Love, Life, & Beyond

How hot is it in your city? With temperatures going beyond liveable, I’m reminiscing about the short Coorg trip we took last year around monsoon season. The weather was misty and dreamy. We hadn’t planned to do much travel so the frequent light drizzle throughout our short holiday was more than welcome. Coorg in monsoon is genuinely one of the most underrated travel experiences in South India.

The best time to visit Coorg is October to March for clear weather if you plan to go around for sightseeing. But June to September gives you the lush green, misty version of the hills, which is ideal for a romantic getaway if you don’t mind light rain. We took our books, a small magnifying glass for nature walks, and comfortable walking shoes.

Looking back at the pictures from our holiday in Coorg, I can almost feel the cool mountain breeze ruffling my hair. If only! 

Bangalore to Coorg Road Trip

We wanted to hire a self-drive car from Bangalore but that was turning out to be a lot more expensive, so we hired an SUV with a driver (labour is cheaper than insurance I guess!). We got picked up right at the airport and left for Coorg immediately, but of course got stuck in Bangalore traffic for two hours.

Once we were finally out of the city, the Mysore highway made it a smooth ride most of the way. You could easily make this a longer trip with a stopover in Mysore (see my post on our Mysore trip for ideas).

We grabbed a quick lunch from a fast food place because we didn’t want to reach the hotel after dark. However, on the way back to Bangalore, we made sure to stop at Fresh Catch Seafood restaurant for some prawn ghee roast and apams. They are worth the short detour near Mysore.

We also picked up some sweet oranges from Coorg. They look smaller than the Nagpur ones, but they make up for it in taste.

The Bangalore to Coorg distance is roughly 270 km, and the drive takes around 5–6 hours depending on traffic. It is perfectly doable as a long weekend road trip from Bangalore.

Where to Stay in Coorg

If you’re looking for the best resorts in Coorg, the Taj Madikeri Resort is hard to beat for a luxury stay. The rooms are nestled among the forest, so from a distance they almost disappear into the dense foliage. The rooms are spacious and clean, and the food excellent. There was even a working fireplace in our room that we were thrilled to use.

There are many activities for kids and adults to do within the property (some free, some paid). Our son loved the zip line that flies over the pond and fields. We also loved the nature walk with the resident expert who gave us a detailed tour of the farms and forest around the resort. I would highly recommend this for all ages.

The game room and infinity pool are both perfect lounging spaces for lazy afternoons. The gorgeous lobby overlooks the misty mountains beyond, tempting you to sit there with a good book for hours.

However, it was disappointing to know that the drivers’ accommodation areas are quite bad, with sub-standard food and dirty toilets. This is true for other ‘luxury resorts’ in the area as well, unfortunately. Our driver opted to stay elsewhere as we weren’t using the car much anyway. 

Things to See in Coorg

We had not planned on doing much as this was a short relaxing trip, and with the rains coupled with bumpy roads, it would have been too tiring for us to step out of the resort every day. 

We made a day trip to the stunning Namdroling Tibetan Monastery. It is a serene place to walk around, or even sit inside the temple for a bit of calm. The statues and murals are worth spending some time on. The colours and detailing are superb. We then went to the nearby Tibet Village restaurant for some delicious momos and thukpa.

You can’t go to Coorg and not visit a coffee plantation. We went to the Coorg Green Plantation. Our guide showed us around in detail, pointing out all the different spices that grow here. After sampling a few, we even bought some to take home with us. Cloves, cinnamon, and pepper along with ground coffee powder filled our shopping carts.

Since it was monsoon, we also had to take in a waterfall view. Abby Falls is an impressive sight, although the entry ramp could be better made and managed. Abbey Falls is one of the most visited tourist places in Coorg, especially during monsoon when the water flow is at its peak. It gets crowded at the main view point, so it’s better to go early in the morning. The now dilapidated bridge would have given awe-inspiring views when it was functional. Hopefully, the authorities will repair it soon.

Before we knew it, we were back in Bangalore. The city is well known for its infamous traffic jams, so we only planned an early morning trip to Cubbon Park and stayed within walking distance from our hotel for all other meals and activities.

It was an ideal length of vacation. Long enough to freshen us up, but not long enough that we didn’t want to return to reality. 10/10. Would highly recommend.