Ranipuram is a small place located within Kasargode district. Ranipuram, formerly known as Madathumala, is an idyllic hill station in Kerala. Lying 750 m above sea level, the place is famous for its trekking trails and varied vegetation-evergreen shoal woods, monsoon forests and grasslands. The extensive forests of Ranipuram merge with the forests of Karnataka.Presently Marathis form a good number of the local population, probably the remnants of an earlier settlement from the north.
The mighty velvety green mountains of the Western Ghats, the emerald tinged shola woods and the rolling grass lands, etc are the beauty of Ranipuram. Thus this is a paradise for nature Photographers.
This pretty strip of land is famous for enticing trekking trails. Its sprawling thick wooded forest lands merge with those in Karnataka and forms an elephant corridor between Kerala and Karnataka. Wild elephants can be seen roaming in the wilderness on mountain tops.
There are two trekking routes available through the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests. Part of the way the climb is assisted by cut steps. The ambiance of the forest trail is remarkable and once you reach the "Mani" (grass covered hilltop) the view is superb. The undulating cloud-topped hills stretch up to the plains and ocean on the horizon.This is an unexplored territory for the nature enthusiast and birdwatcher. Butterflies are in abundance and birds of the evergreen biotope like the black eagle,crested serpent eagle and little spider hunter common. Elephants pay visits in the summer months and leopards have been sighted in the not-too-distant past.