Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary

There are nature camps organised at the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary that attempt to acquaint the people, especially students, to the wildlife and give them a chance to take a much-needed break from the city's blaring noise. The sanctuary also has a few trekking locations that have attracted the attention of many tourists for the past few years. The landscape of the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is an interesting one that ranges between a depth of only 50 metres above sea level to an altitude of 1145 metres in the skies at Katti Betta, its highest peak. Dotted with towering trees and dense foliage, this sanctuary is adorned with a beautiful mix of a diverse forestation- evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous.


In Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary about 23 species of mammals, 188 species of birds and 22 species of reptiles were seen. 16 species of amphibians and 39 species of fishes are also spotted here. The wild animals found in Sanctuary are Elephant, Bison, Sambar, Deer, Boar, Sloth Bear and different types of squirrel. Leopards, Tigers and other Wild Cats are also available but seen rarely. Birds like Great Pied Hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill, the Blue Winged Parakeet, Ceylon Frogmouth, Broad Billed Roller and Nilgiri, Wood Pigeon are also the main attraction for the visitors. In reptiles, King Cobra makes the Aralam visit more thrilling. The forest is peaceful and many trekking options are available as well. Aralam village itself houses the famous Central State Farm, a government of India initiative built in 1971. This is one of the main production centres of hybrid coconut seeds in the country. A visit to the sanctuary is incomplete without visiting the great Katti Betta, the tallest peak in the area, which is 1145 high.
This sanctuary was established only 32 years ago in Kannur district of Kerala. This protected area shares a common boundary with Coorg district of Karnataka. The Aralam Range runs along this protected area and is the only range in sight. Earlier, the reserve was under Wayanad Forest Division but soon became autonomous from 1998 and Iritty became its headquarters.


Getting there
Nearest railway station: Thalassery Railway Station, about 55 km
Nearest airport: Kannur International Airport, about 37 km
Calicut International Airport, about 139 km
Google map coordinates: WQCR+XX Aralam, Kerala