India’s Western Ghats are one of our planet’s most biodiverse zones – as well as an intensely beautiful geological spine that separates the southwestern coast of the subcontinent from the southeastern. Kerala’s border with Tamil Nadu coincides with the range, which poses no mysteries. Transportation over the hills and mountains is tedious, and each side has it’s own cultural and meteorological identity; the border makes sense to an outsider.

This border makes for incredible views – mostly overlooking Tamil Nadu. Towns normally don’t offer inspiring panoramas, but within ten or fifteen minutes’ drive there’s usually something worth seeing. Tamil Nadu is an agricultural hotspot – fields and plantations are quite visible from above.

Like any self-respecting mountain range, the Western Ghats are (literally) saturated with waterfalls. From a vantage point, particularly in monsoon season, these falls can often flow hundreds of feet uninterrupted. The mountains can seem endless.