Monday, December 31, 2018

Wayanad : A journey awaits you

    “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”- Paulo Coelho.

Best time to visit Wayanad, Kerala is from October to June. In a bid to make most of the December holidays we broke off to the place at the very first opportunity we had. Wayanad: set high on the Western Ghats is a rustic and a verdant district of Kerala. The area is a medley of swaying mountains sheathed in the green canopy, wild trees covering the vast landscape and with plenty of coffee and spice plantations.
                                       On our way....

Nature always defies my imagination, and I love every time it does so for it makes me more humble as it reinstate its magnanimity over our selfish means and ego.

We visited Lakkidi and Thirunelli in our two days road trip. The ghats took us through them with swag and occasionally stood the majestic mountains smiling at my bewilderment at their sight.
below is the snippet of our drive through woods:
                                 

Lakkidi:

It is the rainforest area serving as the gateway of the Wayanad district. It receives good rainfall and hence also termed as “Cherapunji of Kerala.”
Lakkadi was the secret route for local Adivasis of Wayanad. An English engineer learned the shortest path via ghats from a tribal chieftain and later killed him to take the credit for discovering the route.

Distance from Major Cities:
Kozhikode: 100 km. (also the nearest railway station)
Bangalore: approx. 290 km
Mysore: 238 km.
Mangalore: 342 km
Karur: 202 km.
Madurai: 248 km.

Major Attractions:
Lakkidi viewpoint: 5 km. From the famous town Vyathiri.

Pookot Lake: 3.2 km from Lakkidi viewpoint. Ideal for picnic and boating

Thusharagiri waterfalls: 5.8 km from Lakkidi viewpoint. “Thusharagiri” means snow-capped mountains. The snowy waterfall is formed out of the three rivers diverging into a fountain.

Heart Lake: 5 km from Lakkidi viewpoint. The heart-shaped lake attracts visitors and nature lovers. The place has the highest point of the Western Ghats called, ”Chembra Peak.” Visit this peak is organized by the South Wayanad Forest Development Agency.

Our cottage at Upavan Resort, Lakkidi gave us an enchanting view of the Brahmagiri hills and valleys. Moderate weather along with the display of green landscape made our holiday meaningful.
Our courage to keep aside our ego and mobile phones amidst nature would be rewarded with stillness and peace that flows generously off the mother Earth and something we profusely lack.



Thirunelli

After a fruitful day at Lakkidi, the other day we were swagging on the winding roads towards Thirunelli.



Koomankolli Resort: This resort needs a special mention. Located deep in the area the place brings you the feel of old time living  with nothing but nature to sustain on and with. The resort is right at the foothills of Brahmagiri and has retained its rustic charm after the renovation.
Apart from the resort, all that we could see was the tribes inhabiting around.
The tribes are kurchiyar, Paniya, Adiya, and Kuruma to name a few.
                                                    Resort lapped in Brahmagiri.

View from our balcony. The Brahmagiri hills stand grand and majestic like the king of the land overlooking the stretch.
                                                        View from our cottage!

The co-owner of the resort Rajesh and a gentleman Amit familiarised us with the geography of the surrounding.

Nilgiri Biosphere: Rajesh told us that Bandipur-Nagarhole and Wayanad wildlife sanctuary forms a part of Nilgiri biosphere. The Nilgiri subcluster is a part of Western Ghats which has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO IN 2012

Elephant Corridor:  Thirunelli-Kudrakote regions form the elephant corridor. The wild elephants have movement in the area, and it has been under jurisdiction to block it entirely for the animals.

Mock charge: The adorable elephants: the native of the land registers their annoyance of human intrusion with an impetuous rush towards the vehicles passing by their area. They are kind enough not to hurt but determined to remind us of our limits beyond which we should not disturb their establishment.

Nearby Attractions:

Thirunelli Temple:  4 km from Kollam Koli Resort. A 3000-year-old temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is one of One of the oldest pilgrimage site situated at Karnataka-Kerala border.
Irupu Falls: At a distance of around 10 km lies this frothy fall. The trail towards the fall is like a trek consisting of steep forest walk and few steps. It is a part of Karnataka state.

Nagarhole Tiger Reserve: The kollum Koli resort has a very strategic location. Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is at 22km. One can make a visit for a day and come back to go around Thirunelli the other day.

      “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”- Paulo Coelho.
While returning from the lush green Wayanad, we got to cross Nagarhole Tiger Reserve! It is the place we have been to last month, and the place which increased my appetite for nature. Going by the above quote of Coelho; the visit to forests have happened twice, and I am looking forward to a third one soon as the God’s own Country beckons.








2 comments:

  1. I can smell nature's beauty in your expression,gives solace to the troubled hearts.I had a superficial knowledge about Wayanad but now your blogb has given one the complete sketch of the place and my eyes are waiting for the vacatin to enjoy the feast ......

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Sir for sparing time to read! I am glad that the blog is of some value to the readers. I have always admired our beautiful country and wish to spread the word about its enchanting landscape.

    ReplyDelete

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