Coorg

THEQUEST

Hi Guys

I am planning to visit Coorg in Jan,,, please suggest me an itinerary... Is that good time to visit Coorg?

I wl be starting from Chennai..

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sharan_travelcrazy

Hi Quest,

How many days do you have for the trip?
I would suggest you to have at least 3 days.

Jan should be a good time albeit a bit cooler.

Day 0 - Take the overnight train to Mysore
Day 1- Arrive at mysore and transfer to Madikeri (~125 kms). On the way, visit Tibetan settlement - Bylakoppe and the golden temple there and Cauvery nisargadhama - a small natural island and a good shady place to picnic
Day 2 - Do local sight seeing in coorg - Abbey falls, Bhagamandala, Thala cauvery, Harangi dam and spend the evening at Raja's seat watching the sunset!
Day 3 - If you are interested in wildlife, you can take a detour and visit nagarhole on the way back to Mysore. Else, spend the day lazing around and start for Mysore around late afternoon.

If you have extra days, you could try scaling the brahmagiri range or even visit south coorg (Kutta) near the Kerala border.

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THEQUEST

Thanks Sharan,, its really one of the fastest reply I got... Thanks for the Info...

I have exactly 3 days.... Please suggest me some good budget hotels . Tell me something abt Homestay also?

sharan_travelcrazy

Karnataka Tourism Development's hotel - Mayura valley view is located near Raja's seat and offers decent views I have heard.

Check http://www.homestaykodagu.com/ for home stays in coorg district

ribhu95

Quest,

With 3 days from Chennai you will either being going there or coming back....There is so much to see around Coorg that you will miss a lot of things.

Day 1 - it will be almost 1 to 2 PM by the time you reach Coorg.

Day 3 - You will need to start around after lunch to reach Mysore for your train / bus.

You would be better off planning for this with a 4 day window so that you can enjoy the places and do it peacefully as well.

IMHO.

ribhu

abracax

January is the best time to visit Coorg. The itinerary suggested is impossible. If you have three days, pick one or two things you would like to see and go there. Takes a day to get there and a day to get back. I'd suggest aiming to get to Kushalnagar the first day and stay there while seeing Tibetan settlement and bamboo forest. Then go on to Madikeri and stay someplace in the country (e.g. Golden Mist Plantation). Absolutely nuts to try for Talakaveri, Nagarhole - which are not "detours" but two day trips on their own (even for Indians who are content to get down from bus, take two snaps and add to their beentheredonethat list).

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namaste_cat

Agree with abracax, that's too ambitious a plan for just 3 days given the logistics of getting there and back. It's such a beautiful area, and so much to take in, the journey is worth savoring, in my opinion.

I've stayed here, and liked it -- http://www.alathcadcoorg.com/
However, it has been a while so check some recent reviews. We used Coorg as a base, and made several day trips from there e.g. Madikeri, Kushalnagar Bamboo forest, etc. I seem to remember a wonderful Buddhist temple around there somewhere as well.

machadinha

A fine and simple homestay in Madikeri is simply called "Dawn." It's just a seven-minute walk uphill from the bus stand (but wonderfully quiet there), however you'll be unlikely to find it by yourself at first, so grab an autorickshaw (Rs. 15 fixed price for a standard ride like this). Not all drivers may know it, so you may have to ask a few. If they drive on to where the police station and the fort-cum-municipal headquarters today are (towards Raja's Seat, I think), past the fort (there's something of a statuette here I think), they should take a right, then a little further down the road is Dawn. It's not signposted or anything, however just ask around there, its neighbors will know it. (Following that same road, there are some steps down to the bus stand again then, so you'll have come around in a full circle; it's a dead-end street to traffic here. This road that it's on is supposed to be called Powerhouse Road.)

I paid something like Rs. 300 here just earlier this year for a simple and small (but cosy) room in the house, shared bathroom downstairs; while that price seemed a little high compared to fully-furnished rooms I've had elsewhere, the character of the place (it's really a beautiful and beautifully furnished house, and that room I had does have a verandah cum lounge area close by where you could sit or even watch TV, although I mostly hung out with these people by the kitchen or in their garden when not out & about) and its very friendly people (and beautiful garden!) more than make up for it.

They have some self-contained rooms on the grounds as well, just ask what's on offer. Reading their guestbook, it seems that people have put up their hammock here for say Rs. 150 as well (not recommended in winter, I'm sure).

As a touch of sadness here, the young man of the house who used to run it, described as an "eco-warrior" by Lonely Planet & it was confirmed to me that's what he was indeed, with a great knowledge of the area, met with a motorbike accident last year and now suffers from severe amnesia. While he's still around, his mother and brother now run the place. In consequence, they no longer serve food, but good eateries are nearby; coffee and tea can be had. Also, it seems they may not want too many guests anymore because of it, so they may tell you they're full when they're really not. Perfectly understandable you'd think. (In fact, I don't know this nor did they tell me so, and they were still happy when I told them I'd recommend them, but I wouldn't be surprised if at some point they stop taking in guests altogether. I think it was getting a little much on esp. the old mother.)

Certainly recommended as long as they're still running. They can (as will many guesthouses here, I'm sure) arrange jungle treks for you around the area; two or more days with overnight village stays also possible. Costs around Rs. 700 a person a day if I recall; Rs. 600 if in a group I believe. Including transport (to your starting point) & snacks & lunch; not sure if overnighting, I just did a day. Very much worth it (and pretty arduous, too ). My guide while obviously very knowledgeable & otherwise a friendly guy spoke very little English; I didn't mind, but you might want to ask about this if you do. I doubt if he would have spoken e.g. Hindi either.

In your timeframe, not very likely of course, so more FYI. Should you ever stay longer, friends of theirs (the young and friendly local man, speaks perfect English btw after many a spell abroad, was called Dan) were opening a guesthouse about a half hour's ride away in a jungle valley, he was hoping to open it this summer. It's absolutely beautiful there. I forget what he wanted to name the place, but you could ask the people at Dawn about it. He was aiming to have anything from cheap backpacker's accommodation to a few luxury bungalows.

If you meet any of these people, tell them hi from the IndiaMike guy from Amsterdam who stayed there in April 2009 (And who'll probably return in around February 2010, btw.)

On a final note, I've seen many descriptions here of people finding Madikeri pretty much a dump; I suppose if one stays around the pretty hectic little town center around the bus stand, where there are indeed a number of hotels and guesthouses, one could easily find it so. Leaving that center behind you though, it can be really very peaceful. It was a little too hot for me there (while otherwise markedly more pleasant than in the plains below) to do much walking around town, but I'm sure in winter just strolling through the town's residential areas along its various hills could be quite nice in itself, and it becomes very rural and/or jungley as soon as you walk out of town in any direction.

The whole area is full of homestays; I suppose best to enquire about these by the bus stands or so (there are two close to one another, one private, one public), there'll probably be agents dealing in them. What would seem something of a complication to me is since many of these are further afield, it would seem a hassle to just go check them out, then return to pick another if they're not to your liking. Oh well; I don't know how people go about this. Presumably by recommendations from friends or so.

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THEQUEST

ThaX Ribhu and Abracax,,, I am quite flexible in my itinerary and I can extend it. Please suggest me minimum/Max how many days should I be there to enjoy Koorg

THEQUEST

Thanks Machadinah,, for this wonderful narration and information on homestays.....

Taken note of it...

thanks,,,

Last query , help me should I visit Koorg or Munnar? I have these 2 options......Jan 2010

abracax

Coorg is not like any other place in India, or the world for that matter. I've spent almost six months there in total over the years, and I can't claim to have seen much at all (I also met Anup, whose sad tale Machadinah related). Consider this: once most of peninsular India was covered in forest, now only Coorg is. From Hand Post to Hakkatur, it is a rolling island of green populated by Tamils, Kodavas, Keralites and Kannadingas; Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and tribals - all of whom eat pork and drink hooch. I think every Indian should go there to learn: a) what their country looked like before it was scalped and raped, and b) what Indian could be like if the populace turned their back on the wankers who get ahead by fomenting communal divisions. I'm sure Ram walked through there on the darkest night on his way home from Lanka.

rebeccam

Greetings, Quest.
I was in Coorg for 2-3 days around Christmas last year; weather was spectacular and perfect: warm sunny days, crisp but not cold nights-- required a light sweater at night.

January weather should be fine! You'll love the area.

If time, try to get to Byelukuppe to see the Tibetan town and beautiful temple.

Another place we looked forward to, but were disappointed with, was the elephant camp on t he river--can't recall name.
Some people enjoy it--personally, I'd skip it, unless you have extra time. It's near Byelkuppe.

THEQUEST

Thanks Abracax,, I too became emotional......

THEQUEST

Hi,, I will definitely do that...