Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Explore Coorg - the Scotland of by K.K. A guide to the Scotland of India - Coorg. Green mountains, whole spices, expansive Coffee estates make Coorg one of the most beautiful hill stations in . The starting point of Coorg begins at . Here is what to look out for in Coorg. Abbey waterfalls. This beautiful waterfall is located 10 kilometres from Coorg and 1 km from Madikeri. It was previously known as Jesse falls and is surrounded by coffee plantations and spice estates. The waterfalls over the rocks and flows into the pond and its sound can be heard from the road. The flow gets higher during the rainy season and another attraction is the hanging bridge. It is a tourist favourite and a photographer’s delight. Thalakaveri Temple and waterfalls. Situated amidst , Agnigiri, Vayugiri and Gajarajagiri hill, it is nearly 48 kilometres from Madikeri and is a tourist favourite. You cannot miss the Tirtha Kundike or Brahma Kundike which is a tiny spring which flows from Cauvery river. It is more noticeable during the monsoon and it is believed that spring flows underground and emerges after a short distance. There is a lovely temple located quite close to the Kundike, with a huge tank where devotees take a dip before offering prayers. There are two other temples dedicated to Shiva and Ganesh. Another attraction is the Holy Ashvattha tree or the sacred fig tree where sage Agastya is said to have spotted Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh as well as where Lord Buddha found enlightenment. During the festival of Sankramana, the well swells up signalling the appearance of Goddess Cauvery. Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary. About 60 kilometres from Coorg, Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary is filled with evergreen and semi-evergreen forest and bamboo. If you are planning to trek from Kerala, the starting point will be Tirunelveli and from Coorg, it will be from Iruppu waterfalls (with special permission from forest officials). Filled with elaichi and coffee plantations this wildlife sanctuary was built in 1974. You can spot lion-tailed macaque, Indian elephant, gaur, tiger, jungle cat, leopard cat, wild dog, sloth bear, Nilgiri langur, Malabar giant squirrel, giant flying squirrel, Nilgiri marten, porcupine, and pangolin along with a variety of reptiles and birds. Namdroling Monastery Golden Temple. The largest teaching centre of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world, the monastery is home to a sangha community of over five thousand lamas (both monks and nuns), a junior high school named Yeshe Wodsal Sherab Raldri Ling, a religious college and hospital. It is famous for its ornamented temple doors, walls, and wall paintings. A new temple, the "Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara" (known by locals as the "Golden Temple") was inaugurated on 24 September 1999. The temple has space for several thousand monks. Elephant Camp. A popular tourist spot, this Elephant Camp situated on the banks of River in Coorg allows tourists to be near elephants and engage in various activities with them, besides getting a view of nature. A project undertaken by the forest department and jungle lodges and resorts, it used to be a training ground for elephants before the Dussehra but now they are mostly used for jungle rides and other purposes. Tourists are detailed about Elephant history, ecology, and biology. Some of the activities include a 45-minute bath where tourists can give baths to elephants in River Cauvery, feed them ragi, jaggery, sugarcane, banana and coconuts and later go for a 45-minute elephant ride into the jungle. Coorg Tourism: Explore the ‘Scotland’ of India. Coorg, a perpetually misty landscape is surrounded all over with huge lush green mountain ranges. It has got an altitude of around 1525 metres. Misty hills, tea plantations, coffee plantations, lush greenery, undulating streams, and orange covers all blend together to glorify the natural appearance of this hill station. Raja’s Seat, Omkareshwar temple, , Tibetan settlement, Madikeri Fort, and Dubare Elephant Camp forms the pride of Coorg. Plan your holiday at these Places to Visit in Coorg – Raja’s Seat – Raja’s Seat is a popular weekend destination known for its unsurpassable beauty and a pleasing atmosphere. The presence of an artificial fountain encircled by heaps of colourful flowers exhibits a sightseeing delight. Dubare Elephant Camp – Dubare Elephant Camp is home to more than 150 elephants. All those elephants are quite friendly and exhibit a warm gesture; hence, you can expect a relishing day here. If you are adventurous by heart and are good at river rafting, do make efforts to reach the Kaveri river. Abbey Falls – Set amidst the spice estates and coffee plantations, Abbey Falls is one of the most charming places to explore in Coorg. The cascading views of the gushing water are quite enchanting to capture some adorable moments with your DSLR. – Finally, a place meant for wildlife lovers and researchers to stroll for long hours of entertainment and interaction with the animal world. This site is primarily populated by wild species from Southern Indian. Besides, Nagarhole National Park is a reserve for around 270 bird species hailing from different regions of the country. List down the things to do in Coorg – Play with the elephants – For all those who consider elephants to be a highly spiritual entity, here’s a chance to play with them at the Dubare Elephant Camp. You can either feed them or bathe them or ride on them – the choice is yours. Indulge in the essence of the Tibetan culture – This is the lone settlement of Southern India where you get a proper settlement of the Tibetan population. Namdroling Monastery is a charming and highly pious monastery. Your Coorg trip with your family is an excellent way of introducing your child with the preaching of Tibetan culture. Try your photography skills at the Abbey Falls – Abbey Falls presents a mesmerizing effect with its milky white appearance nestled amidst the aromatic spice estates and the lush green coffee plantations. If you are a photographer by profession, this place definitely shouts out to see you. Enjoy adventurous trekking – Coorg’s share of the features numerous hiking and trekking spots for all the adventure lovers. Kodachari, Mullayanagari, , Kumara Parvatha, and Brahmagiri are some famous Coorg’s trekking spots. Experience Coorg with its Nightlife – Hive Bar – Situated in Vivanta, Hive Bar offers some exciting music and live performance entertainment with a wide array of wines. Wines to cocktails to vodka are best to enjoy here. Enjoy a candlelight dinner – Spare sometime at night with your partner for a luxurious candlelight dinner on Coorg hilltop. To make it a memorable event, do pop a bottle of champagne! Night Mountain Drive – Locals in and around Coorg are well-versed with this night activity. If you are visiting Coorg for the first time, hang on with the locals for a night jeep drive. This hill drive is undoubtedly going to be an enthralling experience Brahmagiri, Thadiyandamol, and Pushpagiri is some hills meant for this adventure. Acquaint yourself with Coorg’s nature – Coorg is blessed with a pleasing environment. The coffee plantations, spice estates, verdant rainforests, colourful flora, thrilling fauna, and a pleasant climate amalgamates to beautify Coorg. Beautiful lush green hills, rivers, streams and the gushing waterfalls make it a picturesque destination for the honeymoon couples to start their second journey. Trekking, hiking, white water river rafting, and zip-lining are some activities to explore Coorg’s nature to the fullest. Affordable Coorg Stays – Coorg Adventure Camping – This camping experience of Coorg is nestled amidst heavenly beauty. You have a plethora of outdoor activities to try here – campfire, boating, rifle shooting, trekking, and so on. Bonfire set at night transforms the whole surrounding into a magical experience. Charges – 2300 INR. Brahmagiri Foothill Stay – This homestay is surrounded by Silver Oak trees lined up on both ends of the road lying in front of it. There are around 8 bedded rooms here, and every room features an attached washroom. Stream walking, jungle trekking, and planning a visit to the nearby waterfalls are activities to be enjoyed here. Charges – 2400 INR. Offbeat Estate – This homestay at Karada is nestled amidst lush green coffee plantations. Thee trails of the Kabbe Hills form a chief attraction of this homestay. Bamboo dining activity is something that you cant and should not resist! Charges – 2350 INR. Lake View Estate Stay – This stay features a huge lake in its surrounding where you can go for kayaking or a fishing adventure. There are around 8 rooms here segregated into standard, estate view, and deluxe rooms. Guided coffee plantation tours, fishing experience, football, chess, carrom are some of the key activities to be enjoyed here. Explore Coorg - the Scotland of India by K.K. Rains and lush green evry where and brids chirping and signing really mesmerise us by its lyrical effusion. Cool wether and clouds kissing us, aroma of coffee makes a perfect hodilday and its aptly called as Scotland of India. Coorg is a God' s Gift Natural City. We feel like heaven in this City. It is a small town but Worth to Visit it. The Resort Club Mahindra I stayed is Beautiful. The Surrounding of Resort is Excellent. Also Services Are also Excellent. Only No Mobile network Work when I visited. Overall Excelent. Coorg Experience It was plan being made since a week of Good Friday of year 2011 to go to Coorg, Talcauvery,, Cauvery Nisargadama, Nagarhole National park, Dubare forest. We started from around 7 in the morning (if you start early its even good to avoid any traffic) and had nice breakfast in Adigas near Maddur then headed towards Kushalnagar non-stop. As it was holiday season and to our luck we got one hotel in Kushalnagar (Hotel Shailaja International) right near to kushalnagar busstand. There is no online booking but you can book over phone and block room. Not a great hotel but very big parking space for cars. Day 1 from kushalnagar to coorg visited Abbey falls, Raja seat, Omkareshawara temple, road to Coorg from kushalnagar is excellent now with lot of scenic beauty. Day2 - headed towards Talcauvery which you have to take again Coorg route and once just entering coorg you will get a steep left diversion which takes you to TalCauvery road. Road is little bumpy but beautiful to travel. On the way you will find Bhagamandala first and after 8kms from this place you will find Talcauvery (birth place river Cauvery). This is mind blowing excellent, amazing place i dont words to say scenery is so beautiful. Drive carefully as there is lot of ghat with small roads. Back to kushalnagar, relaxed, had a nice coffee with a great dinner in some nearby hotel. Day 3 From Kushalnagar to nagarhole national park, Irupu falls. You have to go towards Hunsur and once you reach Hunsur ask anyone about Nagarhole route. Before entering the forest route you have to sign and place where you are coming from in a register near the checkpost. Here journey starts with lots of huge trees and thick jungle. There is safari in govt vehicle in Nagarhole but if it rains then there is no safari for atleast next 24 hours as the jeep/van may not go to forest. Otherwise you can drive at 20km/hr to spot elephants, deers, wild pigs, different birds chirping. It was strange though for us that we spotted a tortoise on the road crossing:) later slowly moving further we found a very giant chameleon may be 3ft big crossing the road. That was an amazing experience to view such different wild species. No honking or music please if you really wish to travel inside the forest road, don't get down from your car. There are several placards on way. Once you cross the forest you will find road to irupu falls which shouldn't take more than 18kms. Road is okay but greenery with lots of coffee estates is lovely. Once you get near Irupu falls you will have to walk around 0.7 kms inside the hillock to reach falls, this falls is amazing with stand right in front of the waterfalls to bath. You will get a temple by name LaxmanaThirtha just before walking towards falls. This is a nice spot and it is open till 5PM. You can drive inside forest road of Nagarhole between 6AM to 6PM. Dubare is very near from Kushalnagar not more than 20kms. You have river cauvery and lovely place with some boating, slow water rafting,elephant ride and camp on the other bank of river cauvery. Elephant ride is closed on Tuesdays. They give bathing to elephants on the other side of the river and this will be really nice time for kids. Food wasn't a problem anywhere in all this places except Dubare as you may not find a good hotel to have sumptuous meal. Otherwise i would recommend carrying water everywhere along with snack items with you. You will see lot of jack fruit being sold on the main road of Hunsur. Travelled by own car, covered a distance 985kms stayed for 3 days. This is a brief experience but exciting and memorable:) The Scotland of India: Coorg. Coorg is known as the Scotland of India because of the striking similarities between the two places in terms of geography, terrain, architecture, atmosphere, climate and numerous fresh water bodies. Both of these places boast of beautiful vast stretches of lush greenery, beautiful rolling hills, and gorgeous waterfalls. It comes as no surprise then that Coorg, with its misty climate and hill station environment, is known as the "Scotland of India". This city, with an area of about 4000 sq.km and situated at an elevation of 900m, is located in the state of Karnataka in India. Take a look at the amorous similarities between Coorg and Scotland, and you will see for yourself! 1. Landscape. Scotland is known for its gloomy climate and the scenery above is a testament to the same. With a variation in the type of greenery seen above, it goes without a doubt that the rolling hills, meadows and forests of Coorg are glaringly similar to those of Scotland. Coorg Hills (Source) Surrounded on all sides by the Brahmagiri mountain range of the Western Ghats, Coorg is known to have a tropical wet climate. With this comes rolling green meadows and forests, low clouds and mist as seen in the image above. 2. Scenery. 3. Waterfalls. 4. Architecture. Apart from the various water bodies, foliage and highlands, the two also have similar architecture. It makes for the perfect winter-monsoon vacation photo-op! A cottage in Coorg (Source) A cottage in Scotland (Source) So, what do you think? How to Reach Coorg. By Air: Nearest airport: airport, 160km away from the city. You can easily avail the bus services or hire a cab to travel between Mangalore and Coorg. By Rail: Nearest railway station: Mysore railway station, 100km away from Coorg. This has a convenient bus and road connectivity to the hill station. By Road: Nearest cities: Mangalore - 160 km away. Mysore - 100 km away. Coorg – The Scotland of India – is as Rich in Biodiversity as it Can Get. If You Want a Rather Off-Beat Holiday, Let Coorg Win, And You Won't be Disappointed. Coorg is a quaint hill station in Karnataka known for its mesmeric natural beauty; beautiful waterfalls, sprawling green landscapes, mystical mountain tops, and gorgeous flora and fauna are what you will find in abundance here. Be it a weekend getaway or a long holiday, Coorg – the Scotland of India – makes for a great choice. Also Read - Karnataka Records 700 Black Fungus Cases in A Week, State Govt Directs Experts To Track Source Of Infection. Start with Abbey falls; one of the most popular attractions in Coorg and for good reason. It’s a rather special hike upto the waterfall; especially if you visit right after the monsoon in November and December, when it’s covered in lush greenery. Also Read - Karnataka Makes Negative COVID Report Mandatory For Those Entering State. If the idea of elephants walking around in their natural habitat excites you, Dubare Elephant Camp is where you must head. Home to over 150 elephants, here you can see the elephants being given baths, fed and trained. The other wildlife includes crocodiles, peacocks, wild dog and sloth bear, all of which you can spot on your boat-ride through the camp. Also Read - Karnataka To Convert Community Centres Into Children's Hospitals Ahead Of Predicted Third Wave. Incase you are a trekker, trekking through the luscious green landscape, pristine waters, and colourful flora leading upto Brahmagiri Peak is a delight. There’s another waterfall that deserves a visit – the torrential Iruppu Falls, that falls from over a 60 feet. To catch wildlife in abundance, head to Nagarhole National Park – one of the best parks in the area. Over 270 species of birds and a great number of animals can be spotted through the dense forests here.