Top Five Places to Visit in Coorg!
Staying at Amã Stays & Trails bungalows in Pollibetta, it was not easy to step out… The prospect of wandering aimlessly through the infinite stretches of the greenery around, or engaging ourselves in activities available in the property while downing endless cups of hot Coorgi coffee, proved almost too good to resist every single time! But we finally steeled ourselves and drove out on a sight-seeing tour. It was well worth the effort.
So here is my list of the top five must-see tourist spots in Coorg!
Raja’s Seat
We visited Raja’s seat on the evening of our arrival at Rare Earth Estate. Judging by the crowd we saw that day, it is probably the most popular tourist spot in Madikeri!
After taking entry tickets we headed straight to the view point through a well-maintained park. The view of the vast green valley and winding roads below was stunning. After watching the sunset, we decided to spend some time in the beautiful garden and settled into the lawn chairs placed around a huge fountain.
Soon enough, the water jets were switched on and contemporary songs started playing from somewhere. We had quite some fun watching the ‘musical’ fountain desperately trying to catch up to the peppy tunes while spraying unsuspecting passers-by!
Namdroling Buddhist Monastery
As someone visiting a Buddhist monastery for the first time, I was floored by the sheer magnificence of the Golden Temple and the three statues (Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha Shakyamuni and Buddha Amitayus) inside the Namdroling Monastery in Bylakuppe. We got lucky during one of our visits and witnessed a special prayer held in the hall — a beautiful insight into the rituals of a different religion.
The huge, paved spaces around the monastery can be quite hot and sunny. But being bright and colourful, the buildings lend themselves to some vivid photographs.
Nisargadhama Forest Park
The entrance to Kaveri Nisargadhama forest park in Kushalnagar is deceptively urban. After passing through a busy commercial space packed with small shops selling souvenirs and chocolates, we stepped out for a breath of fresh air. What greeted us next took my breath away!
A hanging bridge suspended over the majestic river Kaveri led us into a well maintained bamboo jungle on an island. There were facilities available for boating over a small distance. But the prospect of paddling all by ourselves under the hot afternoon sun proved discouraging!
As we walked through the park we came across beautiful life-like statues depicting the Coorgi way of life. Many people were zip-lining across a short stretch of the park. Further down, we came across an enclosure where sambar deer were loitering under the shade of trees, munching on leaves or just taking a nap. A little ahead, a narrow staircase led down into a beautiful brook. Slippery boulders mean that one has to be careful while wading across in search of peaceful spots in this busy tourist hub. Nevertheless this experience was undoubtedly the highlight of our visit!
Iruppu Falls
My first trip to Iruppu Falls was sometime in January two years ago. I was initially unimpressed, seeing a seemingly dry hillock ahead peppered with spiky shrubbery. The crowds and the hot sun did not help matters either. But a short walk from the ticketing counter led us into a different world altogether! Shrouded behind tall bamboo trees and rocks was a hidden paradise.
On the way to the top we came across a stream flowing gently over pebbles and boulders worn down by time. Sun rays trickled through the green canopy and dissolved into the crystal clear water. There, fluttering in a beautiful courtship dance, were two butterflies, their blue-green wings iridescent in the soft light. Their name was as exotic as they were — Papilio buddha. I cannot describe the joy I felt that day. And just for reliving that magical moment, I would visit Iruppu Falls again!
Bathing was allowed at the foot of the main waterfall and there were steps carved into the rock leading up to this place. The climb would probably take a good one hour. But we didn’t find it worth our time as it was pretty crowded and noisy (not to mention hot and sunny) that day.
Nagarhole National Park
Beautiful and green post the rains, wild and dusty during the dry spells, enticing and mysterious at all times — this is Nagarhole.
We have passed through this beautiful wildlife reserve quite a number of times during which we have seen troops of monkeys (gray langurs and bonnet macaques) hanging out by the roadside. This time around we also got to see a wild elephant! She posed for our cameras, nonchalantly chomping her grassy lunch…
In order to see more animals in the wild we decided to take a bus safari offered by the forest department into the heart of the jungle. With only a limited number of trips available and just 25 seats per bus, there was a long wait in a serpentine queue of irate people (later on, we heard there was also a three-hour jeep safari option available). Finally, we secured our tickets and were on our way into the wilderness rattling away in a rickety bus. It is a wonder the animals weren’t alerted by the dust clouds or scared off by the racket the bus was making! But at the end of it we did manage to spot a Malabar Giant Squirrel on a tree, and herds of deer, wild boar, elephant and bison by the watering hole. So who is complaining?!
A Place That I Will Not Recommend Anymore
The Tamara Coorg is a remote and luxurious resort located in Madikeri.
The accommodation consists of a limited number of cottages poised precariously on the side of a hill draped in greenery. Each room affords an expansive view of the valley below and during the monsoons, the rain clouds literally float into the balcony!
The main restaurant called The Falls is open to visitors as well. Built right above a brook running down the slopes, the dining area here is probably one of a kind.
It has a balcony on either side, illuminated by the diffused sunlight filtering through a canopy of trees. A glass floor in the centre offers a direct view into the stream below. Giant ferns rising from rocky crevices sway gently in the breeze. Birds and butterflies flit among the leaves, and once in a while an otter family can be spotted trotting over boulders! The music of the wilderness around is truly mesmerising… And during the rains, water gushes down the slopes adding to Nature’s symphony. The food was average and probably priced a little on the higher side, but we never minded it because the ambience more than compensated for it!
We have had many a wonderful experience here. But unfortunately our last visit was quite terrible. Nothing but a buffet lunch available and one of us contracted food poisoning from the salads left uncovered and unattended. We contacted the Tamara team with this complaint but were treated with a canned apology mail with no promise of a solid action taken for this grave lapse of hygiene. The absence of any follow-up thereof left us completely disillusioned. We have never visited The Tamara Coorg since.
Other Attractions
A tourist spot we couldn’t spend much time at was the Dubare Elephant Camp.
We arrived just after the last boat to the Elephant bathing site across the river had departed. The rocky, tree-clad islets in the river are scenic from a distance. But to be honest, the stagnant water and the crowded (and littered) shores didn’t look very inviting on a closer inspection.
Other places that I wish to cover during my next trip are Abbey Falls in Madikeri, Talakaveri on Brahmagiri hills and Thadiyandamol Mountain.
Bonus!
On our last trip from Bangalore to Coorg (via Mandya), we took a slight detour to the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. Located on the banks of river Kaveri, this well maintained park is a haven for birds, of both the feathered and human variety!
More on that (and the birds we sighted during our stay in Coorg) in another post, soon to follow!
Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola is another place that can be covered enroute from Bangalore to Coorg. But we reached there around mid-day and the barefoot climb up the rock-cut steps to the top in the hot afternoon sun seemed like a feat fit for braver souls than us! Maybe some other day…
For details about our stay in Coorg that made all these wonderful visits (and much more) possible, please continue to my previous post — A Coorgi Retreat!
