It’s a monsoon masterpiece that moves into the wintry air as nature stretches green limbs and moves across the mountains. Wandering mists, unending plantations with nodding coffee pods, frequent showers, waterfalls that roar to life and chatty hornbills form the grammar of Coorg. The endemic paradise tucked away in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, with its crests and crashes – of Brahmagiri peaks lidded with clouds that part ways dreamily, and muddy, tuskered paths with chirpy drongos keeping a close watch on all that moves in the forests.
Coorg forms the best pick in a quiet travel odyssey with you and yours with the magic of its shifting micro-climates.
Nature’s palette
…And then some. The coffee flowers running through the plantations resemble tufts of snow, exuding the fragrance of a jasmine flower topping the masses of Arabica and Robusta pods lining the undulations. This annual spin has earned Coorg the moniker, Scotland of India. The herds of colourful butterflies winging their way towards the sun, the deep valleys lined with oranges-clad trees, black termite humps (the mark of a healthy forest!), pagoda style ant nests – that are truly water resistant!; finger-sized limes, wild berries and elephant-eared-fig trees lacing the green run. The fermented sap of the latter wields the impact of alcohol on the fig-loving elephants, especially when they drink it from the tree under the sun – that wins it the toddy tree pseudonym. Jackfruits (the second favourite of the jumbos) abound in the forests.
Walking through is a sensorial experience, with the queen of the night filling the forest air with thick sweetness as the sun dips in the sky, the twittering birds, the shades of lilac and yellow in the flowers. Your heart performs a little cartwheel on spotting the mugwort herb – straight from the Harry Potter books- and on picking the sacred rudraksh from the forest floor. With naturalist-led trails dipped into treks and trails in the rain. A magical experience in the woods, straight out of Enid Blyton books.
Knocking on heaven’s door
Drive up 1400 ft above mean sea level along the super-skinny, muddy road to reach the peak of the Brahmagiri mountains in Karnataka. The Tamara Coorg brings in a stunning experience in the curated trails and treks, complete with mugs of the local bella kaapi with pounded dark jaggery and cardamom. The rising curls of steam in the cold, the slow unwrapping of the clouds across to unveil the peaks of the Brahmagiri range in Kerala, and the sheer cloud tasting experience composes an unbeatable surreal experience. The feeling lingers – at 3500 ft - in your treehouse-cottage skimming the canopies in the valley at the property. With quiet mist leafing through the trees, bringing in the sharp-beaked grey hornbills, the gregarious parakeets against the burst of heliconia, land lotuses, and gigantic bamboo, by your timber balcony that comes alive with the concert of the cicadas at night. The purple flower-tipped banana trees here attract bees and birds galore – over 180 species, including the migratory feathered delights throughout the year. Crown that with an AQI 6 in the pure oxygen that fills your lungs.
Be well
The local Kodagu thaali served up fresh on the banana leaf with the soft akki (rice) roti, spicy mutton and pork chilli, butter milk and cardamom rice is a delightful feast and woos your palate in a theatre of flavours powered by the local masalas. Tours of the coffee plantation, sipping on the hot chai (swirled with freshly ground pepper and rose leaves) with the gush of the waterfalls filling your ears is sheer ASMR. Spa therapies with the run of the warm coconut oil infused with the goodness of herbs adds to the silent, soothing wellness experience.
Where to stay: The Tamara Coorg brings in 184 acres of lush coffee, cardamom, and pepper plantations and luxury stays in stilted cottages. Complete with stunning undulations and dining by waterfall experiences, coffee plantation tours, naturalist led trails and treks.
How to go: Fly down to Bangalore and drive down for six hours to Coorg. The roads from Mangalore airport are a bit tricky with the rains.
