Bison, sambar, wild boar, langur, elephants and tigers wander the lushly green hills of South India’s most popular wildlife reserve (periyartigerreserve.org; adult/child ₹500/180), which takes in 925 square kilometers of protected wilderness, including a 26-sq-km artificial lake created by the British in 1895. Established as a sanctuary in 1934, Periyar was declared Kerala's first tiger reserve in 1978.
Among the key factors that make the reserve such an exciting natural space to explore are its pioneering trekking opportunities, through which you'll travel into the reserve on routes led by mostly Adivasi guides. Options range from two-hour wildlife-spotting hikes to adventurous overnight itineraries with forest camping, always in small groups and mostly accompanied by armed guards (for safety). Simply being out in the raw wild with birdcalls echoing through the forest canopy feels truly special. While wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed, you're highly likely to at least spot a rich variety of birds and deer, and very possibly Nilgiri langurs, giant squirrels or some tiger pug marks.
The park's signature hike is the Periyar Tiger Trail (per person ₹7200-10,000) led by retrained former poachers now working as guides; with options for either one night/two days or two nights/three days, it's a challenging route covering 20km to 30km, with overnight accommodation at tented campsites. Also thrilling are the full-day Border Hikes (per person ₹2000), which open up spectacular mountain views at between 900m and 1300m, with 16km of walking on the northern edges of the park. All these include meals.
But even the shorter Green Walk and Nature Walk routes (per person ₹400) are an adventure, immersing you in the dense forest over 4km to 5km (2½ hours). After-dark Jungle Scout walks (per person ₹1500) are popular too, offering visitors the chance to join 2½-hour nighttime patrols along the reserve's fringes.
The best months for wildlife-spotting are December to April.
