Category: Thekkady / Periyar, Kerala

Thekkady is Kerala’s wildlife and spice capital — a high-altitude town in the Cardamom Hills where the Periyar Tiger Reserve’s ancient forest meets some of the most fragrant plantation land in India. Set around the shimmering Periyar Lake, the reserve offers boat safaris, bamboo rafting, and elephant encounters in one of India’s most scenic protected areas. The surrounding hills are dense with cardamom, pepper, coffee, and tea estates, and the town of Kumily offers the full sensory experience of Kerala’s spice trade. Come for the tigers and the elephants. Stay for the cardamom-scented mornings and the best home cooking in the hills.