Coorg: A visit for ages

By -

Coorg: A hill town, coffee and getaways for ages 

Never been to Scotland, but if Coorg is considered to be the Scotland of the South, I can imagine how beautiful Scotland would be.

Started the day with a Coffee plantation tour at Mercara Gold Estate, on the way from Club Mahindra, Virajpet to Madikeri. Was a tour well spent (Rs. 200/head). Booked the guided tour through TripAdvisor

Post the tour, a free filter coffee, and coffee shopping at the estate, we headed to Choci Coorg. Being a Friday, the chocolate shop wasn't open around noon. We were in a dilemma, should we wait or come back later. There was a vegetarian restaurant in the same complex, and folks around were promoting it to be good. As per the well drawn itinerary, we were supposed to have lunch at Coorg Cuisine to relish on local delicacies. Finally took a decision to go the one at the complex, Ambika Upahar Udupi restaurant and it turned out to be a relative  disappointment.

Post lunch and check-in at Club Mahindra, Madikeri, we headed to Abbey Falls. On the way back, stopped at Choci Coorg for a delectable collection of chocolates.

Next day, after a sumptuous breakfast buffet at Green Cardamom, Club Mahindra (the best we had in Coorg), headed back to Benguluru, with pit stops at Dubare Elephant Camp and Namdroling Nyingmapa Tibetan Monastery Golden Temple

Dubare Elephant Camp

Heavy crowd marred the experience, and we skipped going in. The rafting here is simple (and non-adventurous), and thank god we chose Kodagu White Water River Rafting at Barapole river.

Timings: 9:00 am – 11:00 am; 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Elephant ride is the most popular activity at Dubare Elephant Camp. Visitors can participate in various activities involving elephants. Visitors can go for three hour elephant interaction at the Dubare Elephant Camp. Other activities like 45 minute bath in the River Cauvery where tourists can give bath to elephants, feeding them with ragi, jaggery, sugarcane, banana and coconuts and a 45 minute elephant ride into the jungle makes your visit at the Camp a memorable one.

Namdroling Nyingmapa Tibetan Monastery and Golden Temple

A must visit for the serenity and photos, though can get crowded. Near to the temple, one can find very good flea market, great shopping experience at best value.

For lunch, we stopped at The Tibet Kitchen Family Restaurant and Cafe


Other places of interest

Omkareshwara Temple, closes at 12 PM and reopens at 5PM

Madikeri Town, Raja's Seat: The best thing about Raja's Seat is that it offers superb sunsets and panoramic views across the valley, all the way to Kerala. However, if you want peace and quiet, it's best to go in the morning. We couldn't go as it was raining heavily

General Thinmayya Museum - Highly recommended by the locals

Madikeri Fort -  Maintenance work was going on, while we were there. Is it worth visiting?


Food to Try

  • Akki roti (rice chapati) 
  • Thari Payasam - Rava and Milk
  • Baimbale curry - sauted bamboo shoots
  • Kootu curry (veg stew) with Neyi koolu (ghee rice)
  • Bella kapi - black coffee and jaggery
  • Kajjaya - dessert made from rice flour and jaggery
  • Kadumbuttu - rice dumplings
  • Chikalunde - sweet puffed rice dumplings
  • Pandi Curry - Pork 
  • Koli saaru - chicken curry with coconut









Location: Madikeri, Karnataka 571201, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiger Safari at Tadoba: Once in a lifetime experience

By -
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is one of the best places to spot the majestic big cats in their natural habitat. Located in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, India, the reserve covers an area of 625 square kilometers and is home to around 115+ tigers, as well as leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, gaur, sambar, nilgai, and many other wildlife species. The national park is divided into 3 forest ranges: Tadoba North Range, Moharli Range and Kolsa South Range. Each of these ranges has core zones and buffer zones. The buffer zone is the area surrounding or adjoining the Core Zone where conservation takes place along with some limited human activity. We visited Tadoba in April 2024, which is considered the peak season for tiger sightings. The weather was hot and dry, with temperatures reaching 40+ degrees Celsius during the day. The forest was mostly brown and yellow, with patches of green here and there. The water sources were scarce and the animals were forced to come out of their hi...
Read more

Seychelles: An exhilarating week of beaches and trails

By -
Blessed with a spectacular topography, Seychelles is home to unique flora and fauna. The island is the only place where you can get your hands on the ‘forbidden fruit’ – the Coco de Mer which is the largest and heaviest fruit in the world. Seychelles is also one of very few destinations where you can get up close to wild, giant tortoises. The islands of Seychelles are perfectly spaced from one another, allowing you to hop your way easily. Mahe, Praslin and La Digue are less than an hour away by ferry ride, and travelers can avail of the Inter-Island Ferry Service.  You can also visit Cousin, Curieuse, St. Pierre Islands by signing up for private boat trips, as well the Saint Anne Marine National Park (from Mahe). Explore the stunning, secluded beaches, go bird watching, swim around spectacular reefs and say hello to giant tortoises; the range of activities you can try out is excellent.  We chose to travel during last week of Apr-May Before Travel International Travel Insu...
Read more

All Hearts Tour by Shreya Ghoshal: A Long Evening of Music

By -
Getting Ready The All Hearts Tour by Shreya Ghoshal, on 30th November at LB Stadium in Hyderabad was a concert to look forward to. Our first experience of a Shreya Ghoshal concert, we took a less tiring approach to travelling by metro to the concert, avoiding the traffic induced pressure, anxieties and long waits. Travel by metro was a breeze. For the concert scheduled to start at 7 PM, we reached the stadium around 6:15 PM. The stadium was a short walk from the “Assembly” metro station. At the stadium, quickly headed to the ticket counters to gather the wrist band for entry into the designated viewing areas. A gold class ticket with seating that cost Rs.2,300/ticket, was too far from the stage, though the viewing area was within the grounds and not the stadium seating (which was silver). The stadium facilities were inadequate, with temporary outdoor toilets and a limited selection of overpriced snacks (a small popcorn bowl for Rs. 200).  Concert The concert started around 40 minut...
Read more