If you are looking for a quick retreat from your daily schedule and need to get energy flowing back to your brain, Coorg could be your lifesaver. Located in the eastern slope of the Western Ghats, the scenic district of Coorg is approximately 270 km from the city of Bangalore or a 5-6 hr long drive. The hilly district of Karnataka is widely popular for Coorgi coffee, homemade flavoured wines, chocolates, spices and their infamous pandi curry. In this blog, I will be sharing my experiences during my short stay in Coorg and also guide you briefly on how to visit these places.
Fixate on where you want to stay: Choose amongst the various places you could stay while in Coorg. Some of the best suggestions according to my travel experiences would be Madikere, Kushalnagar and Virajpet. While I believe, I made the mistake of booking a room in Kushalnagar, you can experience the best of Coorg in Madikere, the headquarters of the district of Coorg. Madikere is a small hill town perched amongst the slopy sides of the Western Ghats. While Kushalnagar is more of a small town at the foothills 30 km from Madikeri.
Namdroling Monastery: While you are in Kushalnagar, don forget to visit the Namdroling Monastery, roughly 6 km from the town. A tranquil destination brimming within peace-loving Tibetian monks. Just so you know, Namdroling monastery is the largest teaching centre of Nyingma lineage of Tibetian Buddhism in the world and home to a sangha community of over five thousand monks and nuns.
Spend some time here, learn about Buddhism, fortunately, I learnt the tales of Buddhism from one of the best. Breathe in the mountain fresh air and take a dive into the serenity of this place. Visit the temple of the three Gods. Sit in their lush green lawns and connect to yourself. Soon you will realize how meagre and meaningless the world of distraction is. And once you are back, head on to the next destination.
While there are quite some places to visit in the vicinity of Kushalnagar like Nisargadham Reserve, Dubare Elephant Camp, Harangi Reservoir etc, but an explorer myself, I would not recommend them. Most of these places are tourist destinations and make no mistake, there’s a huge difference between a tourist and a traveller. So dodging the crowd, just set Mandalpatti as your next destination on Google Maps and gear up for a picturesque ride to the town of Madikeri via the winding roads of Western Ghats.
Trekking Mandalpatti: Mandalpatti acts as a breathtaking vantage point offering a spectacular view of the Pushpagiri Forests and the Western Ghats. Given the correct weather, Mandalpatti will make you feel like you are in the sets of Game of Thrones. Literally known as the “Market of Clouds”, Mandalpatti will bedazzle you with the limitless wonder and tranquil of the place.
There are few ways of reaching the perfect vantage point of Mandalpatti, but you can trek any soaring hill in the vicinity and try your luck. Jeep rides are the most comfortable way to reach the end of Mandalpatti. But if you have the riding guts in you, take your damn bike up there and call it an achievement. When I visited Mandalpatti, I was obliged to take a combination of two. The security guards and the local people told me with discouraging looks, that I won’t be able to take my ride up there. Oh, by the way, it was a scooter. And guess what, I proved them wrong. I rode that little thing up and down through the rocky terrain for more than 2 km before coming across a steep slope where the vehicle surrendered. It was a foot journey from this point.
The whole atmosphere of this place was breathtaking and it made the 5 km trek feel effortless. I found a decent size mountain over here and decided to trek all the way to the top for a bird’s eye view. This is exactly where I experienced the true bliss of Mandalpatti. The literal meaning of the destination, Market of Clouds, was justified. From here I saw milky white clouds, gliding effortlessly over the lush green mountains and dissolving into the horizon. In Coorg, if you look forward to feeding your soul, this is the place to be. I have the timelapse video I shot from here on my Instagram page.
The small town of Madikeri: Once rejuvenated, you can make your way back to the cute & beautiful town of Madikere. Though there are few destinations in and around the district capital like Raja’s Seat, Madikeri Fort etc, again they can be categorized as places of tourist attraction. Now that you are finally here, look for a small cosy cafe overlooking the cliffs of the gorgeous town, order some freshly brewed Corgi coffee and drink to a satisfying trip.
After these, if you feel that your vacay mode has come to an end and routine life is summoning you back, book a bus from the town of Madikeri and head back to the cry of reality with a bunch unforgetful memories and a revitalized soul.
Joy Raj 
Chale kya?
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