Periyar National Park

Visited from Thekkady, on Periyar Lake The best seat here is a boat. Periyar Lake formed when the Mullaperiyar Dam was built in 1895, and elephants, gaur and sambar come down through the forested hills to its shoreline, where the boat trips give you an unobstructed view. Boats run five departures a day for about an hour and a half, and sightings are never guaranteed. For something slower, the reserve's bamboo rafting trips, led by guides mostly from local tribal communities, run from morning to late afternoon and give about three hours on the water. Kerala's hills make this the gentlest option for travelers who dislike long, bumpy jeep rides.