Nilambur

Enjoy the best of nature and wild life that Nilambur has in store for the tourist and manifested in a variety of ways in its extensive forests teeming with bamboos, teak, rosewood, venteak, choropin, mahagoni, etc. This beautiful town on the bank of the Chaliyar River is at a distance of 70 km from Calicut , 100 km from Ooty (Uddagamandalam) and 40 km from Malappuram town. Located in the eastern side of Malappuram district, Kerala, this small sleepy town has a surprise in store for its visitors.

Renowned for the oldest teak plantation in the world -'The Conolly's Plot'- is just 2 km from Nilambur town. The place is noted for its tribal settlements, the world's first Teak Museum, vast rain forests, waterfalls and ancient residences of maharajas called as kovilakoms. It is an important halting place for tourist enroute to Ooty. Presently Nilambur taluk comprises 19 villages.

The district has a total area of 1,03,417 hectares, i.e.,28.47% of the total land under forest cover. The major forest area is concentrated in Nilambur and Wandoor blocks and Melattur in the Western ghats. Of the forests, 80% is deciduous and the rest is evergreen. Teak ,rosewood, venteak, choropin, mahogoni, etc. are the important trees. Other varieties like kulamavu and villapine are used in the plywood industry. Bamboo is extensively grown in all parts of the forest. The district has also several man made plantations, mainly of teak. A mammoth effort under the Nilgiri Biosphere Project is underway to protect and regenerate the natural forests. Afforestation is also being done under the Wasteland Development Programme. -

Elephants, deers, tigers, blue monkeys, bears, boars, rabbits etc. are found in the forests along with a variety of birds and reptiles. Forests are the main source of raw material for a number of wood-based industrial units. Besides timber, firewood and green manure, forest produces like honey, medicinal herbs, spices etc. are collected. Minor forest produces are collected by the tribals. A Girijan Society functions for ensuring fair prices for collected items and for arranging supply of essential commodities to the tribal families. Bamboo for pulp factories is mainly supplied form Nilambur forests. The forests are protected by two forest divisions-Nilambur North and Nilambur South. The social forestry division promotes planting of trees outside forest lands, for protecting the forests.