Just back from a quick weekend trip from Madkeri, Kodagu aka Coorg. Nice place, welcome relief from the hot Bangalore. Madkeri host many a homestays. We chose one Gowri Nivas, highly recommended by the community are Trip Advisor. It was a very comfortable homestay, definitely all expectations met. The hosts were nice.

Kodago, is around 6 hr drive from Bangalore down the Mysore road. This being the rainy season, is not probably the peak season, which was great, less crowds we thought. On the way, we visited the bird sanctuary Ranganathittu, where we spotted crocs. We also visited the Namdroling Buddhists monastery. It’s a beautiful place. The monastery itself is bright and colorful dominated by the three 50 plus ft statues of Buddha. Being in a monastery so far down south of the Himalayas is surreal. It provides the visitors a glimpse into the Tibetan culture and their fascination with dragons. Just before entering the Madkeri town, we did a D-tour to Abbey falls. With the rains, it was in its full flow.

We reached around 5 pm. So did not really venture out. Lucky for us, our cottage had a comfy sit out overlooking a landscaped garden, and there was a light drizzle that made for a quiet evening.

The next day we set out for Dubare Elephant Camp. Around 1hr from Madkeri, this is a place that houses elephants and is an opportunity for visitors to see them up close. The mahouts escort each of the elephants. Visitors can help them is bathing these giants, feed them and take rides. If you reach there early, you can even get to see an act put together by the elephant and their mahouts. In the second half we went to Tala-Kaveri which is a temple build around the source of the river Kaveri. The weather was not kind and all throughout it rained. We also did a quick stop at Rajah Seat garden on MG Road. The view from the cliff was awesome, especially with the low rain clouds and the fog.

The next day was shopping for spices. Pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves. Kodagu, has climate suitable for citrus fruits and spices. As a security, the locals also plant the spices, that provides them with security, incase their citrus crop fails. We also picked up a nice sketch of traditional Kodagu dance.

Tip: There a very nice restaurant on MG Road, Rajdarshan Hotel.