Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is made up of two discontinuous pockets – Muthanga and Tholpetty. While Muthanga is situated to the south of Wayanad, about 18 km from Sulthan Bathery, Tholpetty is located towards the north of the district adjacent to Thirunelli. Both these pockets together cover an area of 344.44 sq km and are known for their rugged wild charm.

Cocooned in the Nilgiri Biosphere, Muthanga lies adjacent to Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.  It also borders Sulthan Bathery and Kurichiat Ranges within Kerala and is known for its rich biodiversity. Tholpetty also lies adjacent to Nagarhole Range of Karnataka.

Wayanad is known as one of the most beautiful retreats of Kerala. It always had a great share of the visitors arriving South India. Wayanad with its natural scenic beauty, rich natural resources, the hills, rocks and valley, unique terrain, climate etc provide a lot for catering to the demands of increasing tourists. Wayanad provides scope for ecotourism tourism (wildlife tourism), Recreational tourism, Adventure tourism, Heritage tourism, Historic tourism, Pilgrim tourism, Monsoon tourism etc.