A visit to Kannur is incomplete without a trip to Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. Spread over a 55 sq km area of forests on the western ghats, Aralam is home to a vast variety of flora and fauna endemic to the western ghats. **1) Animals you can see** Aralam Sanctuary is home to elephants, gaurs, sambhar, spotted deer, barking deer, Nilgiri Langur, Hanuman langur and Malabar giant squirrel. Aralam is one of those places where endangered species of Travancore flying squirrel is found. The tigers and leopards are the major predators in this range. **2)The forests** The vegetation here is very diverse. From the plantations on the fringes to tropical, semi-tropical, evergreen and deciduous forest, Aralam is a delicate eco-system. This makes Aralam one of the most popular centers for research. **3) Around the sanctuary** The Cheenkanni river on the south, Brahmagiri ranges on the east, Aralam Farming Corporation on the west and the forests of the Kannur division on the north gives Aralam wildlife sanctuary it's peaceful atmosphere. **4) What can you do** The sanctuary is open from 8am to 5pm every day. Once you get the necessary permits and after the staff does a mandatory check for alcohol, plastic and other banned substances you can drive along the fringes of the forest parallel to the Cheenkanni river if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle. You can drive up to Meenmutty waterfalls. You stand a good chance of animal sightings on the way, so drive carefully. The authorities conduct nature camps at the sanctuary from time to time. Keep a look out in the local newspaper for it.
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