Visit to Coorg - Madikeri / Nagarhole

[kpkuruvilla]

I decided to post a travelogue for my trip to Coorg because of the reason that this could be informative to some travellers.

Season & timing

October 2008 , 4th to 6th . Started our trip from Bangalore on 4th Saturday . I have not booked any Hotels or home stays in madikeri. But came to know the fact that it is difficult to get a decent accomodation unless you book it in advance. So I had to settle for a home stay kind of accomodation as most of the hotels were booked in advance. I could not find good number of hotels or restaurents for my expectation in Madikeri when comparing to other tourist places. Due to the season and weekend there was a rush. For people planning for short trips and visit most of the places it is not convenient to stay in Homestays which are far from the town. So if you are planning to visit madikeri during weekends and
during season , make sure to book rooms in advance which ensure comfortable stay and saves time

Tips on Route and Road condition
--------------------------------
Started from Bangalore at 5 am Reached Srirangapatna town 7.30 am. Driven half km further towards Mysore and took the right diversion which goes to Ranganathittu bird Sanctury. A strait drive leads to a town called Yelwal . The road just enters Yelwal from left of the Hunsur - Mysore road SH88 , so you have to take a right turn at this junction to enter the right
side of the road to reach Hunsur - madikeri road. One straight drive on this SH88 which ends at KushalNagar, 40 km before madikeri town. Road condition of SH88 till Kushalnagar is excellant and comparable to Mysore Road in quality.

If you have determined to reach madikeri through Kushalnagar then do not enter Hunsur bustand ,a sign board there may misguide you to take this route. The signboard says a Left turn for Nagarhole National Park and also an arrow shows Madikeri via Hunsur Bus stand. The bustand route will again reach the other end of the SH88.

After reaching Kushalnagar the road condition till madikeri is like any rural roads but drivable. The road has some small bends and pass through the coffee and pepper plantations , here and there pathholes which are filled with mud.

To avoid same route and see some places I decided not to travel back to Bangalore from Madikeri through Kushalnagar -Hunsur Route instead decided a different route where I could visit Iruppu Falls.

From madikeri town just before the road towards Kushalnagar Take a Right which again has two roads one left and one right . The Left road goes to Virajpet via Murnad and the right one goes to Mangalore. Took the route to Virajpet via Murnad. Though a one-way state highway the road is excellent and scenic and absolutely no traffic . My idea was to see irrupu falls and reach Hunsur on the way back. Took a right at Virajpet bus stand road and proceeded towards Gonikoppal. Virajpet and Gonikoppal are smaller towns but has good shopping facilities and hotels and looks somewhat similar to Kushalnagar. The look and feel of these towns are similar to a typical kerala town though these are in the state of Karnataka. After Gonkoppal town driving straight leads to a right turn where the signboard says Kutta. The road to Kutta from Gonikoppal is in a very bad condition and sometimes made me to think to go back to Gonikoppal and avoid visiting Irrupu Falls. Enquiring with the locals made me understand that If I reach Irrupu falls which is almost 26 plus km from Gonikoppal there is no way for me to reach Hunsur easily. I have two options at Iruppu Falls Go straight and reach kutta and then drive
through Nagarhole national park or drive 30 km back again to Gonikoppal and reach Hunsur. The question came to my mind is, Am I spending my time and effort on these bad roads just to see Irruppu Falls? But some of the locals told me that I can take the route via Nagarhole Forest road to reach Hunsur , only thing is that I shoud reach the Forest department gate before 6pm. So having the forest route in mind headed to Irrupu falls and reached there by 4 pm. At 4.30 pm finished Irrupu and headed towards Kutta , again the roads were poor. Kutta Town again looked similar to a Typical Kerala town with similar setups ie Taxi jeeps, Private buses, Kerala style hotels etc. Immediatly after Kutta town I reached the forest department Gate at 5 pm. Just entered the vehicle details and from and to destination . There was no entry fee. The sign board says the
speed limit should be 30 kmph, no horns, no music. I have taken this route just to avoid travelling back to Gonikoppal which will save me a lot of time.

The road through forest was narrow with too many speed breaker humps. I could see Elephant dung freqently on the road which confirms that the jungle is infested with Elephants. I was driving alone and could not see any other vehicle except one or two forest department jeeps which came in opposite direction. The forest drive lasted approximately 35 plus kms with no sighting of a Wild Elephant but seen deers and jackels. I judged the reason why two wheelers are not allowed inside the park as there is no protection if a wild elephant or tiger attacks , the road is narrow and both sides thick jungles. One good thing is Airtel Moble service works perfectly inside the forest. The middle of the forest road there is a
forest department resort from where one can go for Safari and I have seen many cars parked there. I reached the other end of the forest by 6pm entered the details at the gate and proceeded to Hunsur and reached SH88 and travelled to Yelwal and then back to Bangalore without entering Mysore City.

Places Visited at Madikeri and Kushalnagar
a). Raja Seat - A valley view , a small garden, musical fountain , a toy
train. Good for spending time with family especially kids.
b). Madikeri Fort - Can see an small old ruined fort not so great when
comparing other ancient palaces.

c). Tala Cauvery , Bhagamandala : Places to visit only if you have
religious interest.
d). Harangi Reservior: Can see the Otherside of the Dam. The entry
gates to the park is closed on Sunday. Could not see anybody
there except me and my family.

e). Kavery NisargaDhama: Entry to this place we need to cross the river
through a hanging bridge. After Crossing the bridge the bamboo forest
is very scenic and a good place to spend time. You can have a dip in
the kavery river if you like. Can see a deer park and elephant camp.

d). Gaddige: The tomb of Kodagu King. A tomb with similar style of Taj
mahal but not in marble.

e). Abbey Falls: I have visited many water falls , this just one
among them. I loved the drive from Madikeri town to Abbey falls
which is scenic. You need to drive down to the valley with hairpin
bends and steep climbs. ( The Road after Gaddige leads to Abbey
falls).
f). Dubere Elaphant Camp: Since all elephants are taken to Mysore
Dasara could not visit this place.

g). Golden Temple: It is a nice place to visit and admire the Budhist
architecture , their method of worship etc.

f). Irrupu Falls: Just another small waterfall. Can view this on your way
either to Madikeri or way back to Bangalore. It is not worth if you
drive to this place just to see this Water fall.

g). Nagarhole National Park: A drive through the forest ,one of the
memorable journey.

Summary Information
-------------------
Mode : Self driven Car - WagonR
No of People: Self , spouce and kid.
Total Milage: 780km ( roundtrip)
Route Summary:

Day 1
-----
Bangalore -Srirangapatna->Yelwal->Hunsur->Kushalnagar-Madikeri-Tala Cauvery- Madikeri.
(Roads are excellant except After Kushalnagar)
Day 2
------
Madikeri - Kushalnagar -Madikeri -Abbey Falls- Madikeri.
Roads in and around Kushalnagar are not good, Road to Abbey Falls is good.

Day 3
------
Madikeri -> Virajpet->Murnad->Gonikoppal->Srirangamala->Irrupu Falls->Kutta->Nagarhole National Park -> Hunsur->Yelwal-
>Srirangapatna->Bangalore.

Roads after gonikoppal till Kutta is very bad

Here is the link for some of the photos:
Picasa Web Albums - Kuruvila - Coorg

[anup7649]

Hey thats a nice short and sweet travelogue. During rainy seasion the Abbey falls is a wonder place. The water pressure is jus awesome. Probably now it would have reduced.

Anup

[Samurai]

Nice little travelogue with lots of details man. No photographs?

Originally Posted by kpkuruvilla

Virajpet and Gonikoppal are smaller towns but has good shopping facilities and hotels and looks somewhat similar to Kushalnagar. The look and feel of these towns are similar to a typical kerala town though these are in the state of Karnataka.

Most people here can speak Malayalam anyway. During the 1981 census, they found that there were slightly more malayalees than Kodavas in Coorg.

Originally Posted by kpkuruvilla

The road to Kutta from Gonikoppal is in a very bad condition and sometimes made me to think to go back to Gonikoppal and avoid visiting Irrupu Falls.

Hey, I used to live on this road when they took that census.

[DarkEraser]

Coorg Madikeri is a good place to visit. Once I was there. I liked Nisarga Dhama more than any other place. But we enjoyed visit to Tala Cauvery as we walked there through trees from near village.

It's a good place to buy honey and coffee.

[mjothi]

Nice one. It seems a travelogue season in T-BHP
Probably due to vacation time. Enjoy guys.
Nice pictures in your albums.
Cheers

[Iswear]

Hi everyone

I had planned for a trip to Coorg this weekend. When I was all set, my vehicle broke down yesterday and is in the service station. And I don't see it being fixed before Friday night and in anycase, I wouldn't wanto take risk with it for this weekend atleast.

So, I have decided to hire a cab and make the trip.
Do you guys have any info on reliable cab services to Coorg? I know a couple of them, but had bad experiences in the past - One which even includes, the tyre flewn off the car on a highway

Please let me know about it at the earliest. I would be making this trip tomorrow night i.e. 10th October

@Mods: If you think this can be posted for a quick reply, please kindly do so!

[anup7649]

Originally Posted by Iswear

Hi everyone

I had planned for a trip to Coorg this weekend. When I was all set, my vehicle broke down yesterday and is in the service station. And I don't see it being fixed before Friday night and in anycase, I wouldn't wanto take risk with it for this weekend atleast.

So, I have decided to hire a cab and make the trip.
Do you guys have any info on reliable cab services to Coorg? I know a couple of them, but had bad experiences in the past - One which even includes, the tyre flewn off the car on a highway

Please let me know about it at the earliest. I would be making this trip tomorrow night i.e. 10th October

@Mods: If you think this can be posted for a quick reply, please kindly do so!

Which area do you stay in Bangalore buddy.
You can hire the cab from Geo Travels BTM layout. Their service is good.
Here is their contact info.
080 26686127‎
9243130154‎ - Mobile
080 65629639‎
Their service is very good. And which car are you planning to hire? I would suggest an Indica with them is good. Else, Innova is awesome with them.

[Iswear]

Originally Posted by anup7649

Which area do you stay in Bangalore buddy.
You can hire the cab from Geo Travels BTM layout. Their service is good.
Here is their contact info.
080 26686127‎
9243130154‎ - Mobile
080 65629639‎
Their service is very good. And which car are you planning to hire? I would suggest an Indica with them is good. Else, Innova is awesome with them.

Thanks anup7649 for the info. I stay in Indiranagar. I would call up these travel people.

Alternatively, do you have any idea of buses which goto Coorg? As in, I have heard from people that there are some travels which arrange pick up from your house to their bus, and then bus travel to Coorg and then they give you a separate cab there to roam around Coorg. And also, they even book the hotel for you at Coorg. I am trying to find out such info from the travels at Indiranagar BDA. If you know anything of that sort, great!

[ms001]

very nice write up
we are planning to make the trip starting this saturday early morning 3-4 am
plan to visit nisarg dhama and golden temple on the way, can any one suggest the best route to take?
thanks

[anup7649]

Originally Posted by Iswear

Thanks anup7649 for the info. I stay in Indiranagar. I would call up these travel people.

Alternatively, do you have any idea of buses which goto Coorg? As in, I have heard from people that there are some travels which arrange pick up from your house to their bus, and then bus travel to Coorg and then they give you a separate cab there to roam around Coorg. And also, they even book the hotel for you at Coorg. I am trying to find out such info from the travels at Indiranagar BDA. If you know anything of that sort, great!

Probably you should try asking with makemytrip.com
or else you can find from folks like Sharma travels, satya sai tourists. they I guess arrange for 2day trips and stuff like those. They take care of everything.

[gd1418]

Kuruvilla: wish you had posted some photographs too. I'm sure you must have taken some, or else forgot to carry the pinhole box at home..

[sj_koova]

Hello friends,
How is Hotel Coorg International?
I want to make an advance booking in coorg at a reliable place at coorg.
I heard the only good hotel in coorg is this one.
Anyone has a feedback review on this hotel? or suggest any better place.
I would like to avoid home stay as my past experience with them is not so good.
Appreciate your help.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Kuruvilla: wish you had posted some photographs too. I'm sure you must have taken some, or else forgot to carry the pinhole box at home..

He has posted the link to Picaso in the end.

[jacs]

Hi Kuruvilla,

We are planning a 2 day trip to Madikeri on 25th of this month. Just curious to know the break-up distance details to plan the journey.

Day 1
-----
Bangalore -Srirangapatna->Yelwal->Hunsur->Kushalnagar-Madikeri-Tala Cauvery- Madikeri.
(Roads are excellant except After Kushalnagar)
Day 2
------
Madikeri - Kushalnagar -Madikeri -Abbey Falls- Madikeri.
Roads in and around Kushalnagar are not good, Road to Abbey Falls is good.

Day 3
------
Madikeri -> Virajpet->Murnad->Gonikoppal->Srirangamala->Irrupu Falls->Kutta->Nagarhole National Park -> Hunsur->Yelwal-
>Srirangapatna->Bangalore.

[princezahed]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

Hello friends,
How is Hotel Coorg International?
I want to make an advance booking in coorg at a reliable place at coorg.
I heard the only good hotel in coorg is this one.
Anyone has a feedback review on this hotel? or suggest any better place.
I would like to avoid home stay as my past experience with them is not so good.
Appreciate your help.

Its a nice hotel but expensive too.a lot more expensive than homestays.samurai might be able to give you more details on the charges since he had enquired with them.if you want hotels only then i would suggest hotel raj darshan,crystal court or mayura valley.if my homestay had been completed i would have recommended it to you but its not yet complete.there are a lot of good homestays in and around madikeri and not all of them are bad.

Originally Posted by jacs

Hi Kuruvilla,

We are planning a 2 day trip to Madikeri on 25th of this month. Just curious to know the break-up distance details to plan the journey.

Day 1
-----
Bangalore -Srirangapatna->Yelwal->Hunsur->Kushalnagar-Madikeri-Tala Cauvery- Madikeri.
(Roads are excellant except After Kushalnagar)
Day 2
------
Madikeri - Kushalnagar -Madikeri -Abbey Falls- Madikeri.
Roads in and around Kushalnagar are not good, Road to Abbey Falls is good.

Day 3
------
Madikeri -> Virajpet->Murnad->Gonikoppal->Srirangamala->Irrupu Falls->Kutta->Nagarhole National Park -> Hunsur->Yelwal-
>Srirangapatna->Bangalore.

Hi kuruvilla. the total distance from vidhan soudha to madikeri town is 250kms exact.it can be completed in 6hrs easily with a couple of breaks if needed.

If you plan to stop for food then i would suggest Hotel kings way just as soon as you enter kushalnagar.