This is Travel guide for youth. Mainly for Trekking and Camping enthusiasts. For a Budget trip from Bangalore to Coorg.
We visited Coorg in Feb 2017. The land was a little dry. Monsoons are lush green but foggy in Coorg, winters are a good time.

HOW TO REACH

Nearest airport and railway station will be Mysore. Frequent buses will be available from major towns.

1. Leave for Bangalore via KSRTC bus (Volvo for about Rs.450)  at night
2. Approx. 5 hour drive. You can rent a car and travel

WHERE TO STAY

1. Reach Madikeri Bus stand
2. Home stays are a cheap option. Approx Rs.2000 per night (2BHK) can accommodate 6 people. Agents will ask you at the bus stand itself for getting a home stay. Haggle and bargain as much as you can to get the deal. They will try to loot you initially.
3. Oyo rooms and hotels can be found around bus stand of Madikeri.
4. Tents and Camping is available on private estates though tours.
5. Municipality and forest department don’t allow camping in open.

WHAT TO DO

DAY 1

1. Take a local bus to Raft at Dubare elephant camp. Rafting @ Rs. 200 per person
2. Go Abbey Falls via Taxi or Auto. Walk to Mandalpatti jeep station. From Jeep stand you rent a vehicle and 18 km away is view point. Jeep charges are Rs. 1500 (open for bargain). The ride is worth the experience.
3. Explore the fort, local market and the city in evening.

DAY 2

1. Go trekking – Several locations like Kottebetta and tadiandamol. A good big store/showroom opposite the fort entrance has a board of treks and packages. Get a trek package. (Approx Rs. 600 with food). We went to Kottebetta. A guide is provided. The trek is tiring – 8Km going and other 8Km Coming with a refreshing swim in a waterfall on the way back. The view and experience is amazing,
2. Eat at Shanti Sagar. (Try Coorg Special Handi Dish)
3. If not trekking you can go for a wildlife safari in 2 sanctuaries that surround Coorg. You can inquire about them at various shops selling packages.

DAY 3

1. Take a local bus to Tala Cauvery early morning. Visit the site and return by afternoon.
2. Leave for Bangalore via KSRTC bus in afternoon.

There are many more things to explore in Coorg. Abbey falls is purely a site-seeing spot. Nisargdham is a family spot. Not much fun for youth. Other waterfalls are 80-90 Kms away. And you may not be able to swim in all of them. A few temples if you want to visit are also famous.

HOW TO TRAVEL

1. Taxis are a Rip Off. They charge you 2500 (for innova) per day for driving you to one or two destination (50-100 Kms.) They have a strong union and try to exploit customers. We had a bad experience and had to go and complain to the police. As our driver promised us we can trek see a waterfall and raft in a day. However he took us to abbey falls 8kms, elephant camp 25kms and mandalpatti 2km from abbey falls. He wanted us to go trek 18kms in 2 hours!!! And He forgot to mention about jeeps. When we complained he dropped us at city and called his mates to gang up on us. Luckily the police was on our side and made the driver apologise to us and asked them to complete the tour fairly. So make sure to book the right deal with them if you are hiring.

1. Local buses go to almost all destinations. Try to use them by inquiring about timings from bus stop itself.
2. Autos run in the city. Not to outskirts.
3. Rented vehicles are hard to find.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

1. Coorg stretches almost 100-120 Kms. Tourist spots are far away.
2. Start your day early to get more time
3. Be ware of taxi scams
4. Plan your day on the map to cover maximum
5. Explore wild life sanctuary or go for a trek. (That’s where the real beauty of Coorg lies)

PICTURES FROM THIS TRIP

Kotebetta Trek

Kotebetta Trek

Abbey Falls

Mandalpatti

Mandalpatti

View from a restaurant

View from a restaurant

Kottebetta view from the top

Kottebetta

Kottebetta peak in the picture

---

Ensure you travel responsibly and keep your carbon footprint to the minimum. Happy Exploring!

---

Want to share your experience and tell everyone about how you travel and plan your trips? Now you can, in just a few steps! Head out to Share your Trip page now!