Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Established in 1973, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala, South India. The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous to the protected areas of Nagarhole and Bandipore national parks of Karnataka on the northeast and Mudumalai National Park of Tamil Nadu on the southeast. Located amidst enchantingly beautiful surroundings of Wayanad at just 15 km from Calicut in Kerala, the sanctuary is an integral part of the famous Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which was solely created to protect and conserve the extremely rich bio-diversity of the region. The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is also a famous Project Elephant site of India, as it has a very rich population of these wonderful pachyderms.

The vegetation of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary chiefly consists of lush moist deciduous forests with a few patches of semi evergreen forests. The sanctuary has excellent covers of teak forests and marshes dominated by thick bamboo groves and other tall grasses. The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary shelters a wide variety of wildlife which includes Asian Elephants, Leopards, Tigers, Guar (Indian Bison), Giant Squirrels, Jungle Cats, Civet Cat, Nilgiri Langurs, Wild Dogs, Deer etc. The spectacular view of herds of elephants migrating from one area of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve to another provides a truly fascinating experience to visitors. Frequent sightings of Tigers are also reported from Tholpetty, Rambur and Mavinhalla areas of the Bio-reserve. Among birds Peacocks, Woodpeckers, Babblers, Jungle Fowls, Cuckoos and Mynas are commonly seen in the sanctuary. In addition to exceptional natural beauty and amazing wildlife of the sanctuary, there are several interesting tourist attractions in the region. On tours to Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, you can visit the enchanting Chembra Peak, the highest peak in Wayanad, offering ideal conditions for trekking. Other must visit tourist attractions here includes the Edakkal Caves with some interesting ancient carvings on the walls representing human and animal figures, Kuruva Island, Pookat Lake and Sentinel Rock waterfalls. Visitors can also enjoy exciting elephant rides in the lush surroundings of the sanctuary.