Coorg - Scotland of India

Coorg is a serene, beautiful and calm hill station in Southern India. A good weekend getaway near Bangalore and overall a nice place for a short vacation (2-3 days).

There are lot of options to stay in Coorg varying from High end Hotels / Resorts to Homestays (specialty lodging).

We chose to stay in one such Homestay - 'Serene Woods' which started operations less than a year back. The resort is 10 mins from the city center Madikeri. The resort is nestled in a coffee estate with just 5 cottages. The rooms are spacious with stunning view from the balcony. It feels as if you are staying in a forest. The food was good (homely) and the staff courteous. The owner (Mr Ponnappa) was very helpful and guided us during our trip.

 

'Serene Woods' - Truly serene :)

You can reach Coorg from Bangalore/ Mangalore in Bus, however then for local sightseeing you will require to hire local vehicles. Hence the best option is to hire a cab for the entire journey and back. There are many tour operators providing such services (Safeway travel being one of them - we booked) and the drivers are knowledgeable. It is slightly expensive than the bus + local vehicle, however the overall convenience surpasses the higher cost :)

Coorg has a few tourist spots - Tibetian Monastery, Deer Park, Dubare Elephant Camp, Abbe Falls, Rajha seat, Irpu Falls, Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary, etc. However, we preferred to rest and soak in the peaceful atmosphere of the place, enjoy the homely food and the view from our balcony, sipping Coorg's own coffee.

 

The Tibetian Monastery

Coorg is famous for Coffee, Honey and Spices and we did bought a few packs of them. Coorg Greens is a one stop shop (near the bus stop) to buy all the above.

There are a few eating joints in Coorg but Rain Tree is the best for the quality of food and the ambience.