Banasura dam and viewpoint circuit
Wayanad · 6 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2800 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2800 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3300 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long day. ₹4500 for the vehicle.
The lake with islands in it
Banasura Sagar is the largest earth dam in India, and the reservoir behind it drowned a set of hills so that their tops now sit as islands in the lake. From the dam crest, with the Banasura ridge behind, it is the widest view in Wayanad.
The circuit does the dam properly and then does what most visitors miss: the viewpoints on the ridge road above the lake, where the islands arrange themselves and the crowds thin to nothing, and a lakeside lunch stop that locals keep quietly to themselves.
An optional speedboat run across the reservoir is bookable on the day, water levels permitting, and your driver will give it to you straight on whether it is worth it that week. The car itself is booked for your group at a flat rate, with lunch and the boat the two things you settle on the day.
Why book the circuit
The viewpoints are the secret
The dam is the ticketed part; the ridge-road lookouts above it are the view. They are unsigned, and your driver knows all three.
A day with a shape
Dam while it is quiet, ridge when the light angles, lunch by the water. Sequenced, and priced once for the car rather than per head. Lunch and the boat are yours to settle on the day.
Straight answers on the boat
The speedboat is spectacular at full water and skippable at low. You get a local's honest call, not an upsell.
Where you'll go
1. Banasura Sagar dam
The largest earth dam in India, with the reservoir behind it drowning a set of hills so their tops now sit as islands. The crest walk is about 1.5 km and completely shadeless.
2. The boat jetty
Speedboats run out across the reservoir when the water is high enough. Your driver will tell you straight whether it is worth it that week.
Speedboat ticket, at the jetty counter rate
3. The ridge viewpoints
Three unsigned lookouts on the road above the lake, where the islands arrange themselves and the crowds thin to nothing. The photographs that look fake are from here.
4. The lakeside lunch stop
A quiet local place by the water that does not advertise. The discovery is ours, the bill is yours.
Your meal, paid at the restaurant
How you get there
One car for the day, hill roads included
About 80 km across the day, some of it on the narrow ridge road above the lake. The vehicle, driver, dam entry and parking are in a flat price for the car, whether two of you travel or six.
- Pickup: Your stay around Kalpetta or Meppadi at 8:00 am
- Vehicle: Swift Dzire up to 4, Tata Sumo up to 8, or Innova / Ertiga up to 6, with driver
- Walking: The dam crest walk, about 1.5 km, gentle
- Drop: Back by about 2:00 pm
The day
8:00 am: Pickup
Out toward Padinjarathara and the dam.
9:00 am: Banasura Sagar dam
The crest walk and the island view before the buses. About 90 minutes. Optional speedboat here.
11:00 am: The ridge viewpoints
Three stops on the road above the lake. The photographs that look fake are from here.
12:30 pm: Lakeside lunch
The quiet local place. Bill is yours, discovery is ours.
2:00 pm: Drop
Back at your stay.
In your price
- Private car with driver for the full circuit
- Dam entry and parking
- Ridge viewpoint routing
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Lunch
- Optional speedboat (paid on the day, at the counter rate)
What you pay on the day
- The optional speedboat, at the jetty counter rate
- Lunch at the lakeside stop
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Everyone. The dam walk is gentle and the rest is scenery from a seat. Good pram-friendly option apart from the crest steps. The car seats four or six depending on which you pick, at one price either way.
What to bring
Sun protection and water; the dam crest is shadeless.
Mist is a feature
The circuit runs in most weather, and monsoon mist on the ridge is its own show. Dam authority closures are a full refund or free reschedule, your choice.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
The ridge road lookouts are unfenced; the driver parks and walks you to the safe standing points. Speedboats, when running, are the dam authority's own with jackets provided.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. You are booking the car for the circuit, so a family of six pays the same as a couple. Only lunch and the optional boat are extra.
Is the speedboat included?
No, because it is honestly variable: at full water it is superb, at low water it is a short loop. Pay at the counter on the day if the driver says it is worth it.
Best season?
Post-monsoon to February, when the lake is full and the islands are proper islands. Late summer shows more lakebed.
Can this combine with the jeep trail?
Different days, and they complement: this is the west of the district, the trail covers the middle heights.