Coorg- The Road trip

Coorg also named as the 'Scotland of India' is one of the best places to visit near Bengaluru. Though the timing of the trip surely matters, but the place has great scenic views with coffee plantations, some great view points and hill station vibe throughout the year.

We planned our trip just few days back and took a 6 seater cab for the conveyance. The road trip is one of the best possible option you should go for while you are hanging out with your family, it gives you time to relax as well as enjoy together.

We left at around 7:30am in the morning for Madikeri which has a distance of 275km. The way has some awesome eateries where you can stop for breakfast. We stopped at around 10am for the breakfast and enjoyed the South Indian cuisine at the Shivalik restaurant.

Our next stop was at the famous Buddhist monastery at Kushalnagar. It is one of the most beautiful monasteries that I have come across with calm and spiritual ambience. The place is also one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India. We enjoyed the Buddhist chantings for sometime and then began our journey towards the next destination.

The next destination was the Dubare camp which is very famous elephant conservatory and training camp on the bank of Kaveri river. Since, the river didn't had much of water, the tourists could simply cross the river, which was also one of the exciting parts of the destination. The cool river water gave some relief in the hot weather. We enjoyed crossing the river, took lots of photographs and then reached the camp area. There was a nominal entry fee for the camp entry and you need to pay extra for feeding the elephants or taking an elephant ride. We spent some time at the camp area and then moved towards our final destination- Madikeri which was around 30km from the campsite.

Madikeri which is a small hill station and headquarters of the Kodagu district is well known for its coffee plantations and breathtaking views.

We had booked a homestay "Allen homestay" through the app. The unique point about the homestay is it's balcony with fantastic view of the entire town and the misty mountains. The homestay is very near to the main city area and famous spots like Raja's seat, Madikeri fort.

Since, we reached late night in Madikeri, we decided to just visit the Raja's seat and enjoy the local cuisine of Coorg. The city has lot many restaurants and local shops with spices, chocolates and sandal products. A tip for everyone to just visit few shops to check for price as it varies alot between the shops. There are lot many Vegetarian restaurants as well as places where you can enjoy the authentic coorg non- vegetarian cuisines.

Abbey falls is one of the most famous tourist destination in Madikeri. The flow is much more high in mansoon seasons and is a better place to visit then. One has to climb a lot many stairs to reach the fall area. 

Mandalpatti which is around 18km from Madikeri at a hilltop is one of the best tourist destinations in Madikeri. A lush green mesmerizing place which is away from the chaos of the city can be visited by renting a Jeep which charges around 1500-2000 bucks for the travel uphill. The journey to the hill is not very pleasant as the roads are not well constructed but trust me the destination is worth all the problems.

You can enjoy the cool breeze and a huge stretch of green hills. A must visit place for anyone visiting coorg.