Wayanad offers all its attractions in its raw/ natural form and the spots have not been facilitated for tourists much.
The drive to Wayanad takes you via the Bandipur forest which is quite a wild sight. You might come across elephants and deer if you are lucky enough. But don’t expect tigers although the forest boasts to be hosting 4 types of them.
A couple of waterfalls that I visited during my recent trip (Kanthanpara and Soochipara) are both a wonderful treat to the eyes, mind and the body( if you manage to take bath). However, it needs some rock climbing and trekking to reach both the sites. Kanathanpara is relatively easier to reach while Soochipara requires you to walk more than a kilometre and rock climb alteast 1/2 kilometer before you reach the falls. Might be difficult especially with young kids etc.
The so called phantom rock once again requires you to climb a small hillock but fails to impress in a big way, expect for a decent mountain view. While I heard our jeep driver say that somebody loved this spot, I failed to understand why did I climb up al the way!
En route to Soochipara are some beautiful tea plantation which you can’t afford to miss! They are really scenic and quite filmy for your photo sesssions!
Almost every house has a coffee tree and also be on the watchout for tree with black peppers (green in colour on the tree) and cardomom plants.
Pookute lake is another famous spot with boating which is splendid to the eyes.
Karapuzha dam offers a good picturesque view of a rural area but do not expect anything much. En route to the dam is a small pond with pink lotuses. For the urban folks who relish such nature’s gifts it is worth going down to the pond.
Edakkal caves are right now( Dec. ’10.) closed for restoration and hence no comments to add.
Kuruva Islands is one of the best and beautiful spot in Wayanad. There is a small raft of bamboo which takes you to the Island. 2-5 minute ride on the boat is offer one of the best scenic beauty of river Kabini. Once on the Island, there is nothing much for entertainment. After about a 700 metres walk through the forest , there is an area where you can take bath in the flowing Kabini river.
The route to Kuruva involves a 3 km stretch of rocky / stoney path - basically a Kacha road is a really back breaking experience :)
Chain tree is another tourist attraction. Refer to Wikipedia for Chain tree + Wayanad for a brief background on it.
All in all trip to Wayanad is a treat to the eyes and quite a bit of exercise to the body:)