Wayanad Highland Expedition: Chembra Heart Lake, Edakkal Caves & Treehouse Resorts

The Enchanting Mist-Clad Wilderness of North Kerala

Set on the southern tip of the Deccan Plateau in the Western Ghats at altitudes between 700 and 2,100 meters, Wayanad is Kerala's greenest and most ecologically diverse highland district. Blessed with prehistoric cave shelters, indigenous tribal settlements, sprawling coffee and spice estates, and thundering waterfalls, Wayanad is an essential destination for adventure seekers and luxury eco-resort travelers.

Iconic Wayanad Attractions

• Chembra Peak & Heart-Shaped Lake (Hridaya Saras): At 2,100 meters, Chembra is the highest peak in Wayanad. A guided forest trek leads to a natural heart-shaped lake nestled halfway to the summit, believed by locals never to dry up even in the height of summer.
• Edakkal Caves: Perched atop Ambukuthi Mala at 1,200 meters, these natural cleft rock shelters contain ancient petroglyph carvings dating back over 6,000 years to the Neolithic and Mesolithic eras—the only known stone-age rock art in South India.
• Kuruva Island (Kuruvadweep): A 950-acre uninhabited protected river delta on the Kabini River, famous for dense evergreen bamboo groves, rare orchids, and serene bamboo raft river crossings.
• Banasura Sagar Dam: The largest earthen dam in India and second-largest in Asia, featuring picturesque islands dotting the reservoir with speedboat rides and ziplining.

Luxury Treehouse Resorts & Coffee Plantations

Wayanad is renowned for luxury eco-resorts (such as Vythiri Resort, Windflower, and Mountain Shadows) set inside sprawling coffee and cardamom plantations, offering private Jacuzzi pool villas and authentic wooden treehouse suites suspended 60 to 90 feet above the forest canopy.