That morning I was really very excited, and the reason was that I had to cover the enigmatic Periyar on that fortunate day. Periyar falls in Idukki district, an enchanting hill station, in Kerala.

All Alone!
The travel desk at my resort provided me with information that I would get a direct bus to Kumily from Kottayam. Kumily is the best place in order to visit Periyar. Although my resort could have arranged a taxi for me but in order to retain my tourist spirit, I opted my voyage....... my way.

I took a bus from Kottayam to Kumily. It took me 4 hr to reach Kumily. Since Periyar is better known for its sanctuary, the forest division provides bus service from Kumily to the sanctuary . Only problem is that bus takes around 2 hrs to reach Periyar sanctuary. Other option are auto rickshaw, cycling or by walking. So I opted auto rickshaw, in order to save time.

As soon as I entered Periyar, I could actually feel the cool crisp scented air of the western ghats revealing the unexplored beauty of the place. Since I had very less time, I chose a boat cruise for sightseeing offered by the forest department.

Tame the Untamed!
Well! I was enthralled as I was about to cover the largest and the most visited wild life reserve in India. The guide on the cruise told us that Periyar occupies 777 sq km of the cardamom hills of the western ghats. He also told that Periyar is a veritable paradise for elephants. The National Park boost 260 species of birds including Nilgiri wood pigeon.

If time would have permitted me, I would have gone for a three day package offered by the forest department that involves bird watching, nature trekking and elephant rides.

In the evening, I enrolled myself in the plantation tour. Since Periyar is quite famous for its spices, this guided tour familiarized me with different spices and plantation.

Well! I was easily able to see the unique flora and fauna that existed in Periyar and differentiated it from other sanctuaries in Kerala.