The Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern Indian state of Kerala is a must for tourists looking forward to experience a bit of wilderness during their travel in Kerala. A part of the Waynad Plateau, this wildlife park in Kerala is famous for its tigers and leopards along with the other wildlife that one can find during holidays in Waynad. The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary comprises two districts of Kerala i.e. in the north; it is a part of the Cannanore district while its southern part is located in the Calicut district. The park extends from the latitude 11°15' in the North to the longitude 76°30' in the East. There is a good road network that connects the sanctuary with the other important places in Kerala.

Wayanad literally means the 'land of swamps'.Rich in bio-diversity, the sanctuary is an integral part of the nilgiri biosphere reserve, which has been established with the chief objective of conserving the biological heritage of the region.The region, which is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, was notified in the year 1973 as a wildlife sanctuary. The management of the park laid emphasis on creating scientific conservation methods that are complementary to the traditional lifestyle of the tribals residing in the region.

Fauna : It houses elephants, tigers, panthers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bisons, deer, bears, Monitor lizards and a variety of snakes are seen.

Avifuana : It houses Peacocks, babblers, cuckoos, owls, woodpeckers, jungle fowls are a few of the various types of birds seen here.

Flora : Teak, maruthu, karimaruthi, rosewood, venteak, vengal, chadachi, mazhukanjiram, bamboo etc. grow in the moist deciduous forest. Veteria indica, lagerstroemia, lanceolta, terminalia paniculata etc. are common in the semi evergreen patches.

How to get there

Air : The nearest airport is Calicut. From Calicut Airport, KTDC buses and taxis are available to move to Wayanad. Private taxis and buses are also an option to the tourists.

Rail : Sawai Madhopur railway station is about 11 km from the Ranthambore National Park, which lies on the Delhi to Bombay trunk route.

Road : The Park is at a distance of about 11 km from Sawai Madhopur- the nearest town from the Ranthambore National Park. The town is well connected by road to all the major cities within the state of Rajasthan.