The list of places to visit in Wayanad and sightseeing is endless. Each of these places is better than the other; the view, the flora, and the fauna in the region are enchanting. No doubt it is considered to be one of the must-visit places in South India. Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the many Wildlife Sanctuaries around Grassroot, our resort in Wayanad, which is very popular in the Southern parts of India. The sanctuary gets its name from the highest point, the Brahmagiri peak, which is 1607 m in height and it covers an area of about 181 Kms.
The Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary has a unique ecosystem, which is stunningly and beautiful. The Sanctuary is rich in diversity of flora and fauna in oscillating landscape and altitude varying from 65 mt to 1600 mt, and solitary corridor to the Northern part of Western ghats from the Southern part of Western ghats for the movement of animals especially connecting Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Bandipur National Park, Wyanad and Aralum sanctuary to the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and thereon.
Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary consists of an amazing rich forest that has trees like, Rosewood, Nandi, Mathi, Honne, Sura Honne, White Cedar, Red Cedar, Saldhupa, Kaidhupa, Cinnamomum, Gulmavu, Neralu, Mavu, and so on. It is surrounded by coffee plantations and evergreen and semi-evergreen vegetation making it a tourists’ favorite getaway destination!
You can experience different microclimates in different areas of Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary like grassy blanks, thickly wooded forests, and moist deciduous forests, with a lot of animals and birds. It is the home of the Lion-tailed macaque which is a rare and endangered species. Tiger, elephants, bonnet macaque, common langur, barking deer, mouse deer, Malabar giant squirrel, and the giant flying squirrel, and Indian Gaur are the big mammals commonly found here. Civets, Brown Mongoose, Otter, Barking Deer, and Wild Dog can also be found here. Pythons, cobras, king cobras, and Malabar pit vipers are the snake species of the Brahmagiri
The area is generally of undulating terrain with several steep valleys and hillocks. The forest is rich wet evergreen forest, Moist deciduous forest, Shola Forest, and high altitude grasslands. The soil is deep loamy with varying depth, from place to place. The higher elevation in the Sanctuary comes under grassy patches and patches of Shola forests. It is one of the best places to visit in Wayanad if you love nature and want to learn more about it and explore more.
The sanctuary gives birth to many rivers. The rivers, which flow towards the Arabian Sea are Borapole, Segamanihole, Somahole, Miugorehole, and Urtihole. The rivers which flow towards the Bay of Bengal are Laxmanthirtha, Ramthirtha, and Kabini.
Brahmagiri has huge value as a source of freshwater as river Laxmantirtha, a very important tributary of river Cauvery originates in it and river Barpole gains significance as a river when running through it. All along the Baropole river, the scenery is panoramic, the water flow is very slow without showing any signs of flow at some places and very ferocious at other points. At certain points, this river is called Neelam Pole where the water movement is slow and looks blue in color.
Mythologically this area has sacred importance as the legend goes when Lord Ram was returning from Lanka with his brother Laxman, after rescuing his queen Sita, they stayed in this region, and then Laxmana had struck the ground with an arrow to get water so originated Laxmanatirtha river.
If you are an adventure enthusiast you can trek along Brahmagiri Hill is which is situated on the border between Wyanad District of Kerala state on the south and Kodagu District in Karnataka on the north side. It is one of the interesting places in Wayanad near Grassroot, our resort in Wayanad. On the way, we find the ancient Thirunelli temple in the Wayanad district on the south and Iruppu falls from the Kodagu district of Karnataka in the north. Bamboos are well represented all along the trek route.
The best time to visit the sanctuary is November to February. It’s not advisable to visit the place during the monsoon. The visiting time is 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. It takes about 3 hours to have a tour.
Because of the stunningly beautiful landscape with waterfalls, altitudinal variation, and rich forests, Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary is a nature-oriented tourism paradise and holds immense opportunities for high-end low-volume trekking and adventure/nature tourism. Visit the Brahmagiri Wildlife sanctuary and explore the soothing, refreshing environment around you. Don’t forget to bring along cameras and capture wildlife and nature.
