Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Introducing Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

If Kerala is ‘God’s Country’, this must be his garden of Eden. Part of a remote forest reserve that spills over into national parks in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Wayanad lies cocooned in the hills of the Western Ghats. Famed among Keralans for its jaw-dropping beauty, the landscape is a green medley of rice paddies, untouched forests, spice plantations and more rice paddies (the name translates to ‘country of paddy fields’). A convenient stopover point between Bengaluru or Mysore and Kochi, the region gets surprisingly few visitors, though it’s one of the few places you’re almost guaranteed to spot wild elephants. Other wildlife that roam the forests here include sambar and spotted dear, Indian bison, langur monkeys and, drumroll, occasionally tigers.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009