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| Mystic Coorg |
It was a beautiful morning at
Alathcad Estate Holiday Home.
I could see mountain range at a distance through the thick greenery.
I walked around my cottage. The chirping of birds and the cool breeze caressing my cheeks rejuvenated my body and soul. I felt great.
By now, my friend Tommy Singh had come
out. We took a cycle each and rode around the plantation.
The highlight of the morning breakfast was Coorgi Coffee. Never before I had such a good coffee. It was called internationally a Arabica variety. Smooth and mellow. A taste that was rich and delicate and invaded my tongue with a delightful taste and a divine aroma. Because of these qualities, Arabica variety from Coorg had won accolades from all over the world.Madikeri
We soon left for Madikeri 35 km from Alathcad Estate Holiday Home. |
Madikeri |
It was the picturesque capital of Coorg. As we reached we felt as if where time had stopped. Dotted with a cluster of red-roofed dwellings and a bustling bazaar, the town situated at an elevation of 1525 m, had a charming old-world feel. We headed straight to the 19th century Madikeri Fort with its stone ramparts now houses the prison, a temple, a chapel, a small museum, and assorted government offices. Then we proceeded to Raja's seat perched atop a hill, is where the kings of yore spent many pleasant evenings watching the golden sunset.
In the afternoon after our classic spicy lunch of kadambuttu (rice balls) and chicken curry at Coorg Cuisinette Restuarant, Madikeri we headed to see a picturesque waterfall. Abbey Falls (8km)
Passing through lovely coffee and cardamom plantations, we could hear the roar of the fall even at a distance.The chirping of innumerable birds which were easier heard then seen, filled the air with sweet music. It was a scenic place and as the Monsoon had already set in, it was green all around.
The Camp Elephant
Then we headed to our final destination at place called
Dubare.
This was mainly an elephant capturing and training camp of the Forest Department, at the edge of Dubare forest, on the bank of river
Kaveri, on the Kushalnagar - Siddapur road.
The largest land animal is captured here with the help of tamed elephants and local tribals -
the Kurbas - and is held captive for up to 6 months in large teak wood cages. The tamed elephants attend to various jobs during the day and in the evenings they come down to the river to bathe and to be scrubbed clean by their mahouts. Afterwards the mahout obliges eager tourists for free elephant rides within the camp. In the evenings, all the elephants are offered a special treat of ladoos (balls) made of ragi ( a type of flour) and jaggery ( a type of sugar), each no smaller than a
cannon ball!Trekking
Unfortunately, we had to leave and therefore couldn't trek into beautiful mountains carpeted with rich greenery.
The Kodagu region is full of trekking trails. The best season to trek is from October to the beginning of February.
The well-trodden trekking trails in Kodagu are in the
Brahmagiri ranges of South Kodagu , where a forest trail leads from
Iruppu Falls to the Brahmagiri peak.
Another interesting trail leads to
Pushpagiri (1712m,) Kodagu's second highest peak, which can be climbed via the village of
Heggademane to the north of Madikeri.
HOW TO REACH
Kodagu (Coorg) is not connected with Train or an Airline.But it is well connected with all season motor able roads. It is well connected by K.S.R.T.C buses from all over Karnataka, particularly from Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore & Hassan.
Nearest Airports - Mangalore and Bangalore. Nearest Railway Stations - Mysore, Hassan, Mangalore & Tellicheri.
DISTANCES AND JOURNEY HOURS TO MEDIKERI FROM
Bangalore 260 KMS 6 hours
Mysore 120 KMS 3 hours
Mangalore 120 KMS 4 hours
Hassan 125 KMS 4 hours
STAY AT MADIKERI
Hotel Mayura Valley View 91-8272-228387
Hotel Cauvery 91-8272-225492
Hotel Rajadarshan 91-8272-229142
Hotel Brahmagiri Comforts 91-8272-225866
Hotel Coorg Side 91-8272-225489
Mercara Inn 91-8272-223607
Hotel New Chithra 91-8272-225191
Hotel Fort View 91-8272-225266
***Hotel Coorg International 91-8272-228074
RECOMMENDED by author
1/Alath-Cad Estate BunglowP. B. No. 7, Ammathi, Kodagu - 571 211
Tel: 08274-452190 Fax: 08274-452589
Mobile : 94480-52190
Email: alathcad@yahoo.com, mudhus@rediffmail.com
2/Orange County Resort Karadigodu Post, Siddapur
, Kodagu - 571 253
Tel: 08274-458481-84 Fax: 08274-458485
Email: sales@trailsindia.com