Experience the best of Thekkady

Thekkady lies at about 900 metres in the Western Ghats of Kerala, beside the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The reserve centres on Periyar Lake, a reservoir formed by a dam built in 1895, and boat trips cross the water at dawn, when elephants, sambar and gaur come to drink. Forest trails lead past tall trees and bamboo, and tigers are present but seldom seen.

The hills around are covered with spice plantations, where cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla grow in shade, and the town of Kumily has a lively spice market. Displays of kalaripayattu, Kerala's martial art, and of Kathakali dance are staged in town. Munnar's tea hills are to the north, and the border with Tamil Nadu lies to the east, with the vineyards of the Cumbum valley beyond.

Kerala meals of appam and stew, fish curry, tapioca and banana chips suit the cool air, along with tea spiced with cardamom. Heavy monsoon rain falls from June to September, and the clearest weather comes between October and February.