Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Well I can start by saying that we didn't spot any tigers! We left beautiful Munnar and took a long and dangerous (but scenic) bus ride further down the Western Ghats to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The bus driver seemed intent on speeding around the blind corners of the winding roads through the mountains. As if we weren't freaked out enough, we then sped past a bus which had flown over the edge of the mountain and had been stopped only by a tree. I think I lost all the colour in my face at that point.

Upon our safe arrival in Kumily we allowed our rickshaw driver Jose to take us to a homestay he recommended, as the place I'd chosen from the Lonely Planet guide was predictably overpriced. We arrived at a homestay owned by a lovely young couple with two small children. The room was immaculate and the outdoor veranda had an amazing view over the Wildlife Sanctuary. Waking up in the morning to see Bisons chowing down on their leafy breakfasts was a real treat!

That first evening in Kumily was spent working out which activities of the huge amount on offer we most wanted to do (and could afford). The first activity we settled on was something called a "Clouds Walk", advertised as a four hour walk around the mountains through fluffy white clouds. That doesn't sound too taxing I thought to myself. We also decided on an early morning boat trip to go wildlife spotting as well as a short stint at Elephant Junction.

We'd been told that the best time to spot wildlife was on the first or last boat trip of the day. The guidebook said that the first trip was at 9.30am, so feeling proud of myself I woke up at 8am and we were on our way to what we thought was the first boat trip of the day. When we got there we found out that the first one was actually at 7.30am and the Park Rangers affirmed that the first or last boat trip of the day was indeed the best time to spot wildlife. We didn't do too badly though, and managed to spot lots of Wild Boar and some exotic birds. Next Elephant Junction! We went on an elephant ride with a very mischievous male elephant who enjoyed fooling around whilst we clung on for dear life. The elephant handler showed us cardamom plants, black pepper and lots of papaya on the ride.

Finally, our "relaxed" Clouds Walk. My misconception was further fuelled by the fact that our guide was a tiny little woman called Gigi. The trek started up a steep hill which I figured was just the beginning bit and would only last a few minutes. This continued for an hour and a half until we reached the top of the mountain sweating and ready to collapse. We'd finished our water within the first 15 minutes of the trek. It was worth the effort though as the top of the mountain had stunning views over the whole Sanctuary and beyond to Tamil Nadu. There was only a small Christian shrine and a couple of fat cows grazing within close proximity to us. We then started trekking through the thick jungle, walking past all kinds of dung - elephant dung, bison dung and even bear dung! Our guide took us to a tribal village deep within the jungle where the people speak their own language and eat different food to the rest of Kerala. We tried to be discreet and just observed from a distance. Finally we made it back into town and I hobbled back to the room, tired, with scratches all over my legs and arms but very satisfied with the day.

We were really sad to leave our homestay as the family were so nice. We took their card and promised to pass on their details to any friends heading that way. Onwards to the backwaters of Allepey.