Me and my colleagues finally decided to give it a shot and booked the bus tickets to Bangalore. We hired a cab from Bangalore and started our journey to Coorg which is around 250 Kms from Bangalore. After juggling for an hour and a half in the Bangalore traffic we finally hit the highway towards Mysore.It is a four lane road with some beautiful landscapes enroute to Mysore.On this highway you can also view the place where the famous movie 'Sholay' was shot.
Withing 2 hours we reached Srirangapatnam which was once the capital city of Mysore during the reign of the Great Tippu Sultan also known as the 'Tiger of Mysore'. It was great to know about the history of the city which once housed the famous Tippu Sultan who was a terror for the British rulers during his period. After some quick snaps we resumed our journey and took a bypass road after Srirangapatnam towards Hunsur. Coorg is roughly 125kms from Hunsur. There is a Bird Sanctuary near Hunsur which is a delight for bird watchers. As we did not have enough time we decided to give it a skip and move on.
Now started the journey through some of the most beautiful forests in South India and became more exquisite as we neared our destination.We had booked a house(which is amidst a coffee plantation) for our stay which is near a place called Suntikoppa and is about 20Kms prior to Coorg. It is called the 'Hilly Side Estate' which is owned by a gentleman called Anirudh Tammanna who lives in Bangalore.
It was around 8PM by the time we reached there. We were astonished at the calmness of the place as it was totally cut off and free from the chaos of a city environment. After quickly refreshing ourselves we sat down for a camp fire. As we were very tired from our journey we decided to go to bed early.
The next morning when we woke up we were startled to find that we were in nature's bed, as we could not admire the beauty surrounding our estate in the dark the previous night.
THE WAY THAT LEADS TO THE ESTATE
We quickly decided to go for a trek and after a cup of tea we were on our way. The estate houses some of the rare flora with plenty of trees and lots of greenery around.
The place is beside a flowing river and presents some of the most wondersful spots for trekking.
You can trek upto 10Km, which will take you on top of a mountain which is the second highest peak in Coorg.
After nearly 3 hours of trekking and about a 1000 snaps we were back to the estate. We had a nice traditional Coorgi breakfast and now we were ready to explore Coorg.
We started for the town of Madikeri which once used to be the capital city of the Kodagu people, who were the first people to set foot in the hills of Madikeri. We decided to go Tala Cauvery which is about 50Kms from Madikeri and has a temple of Lord Shiva from where the river cauvery flows.After a quick visit and a brief stop for lunch we were back in Madikeri.There is a beautiful waterfall called 'Abby Falls' which is about 10 km from Madikeri. The right time to visit this waterfall is from August to November when the river Cauvery is in full flow after the monsoon outburst.
Our next stop was the 'Raja's seat', according to popular belief the then King of Kodagu used to sit here and view the Sunset from here. The Raja's Seat presents with a bird's view of the entire Coorg, full of mountains and lots of greenery.
VIEW FROM RAJA'S SEAT
By around 9 PM we were back to our estate and sat down for a bottle of beer near the camp fire. The calmness of the place was so soothing that we thought it was better if we extended our leave. The estate has 2 bedrooms, a living room, a dining hall and a kitchen enough for about 4 to 6 people to stay comfortably.
The next day we decided to go to the Dubare Forest Camp which is near Kushalnagar and owned by the 'Jungle Lodges and Resorts'.
DUBARE FOREST CAMP
It has facilities for Kayaking and Elephant riding. Our next stop was Nishargadham. There is not much to see here except for a deer park and boat riding.
There is a famous Tibetan Monastery near Nishargadham and we stopped by for a brief visit. The arhictecture of the monastery was amazing as it was made of Silver with a gold plating on top of it.
We planned to go back to the estate and go for a trek again. It was about to rain by the time we reached the estate and a perfect time for a trek. Time stood still as we sat down by the river side and lightning struck the sky.
The next day we packed our bags with a heavy heart and vowed that we will be back soon hopefully to explore the other side of Coorg this time.
2 comments:
Awesome place !!!
Great pics buddy !
You were lucky enough to get a home stay. I hope that would have been the best part of your sojourn. I envy you truely, for we craved for the same during our trip.
BTW, It amuses me that you took your laptop along ;)
Post a Comment