In the morning we went for a three hour nature walk in the Periyar Tiger Reserve which is very close to the place we stayed (Spice Village). Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) is situated in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills of the Southern Western Ghats of India.
The reserve is huge – about 925 square kilometers – and so spotting elephants or other bigger animals is not a sure thing. We had luck and saw some bisons, beautiful insects and birds. It was a great experience and our guide always explained the different kinds of plants and animals.
Nature Walk, Boat Ride and Jeep Safari (Thekkady and Tamil Nadu)
There is only one entry point to the Periyar Tiger Reserve through the small village of Thekkady, 4 km from Kumily which lies on the Kerala-TamilNadu border. The starting point of the reserve is the boathouse located 2 km from the entry gate. There are several eco-tourism programmes in the Periyar Tiger Reserve including day and night trekking, camping and bamboo rafting. They present exciting opportunities to spot animals and birds. The best way to view wildlife is during boat rides on the Periyar Lake. It has many creeks, promontories and small islets serving as habitats for wildlife. It is common to find herds of elephants grazing on the hills surrounding the lake.