With its green highlands, lush valleys and cool clime, Wayanad is one of the most beautiful retreats of Kerala. The district of Wayanad is spread over an area of over 2000 sq km and stands at an altitude ranging from 700 to 2100 m above sea level. Apart from its breathtaking natural beauty, Wayanad is also famous for the discovery of pictorial writings of the New Stone Age at its Edakkal Caves. The caves in the Ambukuthi hills, 12 km south of Sultan Bathery, are world-famous as one of the earliest centres of human habitation. More than one fifth of the population - more than 7,80,619 - of this untouched, picturesque land are tribals.