Welcome to my Coorg diaries 🙂

Coorg, also known as Kodagu in Kannada language is a popular hill stations in India. It is not only known as Scotland of India but also called as Land of Coffee, the second largest coffee producing region in India, after the Baba Budangiri hills in Chikkamagaluru district.

This was totally a relaxing trip of 4 days and 3 nights. We had made early bookings with Evolve Back Resorts with transportation to and fro , and also we can use this transportation for 3 days to see nearby attractions with the specified timings 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The important thing that attracted me towards the Resort was the Dining experience and the reviews about the resort.

Day1

We departed at 8:30 AM in the morning from Bangalore, and the journey all the way from the crowd to the natures bed was wonderful. As and when we were arriving the resort, we could experience the richness of Coorg with beautiful winding roads and the mountainous views.

The resort is in Siddapur near the banks of river Kaveri.  This wonderful large property set amidst 300 acres of coffee and pepper. As we reached the resort we had a warm welcome with the wet minted towels. As we were very hungry, we headed to lunch. The lunch that was waiting had a wide variety and choices for the people coming from different places. The lunch was setup in the Granary of the resort which was not away from our room.

After the lunch, we headed to our room for relaxing and after that we had a walk through the property, as we were tired, we could not cover the property but could manage to walk near by the cottage. After the walk, we freshen up ourselves and were all set to for the dinner in GRANARY. The dining experience was too good. The friendly and caring staff members were the gifts of the resort.  After the wonderful dinner, we headed back to our room. Though it was a relaxing vacation, I couldn’t stop myself from exploring the wonderful Coorg, therefore we changed the plan from holding us back in Hotel to exploring on Day2 and Day3.

Day2

We started the day 2 with wonderful breakfast in GRANARY, and after that our first place of visit was Dubare Elephant camp. Dubare Elephant camp, the place where elephants are trained by naturalists. To reach Dubare elephant camp we had to take a short trip through the Kaveri river across by a motor boat which charges return fare of Rs 30 and to get a glance of the elephants we had to pay Rs 20.

Here we can also see elephants enjoying their bath. The activity was not limited to observing the elephants actions but also given chance to participate in various activities involving elephants like bathing and feeding them. It is also told that the elephants for Mysore Dasara are trained at Dubare elephant camp. Anyone who is an elephant lover will love the place and cherish the moments spent in the camp with elephants. We could also spot a baby elephant. After a small walk within the camp we took the return boat. After visiting the elephant camp, we headed to Nisargadhama Forest.

Nisargadhama forest is more of a park kind and less of forest. The main attraction here was the Hanging Bridge and few statues around that showcase the culture and tradition of Coorg.  We could spot a small gift shop which had some collection of incense sticks and wonderful wood carved show pieces. Since there was nothing much to explore, after walk for an hour, we headed to Namdroling Monastery.

Namdroling Monastery, locally known as “Golden Temple” was bookmarked as must visit place in Coorg, that serve as a vast prayer hall and practice of Namdroling Monastery’s monastic for Tibetan Buddhist community. The silence in the prayer hall spreads the vibes of positivity to mind and soul. People visiting monastery maintain silence which will not disturb the people who are meditating in hall. One of the best thing that I liked was the visiting time, witnessing the prayer which was very unique and interesting.

Another major factor that attracts tourist are the wonderful architecture of the monastery with 60 feet bronze and gold plated statues of Buddha – Buddha Shaykhamuni, Guru Padmasambhava and Buddha Amitayus. The walls have paintings portraying phases of Buddha’s life. Some even display Tibetan gods and demons.

During our visit, temple was closed for renovations, only the common hall was open not the actual temple. We could still walk around the temple and take photos. After a walk within the monastery, we also visited a shop that was put with in monastery compound, where we could buy Tibetan pieces like flags, keychains, statues etc. With this place, we came to the end exploring Coorg in Day2. By now, it was almost lunch time and we headed to the resort for Lunch.

The lunch in second day was arranged in PLAINTAIN LEAF, after lunch it was time to relax with Ayurvedic spa treatment. The Ayurvedic village had such soothing ambience that would rejuvenate and revitalize the visitors visiting for Spa. The combination tranquil environment and experienced physicians with expert masseurs  was the perfect blend to encourage the wellness of mind and body.

After the reviving spa, we were all set to the wonderful candle light dinner near the lake side in Peppercorn dining arranged by the resort. The dining was very enchanting by all means, which includes the service the ambience and food. Though the photos clicked are shared not doing justice, but the link to the website that refers to the Peppercorn dining will give you an idea.

The day was wrapped with wonderful dining experience, wonderful memories and excitement waiting for Day 3 which I would be sharing in my upcoming post.

Keep smiling, Keep Cherishing..happy blogging 🙂 🙂