Located amidst imposing mountains in Karnataka with a perpetually misty landscape, Coorg is a popular coffee producing hill station. It is popular for its beautiful green hills and the streams cutting right through them. It also stands as a popular destination because of its culture and people. The Kodavas, a local clan specializing in martial arts, are especially notable for their keen hospitality.
Coorg, officially known as Kodagu, is the most affluent hill station in Karnataka. It is well known for its breathtakingly exotic scenery and lush greenery. Forest covered hills, spice and coffee plantations only add to the landscape. Madikeri is the region’s centre point with all transportation for getting around starting from here. On a visit to Coorg, cover the beautiful towns like Virajpet, Kushalnagar, Gonikoppal, Pollibetta, and Somwarpet, and experience the beautiful concept of “homestays” to make your experience more memorable.
RAJA’S SEAT
Raja’s Seat is a prominent tourist spot in the centre of Madikeri town. It is a garden where the kings of Kodagu are believed to have spent their sunsets enjoying the scenic change of the sky colours. It was also their recreational space, where they spent time with their queens. It now stands as a big, open-air garden, overlooking the green hills and valleys of Coorg. Whether you want to walk around the space or sit and watch the spectacular changing colours of the low-hanging clouds, this is the perfect spot to enjoy a beautiful evening.
HIKE AROUND MOJO PLANTATION
Mojo Plantation is blessed with some of the best routes for hiking and treks. This part of the Madikeri witnesses more rainfall than the other parts and grows cardamom extensively. After two decades of organic farming, they have a thriving diverse rainforest which grows coffee, vanilla, pepper, pineapple, oranges, passion fruit, mango and kokam. The hike up to the beautiful Shola forests is just a few minutes away. In the correct season (and if nature approves), you can see the rare Nilgirikurinji blossom here. Other hikes include climbing to the Kaloor Ridge and crossing the Kaloor village and river (through scenic rice and spice fields). For more serious trekkers, the climb to Galibeedu forest towards the Sacred Grove may be worth a try. Covering a distance of approximately eight km, this stretch has a varied terrain, with a high probability of interacting with local communities.
SHOP AT COORG GREENS
Coorg is synonymous with coffee and chocolates. Due to its popularity as a tourist destination, shopping in Madikeri is a little more expensive than the other regions of the district, but you are sure enough to find everything you want. Coorg Greens has a number of branches across the district, and stocks miscellaneous products in their shop opposite the KSRTC Bus Stand. Here, you can buy Coorgi coffee, either filter or instant. They also have spices, dry fruits, oils and handmade soaps. If you want to take small souvenirs, their assorted box of spices is a good choice. The chocolates on the first floor come in many varieties. The flavours include coffee, vanilla, pan masala and nuts. They are homemade and come in a variety of packages and sizes.
WALK AROUND THE COFFEE PLANTATIONS
Coffee plantations are the most visited places in Coorg. Most homestays and resorts organise a walk around their own plantations where you can see the most popular type of coffee grown here—coffee robusta. The harvest season is in the first week of November, and in case, you would like to see and experience the processing of coffee, this is a good time to visit. Unlike tea plantations, coffee does not grow as disciplined and well-trimmed. Good shoes and good rain cover are definitely recommended. Many of these plantations also grow spices such as pepper and cardamom. Apart from the smaller homestays and lodges, Orange County, Tata Coffee and Bombay Burmah organise tours around their plantations.
Abbey Falls
Abbey Falls, also known as Abbi Falls, is located around 10 kilometres away from the town of Madikeri and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in and around Coorg. The water cascade coming down from the cliff from a height of 70 feet provides a spectacular scene to behold. The walk to the falls from the main entrance has around 200 steps downwards throughout and takes you through exotic coffee, cardamom, pepper and other spice plantations. Even though bathing is prohibited in the falls now, there is an over-bridge opposite the falls to witness the beauty.
Iruppu Falls
Iruppu falls is a picturesque waterfall cascading along the Brahmagiri Mountain Range in the Coorg district of South Karnataka. Also known as the Lakshmana Tirtha Falls, which is a name derived from the tributary of Cauvery River of the same name of which these falls are a part of. People come here to enjoy the blissful vicinity of nature, the grandeur of the falls and for also for its religious significance.
En route to the magnificent falls stands the famous Shiva temple Rameshwara along the banks of the river. Both the river stream and the temple have folklore behind their existences which have roots in the story of the epic Ramayana. The pristine cold water of the Iruppu falls is considered to be holy and possessing powers to clean the past sins of the visiting devotees. A major tourist attraction, the falls attracts a large number of tourists every year, especially during the festival of Navaratri. Located on a lush, green mountain slope, a forest trail leads from these falls to the Brahmagiri Peak. The best time to visit the falls is during the monsoons when they are at their full capacity and hence become a breathtaking sight to behold.