Lakkidi is a hill station town and Gateway to the scenic Wayanad district in Kerala. It is at an altitude of 700 meters, atop Thamarassery pass.

Chain tree at Lakkidi, Wayanad.

Wayanad Tourist Places

Pookot Lake

Pookot Lake is one of the nearby famous local tourist attractions, known for Boating. Near to Pookot Lake, there is an aquarium.

Chain Tree and ‘Changala Muneeswaran temple‘, Edakkal Caves, Banasura Hills, Banasura Dam, Meenmutty Falls, Thusaragiri Falls, Soochiparai Falls, etc., are some of the other popular tourist attractions here. Lakkidi View Point on the Thamarassery Pass offers a scenic view of the area.

Kuruva island

Kuruva island is another tourist place where entry is restricted to 1150 persons per day (first come first served). Be there in the morning by 6 a.m. or 6.30 a.m.

This island was closed for nearly two years due to a court order and Corona. It is open from  10th April 2021.

Adult entry charges are Rs 98, including GST; for students, the charges are Rs 58. Timings are 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (2020 rates and subject to change). The ferry can carry 50 people.

Kuruva Island Resort at Bavali near Mananthavady is an excellent place to stay when going to Wayanad.

Phantom Rock

Phantom Rock at Wayanad.

Phantom Rock alias Cheengeri Mala, is a natural rock formation near Ambalavayal in Wayanad. This archaeological structure is a rare scene. This rock formation looks like a skull. It is around 26 kilometers from Kalpetta Town and can be reached by trekking alone.

Theme Park at Wayanad

E3 Theme Park is a private park at Wyanad offering Magnetic Free Fall, Zipline, Rappelling, rock climbing, Rifle shooting, Archery, Paintball, etc, among various adventure sports. Magnetic free fall is slightly different from bungee jumping.  This place is situated within the Vanjode Post Office limits. There is also a Dinosaur Park at E3 Theme Park.

Other Nearby Tourist Places in Wayanad

Thumbithullumpara Waterfalls, Olichuchattam Waterfalls, Manjappara Waterfalls,  Pathangayam Waterfalls, and Chembukamathi Waterfalls are other not-so-famous nearby falls.

Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary or Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, as it’s known officially, is one of the nearby tourist attractions.

There are other natural cliff-jumping sites (into waterfalls) at Wayanad.

How Do I Go to Lakkidi?

Vythiri is the nearest town at around five kilometers distance from Lakkidi.

If you are planning to come from Kozhikode by road, you need to cross the scenic Thamarassery pass. (This pass is part of NH 766, connecting Kozhikode with Kollegal, via Mysore.) The pass starts from Thamarassery. It ends at Lakkidi. There are many hairpin bends on this winding scenic road. The distance from Kozhikode alias Calicut is around 58 kilometers. It takes around 2 hours drive to cover this distance. Sultan Battery town is a major town on the same NH 766 if you are from the Mysore side.

Kozhikode is the nearest railway station. The nearest airport is the Kozhikode International Airport at Karipur. It is at a distance of around 28 kilometers from Kozhikode city. (Kozhikode, along with Gwalior, were added to the UNESCO Creative Cities list in November 2023.)

Nilambur Road Railway Station is another nearby railway station at around 73 kilometers distance. There are no trains to other cities from Nilambur Road Railway Station. Shoranur–Nilambur Road passenger trains are the only trains on this 66-kilometer railway line. Nilambur Town on the Kozhikode–Ooty highway is four kilometers from Nilambur Road Railway Station. Angadipuram railway station is the other station on the Shoranur -Nilambur Road route.

There is a proposal to extend this railway line to Nanjangud Town railway station, near Mysore in Karnataka. The proposed line will pass through the Wayanad, Nilagiri, and Chamarajanagar districts of Kerala, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka state, respectively. The Planning Commission has sanctioned the estimated project cost of Rs.4266 crores for the proposed railway line.

Malappuram Town is 40 kilometers away. Palakkad Town is around 150 kilometers distance from Lakkidi.

Stay at KSRTC Buses at Sultan Battery

An air-conditioned stay facility is available at the Sultan Battery KSRTC bus station. Four sleeper buses have been converted into Dormetry beds costing Rs 150 each. Another bus has rooms for families costing Rs 1000 for four people. Toilet facilities are also provided in this package.

KSRTC also offers night jungle safari, covering 80 kilometers, including return journey.

Conclusion

Are you interested in going to Lakkidi and other nearby Wayanad tourist places?