Periyar National Park, Thekkady

Periyar National Park, with the broader Periyar Tiger Reserve covering 925 sq km, sits in the Cardamom Hills of Kerala's Idukki district. The reserve is unusual in being centred on a lake rather than dry forest — the Periyar reservoir, created in 1895 by the British-built Mullaperiyar dam, is the venue for the standard 90-minute boat safari that gives most visitors their first elephant or gaur sighting. The park has roughly 35 tigers (notoriously hard to spot in this dense terrain) plus the South Indian icons: Asiatic elephant, Indian gaur, sambar deer, sloth bear, lion-tailed macaque, and the Nilgiri tahr. The Forest Department also runs guided 'jungle scout' walks, bamboo rafting, and night patrols with armed guards. Thekkady town, the main entry, has a strong cardamom-and-spice trail; many resorts include plantation visits.