Edakkal Caves
Edakkal Caves is the rarest place, which offers majestic nature’s beauty, with the touch of mysterious history, dating back to early days of civilization.
Planning
After Soochipara waterfalls, Edakkal caves was the last destination we had in our checklist for the Wayanad trip. Having seen an old Kannada film, ‘Edakallu Guddada mele’, whose plot relates to this place, we were extra curious about it. Until recently we were under the impression that Edakkal caves is in Karnataka. A bit of research revealed the actual location and the many interesting features associated with it. In fact, this is one of the places we liked most in this trip
Best route to reach Edakkal Caves
Edakkal Caves is 40 Km from Soochipara waterfalls, 6 km from Ambalavalayal, 14 km from Sulthan Bathery, and 28 km from Kalpetta. It takes close to 1hr 30 mins to reach if you drive in a single stretch from Soochipara. When we reached the parking spot after visiting Soochipara waterfalls, it was already 1:40 pm. Not so good breakfast we had in the morning at Vythiri made the hunger to be felt. Hoping for finding a good vegetarian restaurant, we continued towards Edakkal via Meppadi, Muppainad route. At Vaduvanchal, we spotted a decent hotel and stopped to have lunch. This break costed us close to 1hr as the service was very slow. To add up to the delay, we missed the diversion to the caves. After finding the correct route, we reached the destination at around 3:45PM.
Edakkal Caves Trekking
It is only after reaching the parking spot of Edakkal caves, we got to know that the ticket counter will close by 4 pm. We hardly had 15 mins to reach the counter, which was almost 700 m away. To add more challenge, this 700 m path has an elevation of 100 m. We managed to reach the counter in time, drenched in sweat and exhausted. After a short recovery break, we started to climb the hill.
Entry Fee: Rs. 20 for Adults, Rs. 10 for Children, Rs. 40 for Foreigners, Rs. 30 for Camera and Rs. 150 for Video.
1 km uphill trek takes you to the caves. This walk trail has an Elevation of 130 m from the ticket counter.
Trek path consists of the well-laid path and narrow steps made of steel. The trekking route is covered with coffee plantations. It is a moderately difficult trek & takes around 45 minutes to climb up the hills.
Edakkal Caves
Edakkal Caves are two natural caves located on top of Ambukutty Hill near Ambalavalayal in Wayanad. These were discovered by Fred Fawcett, the then Superintendent of Police of the Malabar district in 1890, during his hunting trip to Wayanad. The split in the rock is about 22 ft. in width and 96 ft. in length. The stone walls in the upper chamber have several line drawings belonging to the Neolithic Age dating back to 6000 BC, the earliest drawings being 8000 years old.
According to archaeologists, this place is one of the earliest centers of human habitation. There were about 400 signs that were recently identified and have a significant link with the Indus Valley Civilization and the prominent one among these signs is “a man with a jar cup’’.
End of Trip
While we were busy exploring the caves in details, security guards requested everyone to evacuate the place as closing time was approaching. The sun was setting in the west. Surroundings outside the caves looked more beautiful than before in the mild evening sunlight. There is a separate railings and steps to descend the caves. Within 15 mins we were at foothills near the ticket counter. With the heavy heart and loads of memory, we drove back to Mysore via Bandipura reserve.
Timings
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Wednesday
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Thursday
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Friday
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Saturday
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Sunday
- 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tips For Travelers
- Maintain silence inside the caves.
- Plan to reach the ticket counter well before 3:30 PM
- If you are travelling in a group, make sure that all the members reach the ticket counter on time. Tickets will be issued only after physical presence of visitors.
- Please don’t litter the place.
Places to Visit Nearby
| Destination | Distance from Lakkidi viewpoint in km |
|---|---|
| Lakkidi Viewpoint | 40 |
| Chain tree | 38 |
| Pookode Lake | 35 |
| Soochipara Waterfalls | 33 |
| Manichery View Point & Vayalada Viewpoint | 74 |
| Vythiri | 36 |
Food Options
Live the Experience
We suggest you to watch our short informative video on this place before visiting.