Wayanad has a Wildlife reserve, it has a awesome and fierce waterfall and very good places for trekking. It was decided instantly that this should be the place. I was caught in some urgent work on 15th Aug, so we only started our trip on Saturday, 16th. First stop was Mysore, 3 hrs away, again we took the great Indian Railway’s help and reached Mysore in dead 3 hrs and spending only 43 INR per head.
Wrecking havoc inside the bus at Sulthan Bathery Bus Station
I have always been a staunch supporter of public transport except city autos, which I ferociously hate. From Mysore we boarded the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus which gave us an incredible site in the Bandipur National Park in 78 INR and 4 hrs.
Mimicking us. :-)
On the bus journey we saw something incredible that people who go on safari, relish to see. NH 212 goes through the National Park and it is the only way to Wayanad. It was a normal bus ride till we saw a cat like animal on the road, only difference was that it was a little big with a big tail. It was a Leopard. We couldn’t thank much for the perfect timing of the crossing. After the leopard crossed the road, he/she!!! gave a good stare at us. Must be thinking when can I have a feast of these silly people who keep disturbing me? It was a delight.
By the time we reached Wayanad, it was early evening and it was raining as well. So we decided to call it a day. The target for next day was to visit the Edakkal caves and its trek, the Soochipara Waterfall and the Pookot lake. If planning a day trip, then these are the best place to visit.
We didn’t had the luxury of having our own 4X4, so we decided to go for a Mahindra Jeep, which has literally captured the whole Wayanad market. The Jeep for full day hire costs 1500 INR, which is a little steep but with the time constraint and being a hilly area, it is the best thing to do. We started off our day with the Karapuzha Dam, which is a small but beautiful dam. It stands on a lake which is the catchment area for the rain water.
Beautiful sight in the morning
Having spent an hr at the dam, we headed for the Edakkal caves. The caves open only after 9AM and only till 4 PM. Frankly speaking the caves are a masterpiece of ancient paintings drawn by man who existed, I don’t know may be 10000 years ago. The only sad part in this wonderful story is that we didn’t know that it has such a rare treasure, we were much more excited for the trek that was over the top of the caves. I really regret it. There is a natural water source in the cave with very cold and sweet water. Worth every penny to refill your water bottles.
Way to Edakkal caves
Firmly guarded cave entrance
The height of the peak is not comparable to the very famous Chembra peak but the difficulty level and the danger involved is definitely more than that of Chembra peak. The trek has a steep slope and at some places, iron ladders and ropes are provided to get over the vertical face rocks. There is a small stretch over a rock which is without any support and I found it particularly scary. I don’t know why I got scared, I remember I used to climb such faces with ease, I think this accident has made me extra cautious and a little more respectful towards life. I do feel, being cautious brings the best results. Me being me, I had to do it, I waited for couple of minutes and to my rescue, I saw a group of local people scaling that part with such an ease that it made me feel Holy Moly, it aint that difficult afterall. This is nothing in terms of what I aspire to do. After this stretch it way relatively easy. With the help of a fixed iron ladder which is there to help scale the final vertical faced rock, finally I did reach the top.
That’s the hill top we are aiming for.
The top provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding areas. Sorry for not posting the pics, because I didn’t carry the camera to the top, which I also regret :D.
To give a perspective, the small peak in the picture, is what we trekked.
After giving our legs and thighs, a overdose of exercise, which I can still feel in the form of muscular pain, we headed back to our jeep and to our next destination, Soochipara Waterfalls. The whole trek took around 2 and half hrs.
Tea Gardens lacing the NH212
Soochipara is around 30 kms from Edakkal caves, most of the distance is to be covered on the NH212 which is laced with tea gardens. The Waterfall is located a km down from the parking lot. For the 3 quarters of the distance, the road is paved with stone and after that around 50 steps takes us to the bottom of the waterfall. Waterfall can be heard from a km away, and in this rainy season, it looks like all hell has broken loose.
Soochipara in its full glory
The waterfall is majestic and definitely bone crushing. The speed and the amount of water which is hitting the ground, will definitely kill anyone who goes under the waterfall. Even at a distance of 10 mts, the splattering water feels like bullets. I am very fond of waterfalls, I don’t remember, not entering a waterfall, after having seen it. I can not control myself. The water was very cold and the whole waterfall bed had lot of stones, so guys be very cautious. The bath took away all the tiredness of the trek. I felt very very fresh as if the high speed water bullets had cleaned the skin like never before. Definitely worth a dip. :D
Bubbling water at the start of waterfall
It was already 2:30PM, so we decided to head towards our last destination, Pookot lake. It is 30km, an hr away from the waterfall. The lake is just like any other lake, it does provide boats and canoes. After having seen, taals at Nainital, everything else looks a little small!!! But still the lake visit relaxes you for the return travel.
Pookot Lake
I agree, I didn’t go to the must see places while being in Wayanad, I didn’t trek the most tall peak in the region, but I must say, it couldn’t have been better if you only got a day at your disposal. To confess, while heading towards Wayanad or while we were in Wayanad, I didn’t know about the peak, where we can stay overnight at the top. But, I think, it was a blessing in disguise. After having read about the real wonders in Wayanad, I am very desperate to go back. This time I will make sure that I have at least 2 full days at my disposal. Great Trip.
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