7 Best Sights in Central Kerala, Kerala

This wildlife sanctuary in the Annamalai Hills, which spreads 90 square km (35 square miles) across Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is considered a better place to spot elephants and wild oxen (gaur) than Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. You also can look out for leopards, spotted deer, the Nilgiri tahr, yellow-throated bulbuls (songbirds), grizzled giant squirrels, crocodiles, sambar deer, langurs, and the bonnet macaque (both kinds of monkeys), and even an occasional tiger or a Manjampatti white (albino) bison. The entry fee is for the trekking program: paths lead along the Pambar and Chinnar rivers and past the mighty Thoovanam waterfalls, which are most impressive during the monsoons. Buses take you into the park, but you also can opt to stay in three-bed tree houses or four-bed log houses by booking in advance with the forest department. Bookings can be made at the wildlife warden's office in Munnar or online with an Indian credit card; it's about 90 minutes and 60 km (38 miles) from Munnar.

This well-maintained 97-square-km (24,000-acre) sanctuary, 15 km (9 miles) northwest of Munnar, is home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), an ibex-like goat that inhabits the highest, wettest reaches of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has lost numbers to poaching and shrinking habitat, leaving a population of just 700--800 in the park, roughly half of the world's total number. Here you can get quite close to this endearingly tame creature, pushed to the brink of extinction in part because of its utter lack of suspicion of humans. There are often long lines in season to buy your ticket, so it's a good idea to book in advance, or head early. From the entrance a park bus takes you about 7 km (4½ miles) into the hill, from which you can walk nearly 1½ km (1 mile) farther, to a higher lookout point. No vehicles are allowed in the park, so be prepared to walk along the trails and footpaths. The craggy mountain views and gushing waterfalls in the monsoon add to the allure of this park.

The sanctuary is closed for about 90 days during the calving season, roughly from February to April (check ahead of time) and occasionally for a day or so during the monsoons if it rains heavily.

At one of the only museums of its kind in India, you can learn about the history of local tea growing and view the antique furnishings of an estate manager's bungalow. Another highlight is the 2nd-century-BC urn found at one of the tea estates nearby. You also can sample this area's famous blends in the tasting room. There's also a demo factory here.

At this heritage tea-making factory set among rolling tea plantations, you can witness how tea was produced in an earlier era. Here, the six-stage process starting from the drying of the tea leaves to packaging the final product is still done on old-school machines that whir and hum as they produce an impressive 2,200 kg (4,850 pounds) of tea daily. Complete the tour with a tea tasting session of black, green, and white tea---the last has medicinal properties. There is also a small souvenir shop where you can purchase the teas.

In the vicinity of Thekkady, the Periyar National Park is one of India's best animal parks for spotting elephants, bison, wild boar, oxen, deer, black-faced Nilgiri langurs, and lion-tailed macaques (two kinds of monkeys), as well as many species of birds. The best viewing period is March and April, when other watering holes have dried up and wildlife, including leopards and tigers, is forced to approach the lake to drink. Still, you have a good chance of seeing animals resident October through May.

Lake Periyar, its many fingers winding around low-lying hills, is the heart of the nearly 303-square-km (117-square-mile) sanctuary. Forget exhausting treks or long safaris. At this sanctuary, unlike any other in India, you lounge in a motor launch as it drifts around bends and comes upon animals drinking at the shores.

On a quiet trip, elephants hardly notice the intrusion, although younger pachyderms will peer at you out of curiosity and then run squealing back to their elders when your boat comes too close. If you're brave-hearted, you can spend a night doing a night trek, staying overnight in a jungle lodge. If you do go out in the forest, be prepared for leeches on the ground, especially during the monsoon. It is best to book a safari through your hotel.

At Arthunkal, 20 km (12 miles) north of Alleppey on the way from Kochi, stands the ancient St. Andrew's Basilica. The church makes for an interesting break. Made out of wood and coconut fronds, it was built in 1581 by Portuguese missionaries, in honor of Jesus's disciple Andrew. A few years later the church was rebuilt in stone. When it was erected, St. Andrew's Basilica was considered holy by Hindus as well the missionaries; even the area's Hindu king visited the shrine. It's one of the oldest and more impressive churches in a state where you can spot a startling-looking church every few miles.

Take a drive to see the highest lookout points around Munnar, which offer great views of the tea estates below—one of the best is Top Station, 32 km (20 miles) and 40 minutes from Munnar town and 1,700 feet above sea level, across the border in Tamil Nadu, in the Kanan Devan hills. It gets its name from once being the highest point of a ropeway from which tea from Munnar was sent down to the town of Kottagudi.