with two of my friends and it did turn out amazing. Planning took some time but I did have an agenda before reaching there so this was a 4 day trip of work and fun combined. Since I am currently residing in Ooty, Tamil Nadu we planned to start our trip from here itself.
We took a state govt. bus from Ooty, Main Bus stand to Mananthavady (wayanad, Kerala) and the ticket costed around ₹140/person.
PS : Journey takes around minimum 5 hours and if you're taking this route for the first time then sight seeing is a good idea while you listen to some music.
Though this bus to Trichi also goes via Sultan Bathery, another major stop in Wayanad. Hence depending on your accomodation location, you may decide where to get down.
Bus timing was 9:00 AM from Ooty and we reached around 1:30 PM approx.
We booked an Oyo Hotel White Fort It is a good option for the price. Costed us ₹1175 for 3 people.
We stayed in Mananthavady for a day. Exploring villages and visiting the Paniya tribes was what we did. Our stay was around 1km from the bus stand and we mostly took and Auto to roam around. Considerably cheap but nothing like having your own vehicle or hiring one. Hiring a rental scooter/bike will cost between ₹450-₹600 for a day.
If you're interested in art, there is even Lalithkala akademi nearby which you may visit for sometime if some artist is showcasing.
Kurumbalakota, as suggested by the locals is a good place to visit in Wayanad, with beautiful landscape specially during the early hours in the morning. Also there are some old fort remains, has been commercialised though.
30 April 2019
2nd Day we started off a little late with breakfast at the hotel itself. It costed approx ₹100/person. We visited a couple of few other Tribal colonies.
By mid-afternoon we departed for Meppadi post lunch, which was another 2hr journey from Mananthavady. Yes Wayanad is quite big to Imagine. Since there isn't any direct bus so had to take a bus to Kalpetta (another big stop in Wayanad) and from Kalpetta there is a bus to Meppadi. We reached around 7PM. Totally costed us approx ₹70-₹80/person.
From Meppadi we took an auto rickshaw to Zostel, costed us ₹130. Usually seeing us as tourists, autodrivers charge ₹150 so bargain accordingly.
me and my friends decided to stay at Zostel and just enjoy nature. So we didn't plan much on sightseeing then except a few walks here and there nearby the property.
Zostel costed us ₹1000/person for 2 days excluding food.
So if you're opting to stay at zostel, let me tell you it's nowhere near the town so do store necessary eatables and other basic requirements with you before you reach. It's located in Chembra Tea Estate which isn't safe to walk during late hours because of wild animals. For food you can order from zostel itself, the staff will help you with that. Per meal that we ordered costed us around ₹130-₹150/person.
The vibe at zostel is so cozy and welcoming , all I wanted was to lay down under the sky in the hammock and just relax. Yes, there is a hammock overlooking the property, high in demand so grab it before fellow zostelers take over it. Haha
At night , somewhere around the property, just walk out and in the total dark you can see hundreds of fireflies.. it was a dream come true for me. I'll share a picture of it. There are many abandoned locations in Wayanad and the tonalities of the coloured are brilliant. This is for the photographers out there. ;)
You can also find many mango trees, jackfruit trees, pomegranate and guava trees, etc. around the property. Don't worry you can enjoy plucking some fruits and enjoy!
It did excite me.
Weather is pretty hot, nights get mild chilly.
1 May 2019
Took a walk down to the Meppadi town.
It is a photographic stretch with landscapes and other street subjects. Distance was 6kms. Currently Chembra Peak is closed for tourists until June emd due to some forest fires so we couldn't trek up . There is a heart shaped lake. But sadly I couldn't so will definitely return in future.
There are a couple of other waterfalls in and around Wayanad which you may visit but only during monsoons if you're hoping to see water.
While returning back, we took an auto, charges ₹120.
2 May 2019
We checkout out from Zostel and took an auto back to Meppadi town. Auto charge was ₹100 and from there we boarded a bus to Kalpetta , since there isn't any direct bus to Sultan Bathery. Our journey was pretty hectic as we boarded multiple buses from Kalpetta to Sultan Bathery to Pattawayal (another small village near Kerala Border) to Gudalur to Ooty.
Honestly, our research went wrong and we couldn't find any direct bus back to Ooty. Still an amazing journey.
I have shared images altogether. Hope it helps you.
Wayanad is a great location to visit in order to take a break from your daily and digital routine. Perfect kind if mental detox with friends and family.