Wayanad - General Visitor Information

Accessing WAYANAD:

Ghat Roads

As Wayanad is surrounded by Western Ghats mountain ranges, "Ghat Roads" (mountain passes with several hairpin curves) are used for reaching Wayanad from coastal towns and lower hilly towns of Kerala. There are five ghat roads to reach Wayanad:

1.    From Kozhikode: Thamarassery–Lakkidi Ghat road (commonly known as "Wayanad Churam"), part of NH 212, connects Kozhikode, and the rest of Kerala to the south of Kozhikode, with Wayanad.

2.    From Thalassery : Nedumpoil–Periya Ghat road, which connects Kasargod, Kannur, Thalassery and Kuthuparamba with Wayanad

3.    From Vadakara : Kuttiady–Pakramthalam Ghat road, which connects Thalassery, Mahé, Vadakara, Nadapuram, Kuttiady andThottilpalam with Wayanad

4.    From Iritty : Kottiyoor–Ambayathode–Palchuram–Boys Town Ghat road, which connects lower hilly towns and villages of Kannurand Kasargod districts with Wayanad. The towns are : Panathur, Udayagiri, Cherupuzha, Alakode, Sreekandapuram, Payyavoor,Iritty, Peravoor, Kelakam, Kottiyoor, etc.

5.    From Nilambur : Vazhikkadavu–Nadukani Ghat road, which connects Nilambur, Palakkad, Thrissur and Perinthalmanna, with Wayanad. Note that this road is not a direct link to Wayanad; this road connects Nilambur to Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu state, from where Wayanad can be accessed through several roads.

Air:  Nearest airport: Kozhikode (Calicut)

Rail:  Nearest railway station: Kozhikode (Calicut)  (Rail distances from major cities to Kozhikode are: New Delhi: 2851 kms. Mumbai: 1425 kms, Kolkata: 2331 kms, Ahmedabad: 1875 kms, Hyderabad: 1425 kms)

Major towns in the district and distance from the nearest railway station: Kalpetta: 72 km from Kozhikode Mananthavady. 80 km from Thalasseri; 106 km from Kozhikode
Sulthan Batheri: 97 km from Kozhikode

Road: Well connected by roads from Kozhikode, Kannur, Ooty (175 km from Kalpetta) and Mysore (140 km from Kalpetta)

Location:  Located between the North Latitude 11027’ and 15058’ and East Longitude 75047’ and 70027’, district of Wayanad is on the southern tip of the Deccan plateau. On it’s North, South and West lie the districts of Kannur, Malappuram and Kozhikode (Calicut). To it’s North and East, it borders the Karnataka districts of Coorg and Mysore. Further to the southeast lies the Nilgiri district of Tamilnadu.

Altitude:  700 to 2100 metres above Mean Sea Level.

Area: 2132 sq. kms.

Main Towns:  Kalpetta is the District Headquarters. Sultan Bathery and Mananthavady are the other towns.

Climate:  The district enjoys uniformly pleasant climate throughout the year. The period between Dec. and Feb. is rather chilly (avg. 150C ).
Annual Rainfall:  Average over 2300 mm. Wayanad, like the rest of Kerala gets two Monsoons: the SW (Jun. - Sept.) and the NE (Oct. - Nov.). Lakkidi, the place which gets the highest rainfall in the state
is in Wayanad.

Main Crops: Cardamom, Coffee, Pepper, Tea, and of late, Vanilla.

Clothing: Light summer clothes for most of the year. However between Dec. and Feb. it is advisable to carry warm clothes.

Language: While Malayalam is the local language, English and Hindi are widely spoken and understood. Kannada and Tamil are also understood towards border regions.

STD Code:  +91 (0)4936


What to Shop for: Spices, coffee, tea, bamboo articles, native craft, honey, herbal plants etc.

Prepared By : Team Info Wayanad