Reaching Wayanad from Bangalore

Reaching Wayanad

From Bangalore: To enter into Wayanad, first you need to reach Mysore from Bangalore. Bangalore-Mysore (141km, 3 hours) route is very popular with extremely good connectivity with KSRTC busses. You can even catch any frequent train from Bangalore to reach Mysore.

From Mysore: There are 3 routes to enter into Wayanad from Mysore and outlined below.

Route1: Mysore-Nanjangudu-Gundlupet (NH-212, Ooty road)-Muthanga- SulthanBathery

There are frequent busses (KSRTC) from Mysore to Sulthan Bathery (115km, 86 Rs, 3 hours) on this route. The road condition is good and it passes through BandipurNational park hence gets closed from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM every night. While passing through Bandipur reserve, there are very good chances to sight wild life on the road side. Enroute you can visit Wayanad wild life sanctuary Muthanga Range.
NH-212 connects Mysore to Calicut. Kalpetta also falls on the same road and some 23 km from Sulthan Bathery.

 Teak Trees in Nagarhole National Park
Route2: Mysore-HT Kote (Heggadadevankote)- Near Kabini Reservoir- Rajiv Gandhi National Park- Bavali- Kattikulam- Mananthavady [114 km, 4 hours, 84 Rs]

This route is close from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM everyday

This certainly tops the list of scenic routes you can take to reach Wayanad but it also has its another side with its pathetic road condition and scarcity of public transport. Forest department also shuts down any section of the road without intimating transport authorities. In such case, you will have to take mud roads through villages to cross that forest reserve section.   No need to surprise or react, if you encounter elephant herd or other wild animals while passing through Rajiv Gandhi National Park. Teasing of Wild animals can lead to detrimental consequences. You are also not allowed to stop or vehicle or get out of it within the premises of National park. Enroute you can visit RajivGandhi National Park, Kabini Reservoir.

Route3: Mysore-Hunsur-Nagarhole-Kutta-Tholpetty-Kattikulam-Mananthavady

This route is always open.

Road condition is good and the route is generally taken when you get stuck in Wayanador want to enter Wayanad in night. This route goes by Nagarhole and then Thopettyand your best chances to sight wild elephants if passing in the evening or early morning (From my personal experience). Enroute you can visit Wayanad wild life sanctuaryTholpetty range, Tirunelly Temple etc. This route opens to Coorg district of Karnatakawhich is another delight to the travelers.
                                                     
Coming from Kerala

From Calicut: There are frequent government busses to Kalpetta (42km, 2 hours) viaVythiri through a steep Ghat road. The same road directly connects to Sulthan Bathery.Enroute, you can get down at Vythiri and visit Pookot Lake.

From Kannur: There are private busses from Kannur to Mananthavady.

There are also direct busses from Sulthan Bathery to Ooty once or twice in a day.

Commutation within Wayanad

All the cities, towns, villages, tourist destinations within Wayanad are well connected with very effective circuit of private busses. There are frequent private busses connecting Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady with each other. From these cities, there are regular private busses plying between various tourist destinations. For most of the destinations in the list, private busses will drop you as close as 1 km and from there you can walk very easily. There are also private as well as shared autos available everywhere those will charge by an average of 10 Rs per km.

                            Accommodation and restaurants in Wayanad

Finding an accommodation and restaurant is the last thing you need to worry about. Almost every alternate house in wayanad offers homestay and after each 5-10 km, you will hit a small or big town offering basic tourist facilities. There are homestays, resorts, lodges, hotels on almost all the roads within Wayanad district.

Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady are the major towns and offer a wide range of accommodation including high-end accommodation and luxury resorts. A budget room in these towns will cost you 150-200 INR per night. Most of the tourists generally stay in these cities only.

                              Elephant and Barking Deer in Tholpetty Range Wayanad                                                 
Here, I am listing couple of important maps and charts those would be extremely useful for planning your trip to Wayanad. One of the most common misconceptions aboutWayanad is that it’s a city/town which it is not. Wayanad is a district with many small towns. Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady are the most popular one and gateways to various destinations.

Distance Chart in Km	Kalpetta	SulthanBathery	Mananthavady	Remarks
Banasura Sagar Dam	24	49	34	*Second largest earthen dam of Asia
Banasura Hill	26	51	36	Trekking
Chembra Peak	17	42	52	Highest peak ofWayanad
Chain Tree	16	41	51	Mysterious tree
Edakkal Cave	28	12	45	Archeological site
Ganapathi Temple	25	0	45	Ancient Temple
Jain Temple	24	1	44	Ancient Temple
Kadamanchira	28	3	48
Kalliyanath Mosque	47	52	23	Pilgrim
Karalad Lake	16	41	25	Scenery
Karapuzha Dam	17	18	45	Scenery
Muthanga	41	16	58	Wild life Sanctuary
Neelimala View Point	27	26	62	Vantage Point
Paingattiri Agraharam	28	23	7	Culture
Pakshi Pathalam	71	78	36	Bird Watching
Palchuram	52	68	18
Pallikunnu Church	19	38	23	Old Church
Pazhassi Tomb	35	45	1	Monument
Phantom Rock	26	12	43	Archeological site
Pookot Lake	15	40	50	Scenery
Pulpally	50	25	41	Village
Soochippara Waterfalls	23	43	58	Waterfalls
Sunrise Valley	22	20	57	Vantage point
Tirunelly Temple	64	71	29	Ancient Temple
Tholpetti	59	66	24	Wild life Sanctuary
Heritage Museum	25	10	42	Museum
Kuruva Island	40	58	17	Landscape
Ghat road view point	17	42	52	Vantage point
Kadachikkunnu	26	29	61
Kanthanpara waterfalls	22	23	57	Waterfall
Meenmutty waterfalls	29	28	64	Waterfall
RARS	25	10	42	Agriculture Research Station