But while most people head to Periyar or perhaps Munnar, Vagamon remains blissfully under the radar – despite having all the rolling hills and emerald tea fields you could desire from a mountain retreat.

The scenery here is all lush greens and fresh, cool air, with manicured tea fields giving way to more rugged scenery as you journey further out. All this is fairly typical of the Keralan uplands, but Vagamon has a couple of differences: its towering pine forest, which feels more like northeastern America than tropical south India, and its undulating, grassy meadows (known locally as the ‘barren hills’ – which drastically undersells their loveliness). It’s a totally bewitching landscape in which to swim, hike, or just relax with a cup of tea and watch the birds.

If you’re the more active type, numerous hikes follow zig-zagging paths to Sufi tombs and hilltop churches, tumbling waterfalls deep in shola forests, and dramatic views over lakes and valleys. Tea plantations, meanwhile, offer the chance to experience the whole process, from picking, drying and roasting to steeping, pouring and tasting. Most exciting of all, this is one of the best destinations in India for paragliding, offering a bird’s-eye perspective on Kerala’s mountain scenery that you won’t find at your average hill station.