The mountains looming above the tea station of Munnar in Kerala are the highest in peninsular India, and a spectacular sight from the valley floor. Giant grey-brown crags rising above slopes of lush grass, shola forest and tea plantations, the range culminates at Ana Mudi (2,695m/8,842ft), a summit that falls within the heavily protected Eravikulam National Park.

Trekking on the mountain is forbidden due to the presence on its flanks of a rare sheep called the Nilgir tahr, which here graze in herds of up to 700-strong. But you can admire the fine panorama over the world’s highest tea plantations, and have a close encounter with the tahr, by travelling to the park in one of its dedicated buses, which drop visitors at a small interpretation centre from where you can follow a short, level walk to a spectacular viewpoint.