A Nature Lover's Hideout-COORG

We had been exhausted, bored of the monotonous daily schedule and wanted a break desperately and what could be a better option than to connect with nature.A perfect destination for romance, to enjoy the cool gentle pollution free mountain breeze as one enjoys the azure blue sky above.The fluttering of leaves,twittering of birds,breathtaking mist enshrouded hills, trekking in the aromatic coffee plantations,scenic beauty...this is how I would like to describe Coorg...the perfect holiday spot which could be visited at any time of the year.

As we were visiting it enroute from Wayanad we decided to take the long route for thorough sightseeing via Nagarhole NationalPark,Periyapatna,Hunsur,Bylakuppe,Madikeri,Siddapur and then reach Polibetta where our resort(www.porcupinecastle.com was located.Though it had an excellent location,the price was on the higher side and one doesn't have much to do at the resort besides relaxing in a hamoc whilst enjoying binfire at night.The buffet spread didn't offer variety either.However the sunset from the hotel was breathtaking). Though it added another extra 150 kms which would otherwise be around 85 kms it was worthtaking it and we would be missing out a lot.

Our first sighteeing option was Irpu falls where we took the diversion to Nagarhole. As we entered the Nagarhole National park now renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National park we spotted lots of wild animals in their natural habitat(though we could not go for a jungle safari as the timings were odd when we reached there),Nisargadhama near Kushalnagar, the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe where we also bought a few Tibetan crockeries and relished fresh hot dimsums(momos as the Tibetans call it),visited the Abby falls( about 9 kms from Mercara main town), Omkareshwar temple,Raja's seat,Mercara fort,shopped honey,spices and who can forget Coorg coffee.

Though Thalacauvery(the birthplace of the Cauvery river) was on our list, we decided to opt out of it as the sun was setting behind the hills and soon would become very dark and we didn't want to take a risk on our very first day there. By the time we reached Polibetta it was pitch dark.Still we did not have any difficulty in finding our hotel as the locals were very helpful in directing our way.

Since most of our sightsseing was over we decided to relax the next day and go for a trekking into one of the coffee plantations in the afternoon besides visiting the HO of Tata Coffee and their British style Bungalows.

The lush green valleys,sprawling tea coffee,teak wood plantations,rich verdant green vegetation, Coorg is blessed with unbound natural beauty and is a nature lover's delight.So,next time you are planning a vacation to the hills to unwind in the lap of nature,don't foget CoorG!!!