A Road Trip from Bengaluru to Coorg
Overview
A road trip to Coorg is a must if you are living in Bengaluru. The best part about being in Bengaluru is that not only this city is the IT hub of India, but it is also surrounded by many beautiful attractions and locations. Which in turn, means that you can go to beautiful places by just hitting the road. And when we were searching for places falling within 300km range from Bengaluru, Coorg seemed to be the best place. Here I present my personal experience of this much-revered trip.
Table of Contents
Are you a rain person? Is monsoon your favourite season? If your answer is yes, then you must visit the southern part of India during this season. Monsoons in south India usually comes with heavy rainfall and adds to the flavour of its charm. Luckily we got a golden chance to witness this season when we were in Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka state. And we seized the opportunity and planned a road trip from Bengaluru to Coorg.
Coorg is located at a distance of 265 km from Bengaluru. And we - a family of three - set off together in our car to this beautiful hill town to get some green therapy and freshly brewed coffee.
Read here, our experience about a road trip to a hill station Chakrata in the northern part of India.
About Coorg
Coorg - also known as Kodagu - is a tranquil rural district cradled in the Western Ghats in southern Karnataka. Coorg experiences monsoons from June till September. And often receives heavy showers, which increases the beauty of this place manifolds. It is also known as one of the best hills stations in southern India and is rather famous as “Scotland of India” because the climate and the landscapes are similar to Scotland.
Apart from that, the town is also famous for:
- Well known coffee plantations
- Varied wildlife, and
- Kodavas, the ethnic warrior people of Coorg
Our road trip to Coorg
We started early in the morning via the Bengaluru-Mysore highway to avoid peak traffic hours of Bengaluru.
The best part of any road trip is that you can stop wherever you want. You can also enjoy delicious food served by roadside eateries. For this trip, we stopped at a small restaurant for breakfast. It was really good and fulfilling.
I think no parent can’t deny that road trips become more adventurous if you take your kids along. And with their unpredictable moods, they will make your trip even more adventurous. My daughter also got restless after just a few hours of drive, forcing us to pull over at CCD for coffee. After recharging ourselves we headed straight to the Namdroling Monastery also known as Golden Temple.
Namdroling Monastery
It is a must-see place on your way to Coorg. It is known as the largest teaching center of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. And Located in Bylakuppe, part of the Kodagu district in the state of Karnataka.
Here are a few things that I think are the best about this place.
- Beautiful, magical, relaxing, and serene place to visit on your way to Coorg.
- You can witness the Buddhist culture without an entry fee.
- The architecture, statues, and ambiance are all amazing.
- Although often crowded by tourists but the place itself has a positive aura.
- You will feel like you are in mini Tibet.
- This is the place where monks stay. The prayers offered by them at the monastery is one of the main events to witness.
- You can also buy souvenirs but they are a bit overpriced as usual.
Our experience at Amanvana Resort
The best part of our Coorg visit was the Amanvana Resort. This beautiful property has a lot to offer to its customers. This is a luxury resort and a bit expensive side but you won’t regret spending time there. We rented a bungalow in this property and enjoyed every bit of this place including river adventure, bird watching, coffee plantations and not to mention the delicious food they serve in their restaurant.
Amanvana coffee plantation
The owners of Amanvana also have their own coffee plantation. They offer you to visit this plantation by assigning a guide who will explain everything about the plantation and how this refreshing cup of Coffee reaches to your coffee mugs. This guide will also tell you the history of coffee and how the coffee beans were first brought to India.
And yes, she will prepare a good filter coffee for you to enjoy sitting in a shed right by the river.
Cauvery Nisargadhama
Cauvery Nisargadhama is a delta - also called an island by locals - formed by river Cauvery. It also offers multiple experiences of varied sorts.
You can reach there through a wooden bridge built over the river and it leads to the forest full of trees. You can feel the forest ambiance with dense foliage of bamboos, teak trees, and even sandalwood trees and a small river creek where the public is allowed to enter. There is also an ensemble of wildlife including deers, stags, rabbits, peacocks, etc for you to experience.
There is a micro zip-line (for a distance of approx 100-150 meters) within the forest, to enjoy. There are numerous forest towers to climb on with steps made from wooden logs. If you have a sharp eye then you can also observe artistically painted trees. You can also relish cucumber feeding to deer and stags with hand. Boating and elephant rides are also available here. Though the place is not very well maintained, it is still thoroughly enjoyable for adults and kids. With Rs. 10 entry fee and a large parking lot outside this is a good place for family.
Abbey Falls
Abbey falls is located approximately 10 km away from Madikeri in Kodagu district. Nestled within the lush greenery it gives a fantastic opportunity for shutterbugs to capture the natural beauty of this place.
Once we reached the parking spot for the falls, we had to climb down 200 steps to reach the actual fall. Being located in the midst of private coffee plantation, this fall gives you a good opportunity to see the exotic coffee, cardamom, and pepper plantation. As I mentioned already, we were there with my five-year-old daughter who hates walking, let alone climbing up or down the stairs. So there were only two people who were climbing down the stairs and the third one was just riding on daddy’s shoulders. Theses are perks you get as a kid.
It took us about half an hour before we were able to hear the roar of the waterfall. A few more minutes of flight of stairs and here it was - the majestic Abbey falls right in front of us. The water cascading down from the cliff from the height of 70 ft provides a mesmerizing and spectacular scene to behold. There is an overbridge that hangs opposite to the fall, from where the most picturesque scene of the white foam gushing down the cliff can be seen and captured. If you stand on the bridge, you can feel the mist on your face.
We also noticed that there were a lot of youngsters who were taking selfies or group photos, obviously to post on their social media apps. It was very disappointing to see that instead of soaking in the beauty with their senses, they were too busy looking at their screens. Apparently, they just wanted the pictures of the fall instead of experiencing the fall.
If you are a real nature lover then this fall is a must-visit during your Coorg visit.
Dubare Elephant Camp
Dubare is known for its elephant camp, a forest camp on the banks of the river Kaveri in the district of Kodagu, Karnataka.
It is usually open for visitors in the morning from 9.30 am to 11.30 am and in the evening from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. We reached there around 5:00 pm and luckily got the last boat to the elephant camp. Although I had seen elephants many a time before, this was the first time I was experiencing the mammoths up close. Seeing those elephants stroll through peacefully and enjoying their natural habitat was a new experience for us. You can see that the mahouts trained in handling those majestic creatures are ever-present throughout the camp.
Every year there is a huge celebration in Mysuru during Dussera, and the elephants in the event were once trained at Dubare Elephant Camp.
Raja’s Seat
Raja’s Seat is a seasonal garden of flowers and artificial fountains. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in Coorg. Historically this garden was a favorite venue to rejuvenate for the Kings of Kodagu. This was their spot to watch the sunset and spend some memorable time with their queens. It?s a picturesque location that gives you panoramic and breathtaking view of the valley.
The park gives a wide valley view and if you time it right, both sunrise and sunset can be seen from here. The garden is full of beautiful flowers and skillfully designed artificial fountains. There is also a toy train for your little ones to enjoy.
There are no entry tickets, just pay for parking and you are good to go.
Conclusion
Coorg is a nice and peaceful hill station near Bengaluru and is a good candidate for a road trip. It offers a lot to its visitors. If you want to pick coffee berries on tour around a coffee plantation and want to witness lush greenery and spectacular landscapes, then Coorg is the right place to go.
On the other hand, if you are planning for an adventurous and economical trip and want to make the most out of your trip be sure to visit Travel Triangle.
Let me know
Have you been to Coorg or any road trip yet? If yes, how was your experience?
See Also
- 10 Amazing Places To Visit In Coorg
- A Road Trip From Bengaluru To Wayanad, Kerala
- 5 Memorable Road Trips From Bangalore
