The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary has four ranges, of which Muthanga is one. Mainly a rainforest, Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most bio-rich areas in peninsular India. This eco-tourism centre is home to both moist and dry deciduous trees and semi evergreen forests.

Part of the Nilgiri Bioreserve, Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary shares a significant portion of the Western Ghats and its densely forested Malabar Hills. Known for its elephant population, this range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary offers sightings of a number of other wild animals too.

However, sightings heavily depend on luck, and one cannot be guaranteed to have a successful spotting on the first safari itself. For this reason, most wildlife enthusiasts prefer to stay around the sanctuary for a few days and try their luck on safaris every morning and afternoon.

History and general info
The area was declared a sanctuary in 1973. The deep forests of this area had provided shelter for Pazhassi Raja during his rebellion against the British force. The sanctuary is part of Project Elephant and if you travel through the route, you can observe herds of elephants roaming freely across the various ranges and sometimes to the national parks in the adjacent states too.

Prior permission is needed to visit the place and the visitors are restricted to the outer zone of the sanctuary. Only researchers and wardens are allowed to go to the inner zone of the sanctuary which is about 25 km wide.