Mysore and Coorg - a perfect sojourn..

I have a passion for solo travelling. I had been  pursuing this interest of mine for quite some time until I realised that it has been long  since the entire family went togather on a holiday.

The travelling bug bit me again and I decided to foray and experience into the serene beauty of Coorg and Mysore.

I had been to Mysore and Coorg earlier too in 2016 on a solo trip.
Soon we packed our bags, got tickets reserved and and get set for an amazing holiday tour.

My wife was thrilled enough to hear that we would be visiting Coorg as she had never been to South India earlier. She conveyed the same to her brother and expressed her willingness to join us in the tour and soon we were two families.

We landed at the Bangalore International Airport after a journey of about two and a half hours from New Delhi. Our driver Fairaz was waiting for us at the Airport. We proceeded to Mysore first. Our breakfast halt was a Highway Restaurant called Kadamba. We came across a myriad varieties of Dosas over there which we never heard of in the north including Set Dosa and Neer Dosa. The taste of filter coffee was  just awesome.

It took us about 5 hours to reach Mysore. The road between the two cities is just excellent. We had our stay at a place called Gokulam in the Mysore city. Our host Mr. Abhay Singh ji greeted and guided us as to what our itinerary should be for the week.

On the very first day at Mysore, we went to the famous Mysore Zoo. The zoo has a collection of different varieties of various species. We came across the African elephant, giraffe, orangutan, zebra and a lot of other birds and animals. The dancing white peacock was a treat to the eyes. It is one of the best zoos in India.

After a nice zoo experience, we headed towards the famous Mysore palace. The place was too crowded as it was a Saturday and we were about to witness an awe moment when the lights got ON. The illuminated Palace just dazzled us.

One nice thing that caught our attention was that there was no honking, no jams, no beggars on the roads. The city is entirely bereft of any kind of filth or garbage.
We planned to go to Coorg the very next day.

It was drizzling the next day and our first place of interest was the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe, Kushal Nagar. It's a Buddhist temple and to see so many young Buddhist monks in the Dravidian bastion was like a bolt out of the blue for us.

Our next stop was Abbey Falls. We heard a lot about it but it proved a bit below my expectations though children enjoyed every single moment over the place.

Our next stopover was Raja's Seat. Its a beautiful park and the view opposite to the park was just marvellous.....natural beauty at its best. The amazing and verdant hills are famous for the coffee plantations. A nice toy train proved a cherry on the cake. Coorg is famous for its coffee and delicious chocolates.

We then headed to the famous Shiva Omkareshwara Temple which is just a stone's throw away from the Raja's Seat. The temple has a rectangular pond, a dome and  minarets. My wife is an ardent worshipper of Lord Shiva and as such she was deeply moved by the serene and aesthetic environment at the temple.

It was growing dark and we decided to stay at a nearby homestay owned by one Mr. Jeewan.

The very next day, we planned to pay a visit to the Chamundeshwari Temple and also Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary at Mysore.

One thing I noticed was that the kind of greenery in the south is a bit different from the north. The coconuts, the coffee plantations provide a soothing feel to the eyes. The next day we drove to the famous Ranganathittu Bird sanctuary.

The bird sanctuary has a rich flora which attracts different kinds of birds at the place. The lake at the sanctuary has a number of crocodiles in it. We did experience boating with life jackets and a caution from the authorities for not to meddle with the crocs. The chirping of birds, cool weather, beautiful lake....everything at the sanctuary was just awesome.

We did visit Chamunda temple, Tipu Sultan Palace at Srirangapatnam, Vrindavan Gardens and a number of other places at Coonoor and Ooty. The Nilgiri Mountains Toy Train ride was an amazing experience.  To cover each and every bit of thing is not possible in this piece. Over and all it was an amazing tour to the southern parts of the country. I am sharing herewith a few fond memories of the tour through some pics.

One should definitely plan a family tour to the lovely and serene places of Coorg, Ooty and Mysore.