Waylaid in Wayanad

A few days before our flight from London in November 2024 I was fortunate enough to bump into a hand full of Keralans who are currently doing an outstanding job holding our NHS together.

This chance encounter provided us with a list of recommended places ‘away from the crowds’ and what stunning recommendations they have turned out to be.

At an average altitude of 800m above sea level, Wayanad has an excellent winter climate. Daytime temperatures are somewhere between 27 and 31, often accompanied by a cool breeze (more commonly known as a headwind).  Cooler night-time temperatures remove the need for luxury air conditioning in order to sleep well.

Throw in lots of fun hills, beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife …and the possibility of living in a treehouse… and you can see why an overnight stop turned into a week of exploring.

Stunning neighbour at Terrace Resorts Wayanad

Coffee grows everywhere, but ground roasted coffee is very elusive 🙁

One of two Southern flying lizards (Draco Dussumieri) spotted from the beautiful treehouse at Pugmarks Jungle Lodge

The males normally ‘display’ from February to April so we felt really lucky to see this guy display and fly – gliding ~5m from one tree to another, elongated ribs spread out to form wings each side between front and back legs, and a steering ruff around the neck to steer with. Unfortunately he wouldn’t perform on-demand so we have no photos, but it was amazing to see.  Here’s a video from Dave:

From wonderful Wayanad to the golden beaches of Kannur. Time for a coconut.