Best time
October to May is the season; October to February is cool and clear and the best time for Chembra and the viewpoints. The monsoon from June to September turns Wayanad deep green and misty with the falls at full flow, though the treks close.
- October to February, 15 to 28°C: The best months: clear, green, and the season for Chembra and the safaris.
- March to May, 18 to 33°C: Warm in the valleys, cool on the estates, and the quietest time.
- June to September, 18 to 26°C: One of the wettest monsoons in Kerala; Chembra and Kuruva island usually close.
What to pack
Light cotton with a jacket for the evenings, leech socks or closed shoes for the monsoon, a rain shell from June to August, and proper shoes for Chembra and Edakkal, which are both climbs rather than walks.
Getting there
Wayanad is about 850 km from Hyderabad, an overnight road journey of 14 to 15 hours, so the fixed-date group trips leave on Friday evening and are back by Monday morning. The nearest stations are Kozhikode and Mysuru; there is no railway into Wayanad.
Wayanad is about 260 km from Bengaluru and the drive takes roughly five and a half hours through Mysuru and the Western Ghats, six to seven with stops. The group departures travel overnight on Friday. One thing to plan around: the Bandipur forest road is closed to traffic from 9 pm to 6 am, and the group trips are timed for it.
Chennai to Wayanad is about 560 km, 10 to 11 hours by road. The train to Kozhikode or Mysuru and two to three hours onward by road is the comfortable way; a flight to Kozhikode (Calicut) shortens it to a two-hour drive.