A Treasured Experience: Coorg

"The more we explore the world, the more we tend to discover ourselves." 

Travelling rejuvenates our entire body, mind and soul. Some trips add a lot of wonderful experiences, unforgettable adventures and beautiful memories in our life. The trip to Coorg, Karnataka, was one such memorable trip for me.

Coorg, renowned as the ‘Scotland of India’, is not only famous for its handmade chocolates but it also nestles dense teak wooded forests, lush green coffee plantations and high mountain ranges making it a perfect location for seeking scenic spots and challenging treks.

Now, let me begin sharing my experience at Coorg.

Day 1:

On 28^th February 2020, our group of nine people left for Coorg in the morning. It took approximately 6 hours on a tempo traveler to reach there from Bangalore.

Way to Coorg

Buddhist Namdroling Monastery, popularly known as the Golden Temple was our first stop at Coorg. This Tibetan Monastery houses a 40 feet Buddha statue and is the the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet. It was well- decorated, tidy and peaceful with unique architecture and ambience. We were filled with a renewed charge of spirituality and positivity.

Namdroling Monastery

Then, we left for our beautiful cottage at “Victorian Verandaz”, Madikeri. It offered us a visit to their museum of ancestral items and a great coffee plantation tour in about half a century old jeep. We got to know more about coffee (types: Arabica and Robusta, climate, soil and much more) and enjoy the sight of coffee plantation with lakes, drying yards and nurseries.

Victorian Verandaz

Thereafter, we headed towards Raja Seat Garden, an exotic sun- set spot famous for musical fountain show and a beautiful valley view. We spent quality time and enjoyed absolutely delicious street food.

View from Raja Seat Garden

Omkareshwara temple, one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva was next on the day’s list. It was built by King Linga Rajendra II in the 18th century and had a mix of Gothic (pointed arches, open spaces) and Islamic style (domes, minarets) architecture.

Omkareshwara Temple

Day 2:

The day began with the exploration of entire space around our cottage in “Victorian Verandaz”. It was a great experience to view tall thick trees, colorful flowers, fields of dried coffee, rabbits and the birds gulping water from the pond. We also got the opportunity to live a typical rural way of life including the living space, the system of water heating using burnt wood and the home cooked South- Indian breakfast.

Then, we proceeded to Talacauvery, the birth place of holy River Kaveri, which is located on the Brahmagiri hills near Bhagamandala. The situated temple is dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara, which denotes the link between Cauvery and Sage Agasthya. Further, the steps led us to the Bhramgiri peak, where the Sapta Maharishis are believed to have performed yagna. The scenic view was worth climbing up the staircase and it gave us some very beautiful memories.

Taal Cauvery

View from Bhramgiri Peak

Then, our traveller moved towards an adventure unknown to us. We halted at a point and took a jeep safari for Mandalpatti. It was a turbulent yet an extremely thrilling ride. We crossed narrow rocky roads surrounded by mesmerizing scenery, with people fearful yet laughing, singing and swinging inside the jeep. Finally, we were at 1,600 m high mist-topped hills at Mandalpatti. This place became even more fascinating with fusion of nature and our craziness.

Mandalpatti

Then, we advanced to “Paddington Resort” for an overnight stay. Interestingly, in that clear dark night, I got some food for thought on meeting the beautiful creations of nature, the glowing stars on earth: fireflies.

Paddington Resort

Day 3:

We went to another famous tourist spot, named Dubare after resort tour and breakfast. The tourists visited this place not only to watch various activities involving elephants but also enjoy adventure activities like trekking, river rafting, boating at the site. 

Dubare

So now, we had to cross waters containing slimy uneven pieces of rocks to have a sight of elephants. All of us courageously attempted to do so smoothly but some of us tripped accidentally and ended up having a laughter riot.

Thereafter, we took almost 2.5 hours to travel from Coorg to Mysore. We visited the royal Mysore Palace, the historical residence of the Wadiyar dynasty (built between 1897- 1912) followed by the very beautiful Brindavan Garden where we spent some quality time in nature and enjoyed the popular light and sound show.

Mysore Palace

Fountain show, Brindavan Garden

Finally, we concluded our trip and reached home safely.

In a nutshell, the trip was a full package of adventure activities, learning opportunities, delicious food, and ultimate rejuvenation in the lap of nature.