GETTING THERE

The Silent Valley region, located in northern Kerala, is best approachable by road, which is quite serviceable. It borders Tamil Nadu, and Coimbatore is the nearest city, as well as the major air and rail head. Calicut airport is 94 km away. Palakkad, to the east, is 60 km away, by road.

STAY

No resort is available within 20 km of the Silent Valley National Park’s entrance. Sterling Anaikatti - Holiday Resorts and Hotels merges naturally with the surrounding village called Agali ( starts from ` 3,753/USD52; sterlingholidays.com)

WHEN

Due to high rainfall received by the park during both the southwest and northeast monsoons, the best times to visit are April-May and JanuaryFebruary. While days can be warm in January, evenings are chilly.

IDEAL FOR

Nature and wildlife lovers, avid photographers.

DISCOVER

Locally known as Sairandhrivanam, which means Sairandhri’s (Draupadi) Forest in Malayalam, the Silent Valley gets its name from the silence that envelopes the forest. The usual sounds of insects are surprisingly absent, despite a huge insect population that includes beetles, bees, grasshoppers, moths, and dragonflies, to name a few. Many Adivasis, the original inhabitants of these forests, continue to live in the outer forest areas. Their houses can be seen during the drive.