Annamalai Hills – It Has Largest Sanctuary In Tamil Nadu And Is Populated By Wild Tribe

ANNAMALAI HILLS

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Annamalai Hills is located in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu State of India.This quiet and beautiful hill has the largest  sanctuary in Tamilnadu and is inhabited by wild tribes. 

A place to visit  if you are a nature lover longing to see rare animals and birds and breathe in those air laden with freshness and herbal aura. If you are a shutterbug, this is the place to be.  Make sure to bathe in the gentle monkey falls, a natural and refreshing waterfalls, along the valparai ghat road.

It is also called as Elephant Hills. It is a range of mountains in the Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu, located along the Western Ghats, lying between 10° 13' and 10° 31' N. and 76° 52' and 77° 23' E. It is also the tallest of the hills in South India that rises up to 8850 ft. 

The geological formation is of metamorphic gneiss, veined with feldspars and quartz, and interspersed with reddish porphyrites. The Lower slopes yield valuable teak and other timber. In some areas, coffee plantations are a common sight. The area was notified as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary in 1974 and established in 1976. anamalai

There is a 30 Km wide gap [big break in the Western Ghat mountain range] between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and the Anamalai Hills to the South that straddles the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border and serves as a major communication route between them. Highways and Rail Transport connect Palghat with Coimbatore and Pollachi. This huge gap is called as Palghat Gap. 

Attractions of Anamalai Hills : Monkey falls, Aliyar, the Crocodile Breeding Centre at Amaravati, Indira Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary and National Park, Attakarai, Kulipatti, Manompally, Chinnar, Varagaliar, Manjampatty are some places the tourist can afford to miss.

The Anamalais rise from foothills at the height of 300 m to Topslip-Parambikulam Plateau at 800m and to the Valparai Plateau, between 1000 and 1250 m. The elevation range includes an array of habitats ranging from dry thorn forests in the low foothills to semi-evergreen stretches to grass hills and evergreen shoals in Valparai. 

The floral diversity has been estimated to be over 2000 species, of which about 400 species are of medicinal importance. The Karian Shola NP has been identified and designated as a Medicinal Plant Conservation Area (MPCA) due to its medicinal plant diversity.

By Air 

Nearest airport is situated in Coimbatore which is 96 km away from Anaimalai. The air port is connected by domestic flight to Chennai and other major cities of India. - 

By Train

Nearest Railway Junction is POLLACHI and connections are available to Coimbatore and Dindugal from there. 

By Bus

Regular bus services are available from Coimbatore and Palani to Pollachi and from Pollachi to Top Slip. Taxi Services are also available at a nominal fare.