The generosity of the monsoon season in the Wayanad region in South India really brings home to you why Kerala deserves to be called “God’s Own Country”. The tagline in its ad campaign, launched in the late 80s, has clearly not lost its edge over these intervening years.
The rains are truly special for my partner and me. Losing ourselves in its magic in Lakkidi, the ‘gateway' to the gorgeous Wayanad region was a wonderful treat we had planned for ourselves months ahead of the main monsoons (June to September). To make everything perfect, we poured over maps, hotel listings, and weather charts before booking our flights and accommodations—thrilled with every moment spent arranging this trip.
The approach by road to the tiny, uncrowded hill station of Lakkidi turned out to be an adventure in itself—it truly defined the oft-repeated term ‘the journey is the destination’. The stunning vistas of Wayanad unfolded before our eyes like a mosaic of russet and green as we crossed the excruciating nine hairpin bends from Adivaram to Lakkidi through the sinuous Thamarassery mountain pass.
Shedding our sloth after the long ride we skipped like young lambs into the warm embrace of the beautiful Vythiri Resort. Ensconced in a 150-acre rainforest the resort holds the promise of a lovely, healing getaway from your known world.
We both could almost physically feel our cares drop off our shoulders as the cheery smiles and warm attention of the wait staff greeted us, before they whisked us away to our villa. Standing by the window, we couldn’t get enough of the forested splendour and the swish of waters of the stream below. Tired but happy, we crashed for the night without waiting for dinner.
Originally, it served as a retreat for local coffee plantation workers, but the call of tourism was an alluring game changer, which took the resort beyond being an escape for family and friends. But even though there are many more villas, and even treehouses to stay in, the resort is steadfast in its offering of uncrowded experiences amidst pristine nature.
We were up early with the Malabar Whistling Thrush, who like us, didn’t appear to want to waste a moment of the new day. Breakfast was delicious, but what was even more alluring was the idea of exploring. Monkeys and the cute couple of Giant Malabar squirrels leapt from branch to branch, keeping us company with their excited chittering.
Our days were filled with forays to Lakkidi’s landmark hot spots—the legendary Chain Tree which is famed for containing the naughty soul of Karinthandan, a local tribal chieftain who would haunt travellers passing by, the charming Pookode Lake with some boating thrown in, the temple town of Palappuram, the Banasura Sagar Dam and some lesser-known nearby gems on our forest treks and birding trips. These kept our adrenaline pumping; we would arrive back at the resort and dive straight into the inviting swimming pool, where we lounged around to ease our aching muscles.
There were days when we didn’t feel like doing much, so we would just laze around the resort, bestirring ourselves occasionally to hunt for local souvenirs for folks back home at Sugandhagiri village, also a good resource for fresh produce.
It was with reluctance that we bid farewell to this enchanting forest retreat, vowing we would return someday soon, to make many new memories with many new places for us still to discover.