And so it was a long weekend coming up, one that we had
marked for a trip up the Nilgiris atleast 2 months before. BUT, and there is a
big one there, we didn’t plan for the scores of others who would have a similar
plan. We had an image of where we wanted to be in Ooty and as we realised it
was booked out, we began scouting for alternate and zeroed in on Coorg.
Now Coorg/Madikeri is a coffee heaven and from the base of
the hills to the slightly higher range it has something to suit all holiday.
After trying our luck with almost 15 places, we got through at a resort in
Kakkabe – Misty woods.
A little bit about Coorg……Coorg or kodagu is located on the
Western Ghats. It is here that the river
Cauvery originates at Talacauavery. It is one of the significant producers of
coffee in India. As coffee needs shade, the coffee plantations are dotted with
trees which then have spices like cardamom, pepper grown and also vanilla.
Coorg is also known for the honey made here. Coffee plantation was originally
started by the British planters and eventually bought by locals.
Read on here for more on Coorg culture, cuisine and
geography. http://www.coorgcreek.com/aboutcoorg.htm
The highest point in Coorg is Tadiyandamol and is a very
popular hike/trek route. Part of it is accessible by a jeep ride and also has
multiple trails to the peak. On a clear day, it is said you can see the
coastline of Arabian Sea along Kannur, the neighbouring district in the state
of Kerala
Coorg has it all – river, forest, trek/hikes, tranquil. You
choose the kind of holiday and there is something on the offer. Depending on
what you want to do, set up base in the right part of Coorg.
We set up shop in Kakkabe, close to Nalkanad palace and
there is a trail up the Tadiyandamol from here which is approx. 6Km. We had a
“do nothing” holiday with our toddler. So we spent 2 days sipping hot coffee, exploring
the small water bodies (though water levels are very low at this time of the
year) around the estate. We were delighted to see that our little girl loved
the hikes as much as we did. She even braved a leech attack and was cool about
it. If you are visiting after the rains, you will be greeted by plenty of
waterfalls and streams as the waterfalls are rainfed. So there it was, misty hills of coffee ,
lovely hikes, books for company and coffee to sip – our holiday.
Where you stay sort of determines what you do and vice versa
so choose your camp wisely so you don’t spend too much time on the road
Some picks from me
Coffee trail : School
estate, Palace estate, , Spring dale, Honey valley,
Along the river :
Dubbare Elephant camp, Amanvana resort.. (they have a river trek)
Link to homestays
in kodagu ::
Some of the places
may not be exactly as they seem to be in pictures, choose wisely and carefully
Have a wonderful holiday J
