A Journey through Wayanad and Bekal’s Enchanting Landscapes

The Gods own Country is best visited in parts in order to imbibe every essence of it.  After exploring Kochi-Kumarakkom , we decided to explore the north of Kerala. Starting from Calicut, then Wayanad and ultimately culminating in Bekal. We were two families[Kokjes and Khedkars] including 3 kids ready for the exploration. Here is my reminiscence of the trip.

Kozhikode\Calicult: Planetarium and Regional Science Center and Kozhikode beach.

Kids having fun at the science center.

We set out to leisurely explore the surroundings of our hotel and with least expectations, visited the science center close by. But we were in for a pleasant surprise with what was offered here. We enjoyed a 3D movie showcasing the journey of a fly to the moon and various scientific displays around the center. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the center and we felt short of time here.

Shortly ahead is the Kozhikode beach – very long and crowded being a Sunday evening. But it was fun driving to and from the beach using the local rickshaws where our entire gang of 4 adults and 3 kids squeezed to fit in for the short ride over the bumpy road back to our hotel.

Wayanad: Stay atop a tree in a treehouse!

Treehouse @ Tranquil Resort

@Tranquil Resort: We were looking forward to experience a stay in a treehouse, quietly hanging over the trees to experience the rustic nature. Initially it felt a little creepy with all the tiny living beings around but soon it was fun. Waking up to the amazing view of the misty forest is beyond words can describe. Enjoying the plantations, followed by dips in the cool pool, followed by sumptuous meals – made up our daily routine 😉 We did not venture much into site seeing, with the exception of Pookat lake which isn’t anything extraordinary.

Also don’t forget to indulge the malabar cuisine: appam and stew, parotas and curry, sadhya meals etc.

Wayanad: Walks around the coffee estate.

Walk around the coffee plantation at Tranquil Resort

Around sunset we set on the coffee trail with our little ones guiding us with the map also serving as a mini bird book. It was a vast expanse of 400 acres of coffee estate with numerous jackfruits and other trees. We found a porcupine quill and some pretty birds, needless to mention amazing views though the plantation. Numerous ant hills filled the path and we carefully trotted along the way all around the estate.

Wayanad: Stay at a colonial bungalow and enjoy heritage recreation center.

Parison Plantation experiences.

Photo courtesy: Salil Khedkar

Parison plantation had recently opened up their old colonial bungalow for tourist and they are simply amazing. We loved the bungalow located at the hill top with vast expanse of the tea estate surrounding it, it was a treat for the eyes. We learned about the history of tea plantation in the area and also visited the an age old recreation center built by the British with a tennis court and retractable audience sit-out. The British surely picked the best places and lived in truly luxurious style. We learned that the recreation center was entirely designed and built[in parts] in England and shipped here and assembled. We enjoyed games at the center along with the drive in the jeep around the cool tea estate.

Bekal: Chilling on the beach.

Bekal beach

A pristine beach with soft sand is all you need to relax and let time freeze by. Castle making, playing mermaid, cycling and dips in the sea and the pool occupied us for entire 2 days. Unfortunately there was a transport strike in Kerala and we couldn’t venture out and so I sadly missed visiting the Bekal fort and around, but the resort and the beach made up for it.

Tips

• Plan in advance to get good deals of the hotels\resorts.
• Wayanad is a huge place and the distances between the tourist places is very far so choose the destinations wisely and also keep in mind the trekking required to reach it. After choosing the destination then choose the resort to stay in. We had split our Wayanad stay in a coffee estate as well as a tea estate. [Best of both worlds]. Heard that the rainy season is best time to visit but it did not suite us as the kids vacations do not overlap the rains.
• Keep in mind the transport strikes which frequent Kerala. Inquire about them in advance and plan the transport in advance for the site seeing.

Fact File

Duration: We spent 7 days -6 nights in total [ 1 night in Kozhikode, 3 nights in Wayanad and 2 in Bekal]

Stay at Kozhikode:

Raviz Calicut:  http://theraviz.com/raviz-calicut [My rating: ****]

Stay at Wayanad:

The Tranquil Resort:  http://www.tranquilresort.com/ [My rating: ****]

Stay at Wayanad:

Parison Plantation: http://www.plantationexperiences.com/ [My rating: ****]

Travel: Pune-(by road) -Mumbai – (flight) -Kozhikode-(by road) -Wayanad -(by road) -Bekal -(by road) -Mangalore – (flight)- Mumbai -(by road) – Pune