Wayanad Long Weekend

• Overnight travel
• Waterfall
• Bonfire

A night drive to the Bandipur gate and a dawn crossing into Wayanad, then a waterfall dip, the glass bridge at 900 Kandi and a bonfire at the tent camp.

1. 22:00Board the Tempo Traveller (Friday night). First pickup at RMZ Ecospace, Bellandur, then Banashankari (BDA Complex), RR Nagar and Kengeri on Mysore Road. Pack a quick-dry towel and spare clothes in your day bag for the waterfall.

2. 02:30Rest halt near Gundlupet. The Bandipur–Muthanga forest road is shut to traffic from 21:00 to 06:00, so we stop and sleep until the gate opens.

3. 06:00Dawn drive through Bandipur and Muthanga. Two tiger reserves back to back; watch for elephants, gaur and deer at the roadside. Then Sulthan Bathery and the plantations beyond.

4. 08:30Reach the tent camp, breakfast. A Kerala breakfast, perhaps puttu and kadala or appam with stew, and a quick wash. Tents are double sharing, with separate washrooms for men and women.

5. 10:00Soochipara Falls and a mountain-water dip. A 1.5 to 2 km forest path leads down to a pool below sheer granite. Bathing is allowed only in the marked area when staff say it is safe; the climb back up is steady.

6. 13:00Lunch in Meppadi. Pay-as-you-go. A Kerala meals plate, with fish fry if you eat it.On your own

7. 14:30Jeep up to 900 Kandi. Private vehicles stop at the base, and shared 4x4 jeeps climb the forest road to the top. The jeep fare is paid on the spot.On your own

8. 15:00Glass bridge and zipline at 900 Kandi. A privately run eco park with a glass walkway about 100 feet above the canopy and one of the longest ziplines in Wayanad. Both are optional and self-paid.On your own

9. 17:30Back to camp, swing and games. Try the Bali swing over the valley, or join a round of indoor or outdoor games before dark.

10. 19:30Bonfire, music night and dinner. Songs around the fire, then dinner together at the camp. Keep a light jacket handy; it cools quickly after dark.

• Sunset
• Estate walk

A morning on the crest of Banasura Sagar, an hour among the tea exhibits at Achoor and an easy afternoon, then sunset at the top of the Thamarassery ghat.

1. 07:45Breakfast at the camp. An unhurried breakfast; we aim to reach the dam soon after it opens, before the weekend queues build.

2. 09:00Banasura Sagar Dam. Walk the grassy crest of this vast earth dam, open 09:00 to 17:00, with islands dotting the reservoir and the Banasura hills behind. Speed boats and coracles are optional and self-paid.

3. 11:30Wayanad Tea Museum, Achoor. A three-storey museum beside one of South India's largest tea factories, with old machines and estate records. It is closed on Mondays, and tastings and factory tours cost extra.

4. 13:30Lunch near Kalpetta. Pay-as-you-go. Try a Malabar biryani or a simple meals plate.On your own

5. 14:30Downtime at the camp. Nap, read in a hammock or wander the plantation around the camp.

6. 16:45Lakkidi viewpoint at sunset. At the head of the Thamarassery ghat, the land falls away in hairpin bends towards the Kozhikode plains. Stop by the legendary Chain Tree nearby on the way.

7. 19:30Dinner and a last evening at camp. Dinner together, then pack most of your things tonight.

A final morning viewpoint, then the drive back through Muthanga and Bandipur in daylight, reaching Bengaluru in the evening.

1. 07:30Breakfast and check-out. A last camp breakfast. Check under the cot for chargers.

2. 08:30Attamala viewpoint, or Pookode Lake if closed. Attamala has been shut since the 2024 landslides; if it has not reopened, we walk the forest-ringed shore of Pookode Lake near Vythiri instead. Boating is self-paid.

3. 11:00Depart Wayanad for Bengaluru. Via Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery, Muthanga and Bandipur, with another chance of roadside elephants.

4. 13:30Lunch en route. Pay-as-you-go near Gundlupet once we are out of the forest.On your own

5. 19:30Arrive Bengaluru, trip ends. Drop-offs at Kengeri, RR Nagar, Banashankari and RMZ Ecospace. Timing depends on holiday traffic on Mysore Road.