Woodway Homestay, Chikmagalur

This beautiful homestay is located in Jakkanahalli village, a 10 minute drive away from Chikmagalur city. Unlike a lot of other tourist destinations, Chikmagalur doesn’t have much for travelers inside the city — the best places to stay and visit are on the outskirts of the city. Woodway Homestay is one such place.

This is what the 10km drive to Woodway from Chikmagalur city looks like!

Chikmagalur is a 6 hours drive from Bangalore, by road. The road is amazingly smooth, just drive! Consider stopping at A2B near Udayapura, just before Hassan for a mid-journey break. You can book Woodway through Cleartrip or MakeMyTrip or through their website, but make sure you email Shreedev (the owner) to confirm that they’re not sold out (sometimes for homestays Cleartrip etc do not do this check for you and still issue you the voucher). While you’re at it, ask him for directions — and he will send you a detailed email with turn-by-turn directions that will be useful for reaching Woodway from Chikmagalur city.

Woodway homestay is a huge campus with greenery everywhere — rooms are a very small part of the place!

Woodway has been my best homestay experience so far! Sprawling green place with wilderness all around. In every direction you can see, it looks like no one has been there before — it’s absolutely beautiful. There are tall trees, bright flowers and lush green grass everywhere. There are two dogs as well — Brutus and Caesar. They are big and protective, while being completely adorable and friendly. My favorite thing was the coffee served here — it’s freshly plucked, roasted and brewed from their own plantations.

What makes this place special is that it’s been done up with a lot of love. There isn’t too much sophistication, and everything from the food (it’s included, three times a day) to the rooms, and the ambience, is old-school and simple, with a touch of rich heritage. While it’s good for couples and for a group of friends, it’s ideal for families — there are 4–5 rooms close to each other and plenty of space for kids to run around and enjoy. Nature lovers, if you’re looking for a peaceful outing that makes you forget all your worries, this is what you need. Adventurers, there is plenty of stuff for you to do too, especially the Mullyanagiri trek.

This is the view from the Kavikalmatta hill top. Very few people know about this place, and Shreedev suggested it to us. There was absolutely no one there!

Apart from trekking, drive through Bhadra Forest and hope to spot tigers! Hire a jeep to Kavikalmatta hill top and a place called Shooting-gudda — where a lot of movies are shot. Also go to the Estate Cafe — again owned by Shreedev, which serves nice coffee and overlooks a huge, beautiful valley. This holiday will not be a busy one, and that’s exactly what’s good about it. Take a chill pill and spend time with your family or friends, and just be amidst nature.

You can hire a jeep and go to some beautiful places (like Shooting-gudda in this photo), that are not accessible using two-wheel drive vehicles

The best time of the year to visit is between September and March — the weather is beautifully pleasant during this time. Pack a windcheater and a raincoat, a torch light, trekking shoes if you’re going to trek, walking shoes and all your tiredness and worries (this is one thing you’ll invariably not bring back!)

I took a lot of photos during this trip. You can see them all by searching for Chikmagalur on galleri5 (download the app on iPhone, Android or use the website). You can also discover also some of the best photos of Chikmagalur and Woodway Homestay here and here.