Thekkady : Periyar is South India' most popular wildlife sanctuary with a 26 sq km artificial lake in the 777 sq km sanctuary. It's home to bison, sambar, wild boar, langur, around 1000 elephants and 40 tigers. The mountain scenery, lake cruise for wildlife spotting and the jungle walk make the visit enjoyable. Nights will be chilly.

The small forest department boats (0930,1130, 1400, 1600 h at Rs 15 per person will help to view the animals a bit closer. KTDC boats also operate (Rs 45) at the above timings. Then first and last trips will be good for watching animals.

The three hour jungle walk (Rs 100, 5 km, 0700, 1030, 1400 h) with a tribal guide is a better way to experience the park. Leeches are a problem after a rain. For more adventurous three day tiger trail at Rs 3000 organised by Eco tourism centre www.periyartigerreserve.org .

Kumily : It is 4 km from Periyar with shops, spice shops and Kashmiri emporiums. The Green land spice garden and Abraham's spice garden are worth a visit (5 km from Kumily, tips expected). One can visit tea factories in operation here. Kottayam (Rs 52, 114 km, 5 hour by bus).