Kozhikode

Wayanad is Kerala's high country, a green plateau of rainforest, spice and coffee plantations, waterfalls and wildlife on the border with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Most travellers arrive through Kozhikode, the historic port city on the Malabar coast where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498, and drive up the dramatic Thamarassery Ghat with its nine hairpin bends to reach the hills.

Our four-night package covers the best of Wayanad from bases around Kalpetta and Vythiri, where resorts are tucked into the forest canopy and treehouses look out over the valleys. You visit the Edakkal Caves, whose petroglyphs are among the oldest rock carvings in South India, Banasura Sagar, India's largest earthen dam, with its island-dotted reservoir, and the Soochipara and Meenmutty waterfalls. Pookode Lake offers easy boating, and the Chembra Peak trek, when open, leads to the famous heart-shaped lake.

Further east around Sulthan Bathery, the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, home to elephants, gaur and deer, with a chance of tigers on morning safaris. The region also has quiet tea and coffee estates, Jain temples and tribal heritage. Wayanad is ideal for families, couples and anyone who wants a slow, green holiday with good food, and Kozhikode adds a taste of the Malabar coast with its famous biryani and halwa. From Hyderabad, you can fly to Kozhikode or to Bengaluru and drive in. Mornings are often misty and evenings cool, so a light jacket is useful for most of the year. It is also close enough to Coorg and Mysuru to combine into a longer South India holiday.