Long before it became a fixture on film soundtracks, Athirappilly was simply where the Chalakudy river drops off a wide rock ledge in Kerala's Thrissur district, a sight locals still call the Niagara of South India. At around 80 feet, this is the state's tallest waterfall, and most searches for things to do in Athirappilly begin right here, at the falls themselves. The town sits on the edge of the Vazhachal forest, deep inside the Western Ghats, so a short list of places to visit in Athirappilly quickly grows to include rainforest drives, river activities and a fair chance of spotting hornbills in the tree canopy overhead.

A short drive upstream along the Chalakudy River brings you to Vazhachal Falls, where the water spreads into a wide cascade over sloping rock, calmer and easier to approach than Athirappilly itself. On the way, a suspension bridge at Thumboormuzhi Butterfly Garden crosses into a garden home to close to 150 butterfly species, with the adjoining Kauthuka Park offering a shaded stop for families with young children, and a smaller cascade called Charpa Falls appears right alongside the road between the two main waterfalls. Families travelling with kids often break up the drive at Silver Storm Water Theme Park, a water park with slides and rides just off the main Athirappilly route, or pause at Peringalkuthu Dam, a reservoir view a little further upstream framed by the Sholayar hills. Travellers with a full day to spare can join the forest department's jungle safari, a roughly 90 km drive through the Sholayar range to Malakkappara that takes in tea estates, dam viewpoints and dense rainforest that has drawn film crews for decades, including the crew behind Baahubali. Closer to the resort, mornings are best spent on a guided walk with an in-house naturalist tracking hornbills and other forest birds, wading into the calm shallows at Anakkayam, or trying a spot of river fishing along the Chalakudy's banks.

Arrive early and you'll notice the falls before you see them, a low rumble that grows louder with every step down the forest path. October to February keeps that walk comfortable and the water clear rather than churning, while June to September turns the same falls into a genuinely thunderous, monsoon-fed spectacle best admired from a safe distance. Sterling Athirappilly, a 30-room property built right on the Chalakudy riverbank, puts both seasons within reach without a long drive, and its rooftop infinity pool frames the falls directly ahead. Dinner at The Waterfront restaurant leans into South Kerala flavours, and a quiet hour afterward at The Hornbill lounge, book in hand, is as much a part of the stay as the waterfall itself.