Wayanad Tribal Tourism

Wayanad has always been a pleasant surprise. Natural and beautiful, a delight of the tourists. The more we try to learn about Wayanad the more curious we become about the original inhabitants of the hill country. Few centuries ago there were no one except them. It was Tipu’s soldiers who came down the hills from Mysore making way for his march to conquer the coast and its harbours. Then came the British who knew how to work the hill, magnificent plantations came up, labourers from all over the south found a means of bread and settled. Within a few years, Wayanad became a fashionable European settlement. Few of the names of the hills and the places were changed but mostly the old ways and names remained. By the turn of the 20th century, came the flood of local migration, centuries long tribal heritage of the place was lost for ever.

Enchanting Wayanad always had the tourism potential; it was realized early became operational with policy change when the tourism focus shifted from south to North Kerala. Besides the natural beauty what captivated the tourists were its original people. At last an enterprise had come up celebrating the heritage, tradition and lives of the tribes of Wayanad.

A charitable trust formed with the leadership of Sub-collector and 13 tribal leaders has formed a tribal heritage centre “ Enna OOru” formally making a platform to interact, experience the tribal way of life including 10 tribal huts for the visitors to stay in. The centre has shops to sell tribal products of medicine, art, crafts etc. a cafeteria to taste tribal foods, space to hold events and performances in tribal culture.

It is a beginning in a way. Let us hope, the tribes themselves could set up their own enterprise and truly change the face of Wayanad tourism.