Rail
The nearest railhead is Kottayam (114 km) on the Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram line.

Road
You can hire cars from Madurai or Kochi to reach Periyar. Kottayam is the nearest major town, (115 km) to the west. Buses leave every half hour for the four-hour journey. Thiruvananthapuram is 271 km away -- two direct buses leave daily for the eight-hour journey.

Buses between Ernakulam and Kumily leave every half hour for the six-hour journey.

There is no camera fee, and the fee for a video camera is Rs 100.

You can hire diesel boats to see the animals close up. A small part of the forest is also accessible to those in search of more adventure.

Boats are maintained by both the Forest Department and Kerala Tourism. A a two-hour boat tour costs Rs 40 on the lower deck and Rs 80 on the upper deck. This is via Kerala Tourism. Tickets for the Forest Department boats are at Rs 40 per person. These are mostly smaller boats, and you can charter one for up to 12 people for Rs 350 plus a fat tip to the driver.

If you want the best seats, then be sure to stay at the KTDC units within Periyar, because guests there have first preference for seats on the upper and lower decks.

Boat rides are at 7 am, 9.30 am, 11.30 am, 2 pm and 4 pm.

Elephant rides around Thekkady are also available for short rounds at Rs 30 per head. You will need to contact the forest office (Tel: 322028), and the timings are from 10.30 am to 5 pm.

Short treks around Thekkady (but not into the forest) are possible with a guide at Rs 10 for three hours. They start at 7.30 am.

If you wish to have a more serious natural history trek inside the forest ask for a guide from the Wildlife Information Centre. Kerala Travels in Thiruvananthapuram Tel: (0471) 324158, Fax: (0471) 323154 can help arrange a well-informed guide and a route tailored to your special interest.

A night at the observation towers or rest houses located inside the forest is another way to view wildlife. Check with the Wildlife Preservation Office or Wildlife Information Centre.

The Lake Palace
Periyar sanctuary
Tel: 0486- 322023
Fax: 0486-322282
Premium
This was the former residence of the Maharaja of Travancore and can only be approached by boat. It was built in 1931 as the Maharaja’s game lodge, and is now a hotel. They have just 6 rooms which have antique furniture, a TV and a wardrobe. Facilities include room service, direct dialling, laundry service, doctor on call, a forex counter, car hire and free boat rides and treks into the sanctuary (as well as first choice of seats on the boats). Each room also has a balcony with a seating area and good views of Periyar.
The hotel is definitely the most luxurious option within Periyar, but don’t expect the rooms to have palatial dimensions -- they’re smaller when you compare them with the accommodation options outside Periyar. There’s also not much other than animal-watching, besides reading (the hotel has a small library), and some indoor games on offer. The restaurant has fixed menus featuring traditional Kerala specialities, Continental and Chinese food. There is no bar, but you can order beer from the nearby Aranya Nivas hotel.
Check in/ check out: 12 noon.
Credit cards: all major ones accepted.
Tariff:
October 1 to December 20; January 21 to May 31; August 1 to September
Rs 5,000 (single room), Rs 6,500 (double room)
December 21 to January 20
Rs 5,500 (single room), Rs 7,500 (double room)
June 1 to July 31
Rs 3,250 (single room), Rs 4,500 (double room)
Extra person: Rs 1,500
7.5 per cent luxury tax.

Aranya Nivas
Periyar wildlife sanctuary
Tel: 0486- 322023
Fax: 0486- 322282
Mid-range
This has 30 rooms, and features room service, TV in the rooms, direct dialling, a restaurant, bar, laundry service, doctor on call, forex counter, travel desk, car hire, a Kairali handicraft emporium, swimming pool, and two free boat trips into the sanctuary on a daily basis. The hotel will also provide the services of a guide free if you want to trek. There is also a TV room to the left of the lobby.
The hotel is a good budget option, but the rooms are musty in the off-season and don’t expect clean sheets. The deluxe double rooms have bathtubs. Since the hotel is inside the sanctuary, guests are not permitted outside the hotel precincts after dark. The hotel has a generator.
Check in/ Check out: 12 noon.
Credit cards: all accepted.
Tariff:
October to May and August to September
Rs 2,050 (regular non a/c single room), Rs 3,000 (regular non a/c double room), Rs 2,425 (deluxe non a/c single room), Rs 3,500 (deluxe non a/c double room), Rs 2,425 (regular air-conditioned single room), Rs 3,500 (regular air-conditioned double room), Rs 2,800 (deluxe air-conditioned single room), Rs 4,000 (deluxe air-conditioned double room), Rs 5,000 (air-conditioned suite).
Luxury tax: 7.6 per cent. The hotel accepts foreign exchange.

Periyar House
Periyar wildlife sanctuary
Tel: 0486- 322026
Fax: 0486- 322526

A one-star hotel within the sanctuary. It’s not the cleanest hotel around, but still pretty decent if you don’t mind the odd bug. There are 44 rooms, a restaurant that has a multi-cuisine buffet menu, a beer parlour, doctor on call, laundry service, and a travel desk. You can hire cycles from the hotel for Rs 25 per day. The hotel accepts foreign exchange. Again, there are two free trips offered into Periyar daily, and the sanctuary becomes off-limits after sunset.
Check in/ check out: 12 noon
Credit cards: all accepted
Tariff:
October 1 to September The following rates are applicable on the Modified American Plan.
Rs 700 (regular double room, single occupancy), Rs 900 (regular double room, double occupancy), Rs 900 (deluxe double room, single occupancy), Rs 1,100 (superior double room, single occupancy), Rs 1,300 (superior double room, double occupancy), Rs 1,500 (suite, single occupancy), Rs 1,700 (suite, double occupancy).

The Wildlife Preservation Office, Kumily has resthouses at Manakavala, Mullakudy and Edappalayam for Rs 300. A cook is available on the premises, but provisions must be brought. For bookings contact Tel: (0486) 322027. Observation towers cost Rs 100 for an overnight stay. Food and bedding must be brought by you. Contact the Wildlife Information Centre. Tel: (0486) 322028

There are also a number of hotels outside the entry check post and in Kumily.

The Taj Garden Retreat
Kumily
Tel: 0423- 30021 or any Taj Group Hotel in India
This is billed as a former coffee plantation, and spreads over three and a half acres of property. All the 16 cottages here are built on stilts, 11 feet off the ground. Four are inter-connected, so you can then use them as a suite. The rooms are not extremely large, but are well-equipped with a TV, fridge, electric kettle and attached bath. One wall is louvred from top to bottom, to let in the cool air. Facilities include the Periyar Room (a multi-cuisine restaurant), the Hornbill bar, conference room, safe deposit lockers, currency exchange services, ayurvedic centre, recreation centre and swimming pool. There is no room service.
Credit card: all accepted.
Tariff: Rs 3,800 (full board).

The Spice Village
Thekkady-Kumily Road, Thekkady
Tel: 0486- 322315
Fax: 0486- 322317
This is part of the Casino group of hotels chain, and is built in the style of a traditional hill tribe community, with thatched elephant-grass-roofed huts which offer a telephone, fan, attached bath and a laundry service. The rooms do not have TVs. There are spice trees planted all over the resort, which are clearly marked, and cobbled paths run between cottages and the main areas of the resort.
There’s also a swimming pool, a cookery demonstration of traditional Keralan cuisine every evening, organised wildlife excursions into Periyar every morning and afternoon, lectures on the wildlife of the sanctuary every evening, as well as an ayurveda centre, badminton court and games room. There’s also a small shop selling clothing, books, audio cassettes and CDs and toiletries from 8 am to 8.30 pm. There’s also a letter box which is cleared at 11 am every day.
The restaurant offers buffet meals, with breakfast served from 7.30 am to 9.30 am, lunch from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm and dinner from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. The bar is open in the evenings and also has a small bookcase. There is no room service, but for an extra fee, you can have a hamper with coffee, tea and light snacks delivered to your cottage. The resort also arranges for visits to spice plantations near by and treks into the sanctuary.
Check in/ check out: 12 noon.
Credit cards: all accepted. Foreign exchange accepted.
Tariff:
October 1 to December 20 and January 21 to March 31
Rs 5,300 (full board) plus 7.5 per cent tax.

Cardamom County
Thekkady, Idukki district
Tel: 0486-322806, 322816, 322037
Fax: 0486- 322807
This is a fairly new resort, but solidly concrete in comparison to the other resorts in Thekkady. Also, most rooms are on an elevation, so if you can’t get the ones on the ground, be prepared to climb long flights of stairs to reach your room. Still, the pool is very large and appealing, and the lone suite has a good view.
There are 29 cottages, all with attached bath, direct dialling, TV and a fridge. There’s a restaurant which is open from 7 am to 10 pm, which offers Indian, Chinese, Continental and South Indian cuisine, laundry service, doctor on call, safe deposit lockers and a forex facility, a recreation room, health club and an ayurvedic centre. For an extra charge, the resort will arrange for cultural shows, angling, trekking into the forest, trips into the sanctuary, and visits to spice plantations.
Check in/ check out: 24 hours
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Tariff: September 1 to August 30
European Plan
Rs 1,800 (single occupancy), Rs 2,600 (double occupancy)
Continental Plan
Rs 1,900 (single occupancy), Rs 2,800 (double occupancy).
American Plan
Rs 2,300 (single occupancy), Rs 3,600 (double occupancy).
Extra bed: Rs 400
Luxury tax: is 7.5 per cent.

Lake Queen Tourist Home
Tel: 0486- 322084
This is run by the Catholic church and offers clean rooms for under Rs 200.