Apr 13 - 17
April presented a lovely option in front of us – take 1 day off & get a 5 day long weekend. How can we miss that! The decision on the trip, however, was taken just 2 days before the vacation & hence we were left with limited options. Hot weather in April narrowed down our options further. Coorg it was and we were going to drive down all the way from Chennai!! Mode of journey was the toughest decision since we were just 2 of us with only one knowing to manipulate the wheels & about 10 hr journey (about 600 km) one-way. But yea, we took the plunge & there was no looking back. We booked “Serene Homes” home-stay (near Poojakal, Kutta) for the next 3 days.
Apr 13
We hit the Chennai-Bangalore highway with Ilaiyaraja songs and Google maps for company. Quick breakfast at Vellore Saravana Bhavan and driver-friendly roads ensured that we didn’t have to stop for lunch until we were half-way thru the Bangalore-Mysore highway. It was almost 3.00 pm when we reached Mysore. Our home-stay was in South Coorg and we had to take a deviation in route via Nagerhole sanctuary to reach the place. The last 10 hours of continuous driving was getting into us and we just wanted to reach asap. I initially thought that we would be driving around the sanctuary, but nah, we were gonna drive through it. As we entered the Nagerhole sanctuary, our spirits suddenly rose coz we had no idea what was in store. Over the next 30 kms, we encountered herds of deer, an elephant and a wild pig, all in their natural surroundings. The elephant especially was just some 10 meters away from us casually exploring the bushes. It’s a wonderful feeling to see the ‘mighty’ living being in its natural habitat. We took a gutsy call to stop the car and enjoy it for more time. We dare not step out of the vehicle, of course. Slight drizzles had brought down temperatures and the animals did not mind stepping out of the forest area to give us beautiful sights to relish. It was a wonderful start for our memorable trip.
The homestay was just a few kms away from the sanctuary and we reached Kutta by 5.30 pm. We drove through narrow paths (not qualified enuf to term them “roads”) amidst coffee plantations to reach our destination. Coffee plantations are not as pretty / picturesque as tea plantations but the plants are tall and strong making the ambience feel very warm & cosy. The home-stay was sweet and clean; our hosts (Prakash & Navya) warm & food delicious. After a short walk in the backyard of the place leading to a stream, we called it a day!
Apr 14
We started our trip with a visit to Iruppu waterfalls – about 7 kms away from our place. People – waterflow ratio was disproportionate with the former in higher numbers but most of them were happy washing their feet in the stream and enjoying the place from afar. We loved the chill water and were refreshed for the morning. After another yummy dose of lunch, we headed to Nagerhole sanctuary for the safari. After the experience of driving through the sanctuary I was mighty excited about this – so inspite of his apprehensions Karthik tagged along. I couldn’t have been more wrong; the safari fell way below expectations – we sighted deers, deers & more deers, a few wild buffaloes and not even an elephant. The hot weather added to the disappointment.
Evening turned pleasant once again with mild showers. Our day ended with a long walk around the plantations surrounding our home-stay. April is dry at Coorg and the elephants often venture out of the forests into the residential plantations in the night for water / jackfruits / mangoes. We did spot few elephant marks in the surroundings. People staying near the forest area have guns at home to scare the wild animals in case of major ruckus.
Apr 15
Information online told us that the hills around Coorg offered exciting spots for sight-seeing but were laden with leeches which was a BIG turn-off for both of us. Also, most trekking spots are reserved and one needs permission from forest authorities (Mysore office) to explore those. Anyway, we broached this topic with our hosts and were in for good news – 1. Coorg was mainly dry in April & were devoid of leeches; 2. Apr 15th was Vishu holiday & hence a security guard from a nearby plantation could take us on a trek around a small hill (part of Brahmagiri forest) in the area. The trek looked quite funky coz the guard walked with a huge rifle on his shoulder & there was another person accompanying him with a sickle to remove thorny branches on our way. This trek was very different from the ones we have done before. The hill is not one of the usually trekked one and so there was absolutely no clear path. It was full of bushes, dry leaves, huge trees and continuously humming insects / birds. The hill is often visited by elephants and tiger and so we were quite watchful and conscious of the different sounds. This was a pretty short trek and we finished it less than 3 hours.
Post freshening up, on advice from our hosts, we crossed into Kerala (Wayanad district) to visit Kuruva Island & Banasura Sagar dam. The day was hot & most of Kuruva island seemed overrated; however, our mood totally changed when we encountered a beautiful stream… we spent a good amount of time letting the water sweep past our feet while we were comfortably seated on dry rocks. Ah, wat joy! We moved on to our next destination – Banasura dam (largest earth dam in India). Rain gods took mercy again and made the atmosphere romantic with light showers & lot of breeze. The just-finished-rains, late-evening-gloom lit sky, vast area of water and excellent picturesque just overwhelmed us and by far, this is one of the best places we have ever been. The dam was crowded but the large space ensured that one could be left undisturbed to enjoy the scene. The water reservoir had a speed boat service attached & we had a jolly ride around the water body too! From Coorg, this place is quite far off (especially if you stay up north); but it’s a good outing for Wayanad visitors.
Apr 16
After some yummy breakfast, we checked out of the home-stay and bid farewell to our hosts. It’s worth mentioning about our hosts especially the land lady Navya. But for her, we would not have gone to such wonderful places of great natural surrounding and feel. In fact, she pushed us to visit the dam and vouched for the experience. We decided to visit Talakaveri before heading out to Mysore. Talakaveri was towards northern Coorg and a lonnnnnng drive from Kutta. For people from Coorg, it is a very holy place – strictly not touristy. We expected a stream flowing around but were surprised when we saw the place – the temple is built around the point where Kaveri river originates. Except for a pool of water in an enclosed space, there wasn’t much. By the time we drove down to Madikeri and had lunch, it was 3 pm. On our way to Mysore, we stopped at Kushalnagar Buddhist Monastery. After visiting multiple monasteries earlier, could not help being unimpressed by the structure & the place. However, was a good break from our long drive & the pleasant weather helped us relax!
We reached Mysore only around 8 pm – unfortunately, we missed the fully-lit view of the palace!
Apr 17
Refreshed from the overnight stay and a long drive ahead, we started our day with the Mysore Palace. Mysore was hotter & drained a lot of energy from us. The insides of the palace were cool and I always like imagining those days when this palace would’ve been inhabited. After driving continuously for the last 4 days, the final day was a challenge – I seemed more tired than Karthik though he drove non-stop for the next 9 hrs.
Driving for such long hours is definitely tiring… but that’s what made the trip super special. The thrill & comfort is unmatched!!
Overall rating:
Priya’s rating: 7.5 / 10
Karthik’s rating: 8.0 / 10
Tips & Tricks
1. For ignorant souls like us, Coorg is not a town / city – it is a district and hence there is a lot of travel involved while sight-seeing.
2. Coorg can be best enjoyed in home-stays / resorts basis one’s budget. Better home-stays with reviews online don’t come cheap but we were very happy with our choice. Most places except Madikeri do not have lot of food joints and food served in-house is the savior. Karthik was not too convinced about the idea of home-stay but then felt very happy we chose one, thanks to the customized & delicious food offerings. Would recommend Serene Homes!
3. If you are planning to visit Coorg over a weekend, it is recommended that you book your stay in advance. We could book this place at the last moment only cos we were travelling on weekdays.
4. Though I heard from people that staying in Madikeri / north Coorg is better, I felt southern part of the district was much more un-touched and non commercialized. We had not visited Dubare elephant camp & few other viewpoints around northern Coorg. If these places are really good, then staying in the north makes more sense.
5. Cafe Robusta coffee that we brought back as souveniers got rave feedback from our near & dear. So dont miss it!
