Every time there is a long weekend, I am super excited to venture out and this time it was no different for the Ramdan long weekend . Planning started a month back for the list of places to visit and we shortlisted Coorg which was there in our list for some time now. Even though I had been to Coorg many times, this was the first time I was travelling with family and the timing was perfect with the monsoon arriving in Karnataka. Being a family trip with my parents on board , the planning played a major role as the places to stay, visit, food etc. Going through the reviews across different sites, we decided to stay in GowriNivas Home Stay in Madikeri and Spice Garden in Kutta. The itinerary was planned and this is how it looked.
Itinerary:
Day 1 : Start from Bangalore and Visit Bylakuppe and Nisagradham in Kushalnagar and reach Madikeri
Day 2: Visit Talakavery and Temple and Raja's seat
Day 3: Drive to Kutta and See Iruppu falls on the way and then take safari in the afternnon
Day 4: Drive back to Bangalore
Route Info:
Bangalore --> Srirangapatna --> Hunsur --> Kushalnagar --> Madikeri
Madikeri --> virajpet --> Kutta
Kutta --> Mysore --> Bangalore
Somewhere In Between Virajpet and Kutta 
Day 1:
The initial plan was to start by 6 AM so that we can maintain a good speed in Mysore road otherwise it becomes pathetic to drive on weekends on this stretch. Finally we managed to start at 7 AM and we were greeted with chill weather outside and not be surprised if you are in Bangalore. Being close to Bannerghata road, we reached the Nice road in no time and paid the toll of Rs 70 and zoomed to Mysore road.
As expected, there was traffic pile up in many stretches in Mysore road and this delayed our journey time significantly. It was around 9 AM, we were feeling hungry and decided to stop in Kamat Upachar for breakfast. As usual, there was huge rush in the hotel, and they don't provide table service on those days. Took the coupon and stood in the queue for self-service. The food was ok and not much to complain. However the rest rooms were not properly maintained and won't suggest if you are with family.
Started driving post breakfast and reached Srirangpatna and took the right to Hunsur. It's single lane highway but could manage to maintain a speed of around 70 to 80 till Kushalnagar. Then we drove to Bylakuppe to see the Golden temple. The temple was under renovation and closed for visiting inside. We roamed around the temple and took some snaps. There was some prayer happening during this time and we went and spend some time near the prayer hall. Few pics of the golden temple.
Side View Of Golden Temple 
Front view Of Golden Temple 
Around Golden Temple 
After doing a quick visit to the golden temple, we were all feeling very hungry and decided to have our lunch. We went to a restaurant called Hotel Le Coorg which is on the highway which leads to Madikeri. Decent hotel and food was ok. After having food, we started towards Nisargadhama. It was crowded and there was mad rush due to the long weekend. Got the tickets (Rs 10) and went inside. You have to use the rope bridge to enter this place and that was really the plus point for this place. Then we roamed around for an hour in this place. Saw few animals like Deer, Rabbits etc … inside it. There is nothing great about this place however the weather was nice with clouds hovering all around and this made our visit to this place memorable.
Ropebridge Entrance To Nisargadhama 
View From Rope bridge 
River flowing through this place 
Post Nisargadhama, we had planned to visit Dubare elephant camp however had to miss it in the interest of time. We started our drive to Madikeri and on our way it started pouring heavily. The drive became more pleasurable with rain drops hitting the windscreen and the wipers working at their best to keep them off. We reached around 5 PM in homestay and checked in. We had booked two cottages and they were really comfy. The rooms were nicely maintained and you won't feel like you are staying in the town.
View Of GowriNivas Homestay 
We did not have our dinner in the home stay and rather thought to venture out. Went to a Veg Restaurant called Shanti Sagar and had to wait for around 30 Mins to get a place to seat. Seems like there was mad rush due to long weekend and the service was delayed too. However this was compensated with good food and we hit back to our home stay and crashed for the day.
Day 2
It was raining heavily last night and we were wondering whether we'll be able to visit any places Today. However the rain had stopped in the morning and we were all set to go. Had breakfast in the home stay and started for Tala Cauvery. The drive was fantastic and it was raining in between. By the time we reached the top, it was full of mist and I ensured to put my head lights on . Parking was a tough task however managed to get a place after a bit of difficulty. I had to park on a slope and ended up with little bit of clutch burning. Later on I discovered lot of clutch burning smell from many vehicles and I was not surprised.
On our way to TalaCauvery 
Place covered With Mist 
Then we started walking towards the temple and have to stand in the queue to get the darshan inside the temple. While we were standing, it started to rain and luckily we were carrying our umbrellas which saved us from drench but not completely.
Rain Everywhere 
It took an hour to finish the Darshan and thanks to the huge crowd gathered. Had some Tea in the near by shops and kido had the maggi. Nothing can beat hot tea and pakoda on a rainy day in a road side shop.
Then we started to the Bhagmandala temple and the initial plan was to have lunch in the temple however by the time we reached it was over. Also it started pouring heavily and we got delayed by the time we entered into the temple. Had a quick Darshan and started our journey back to Madikeri.
Inside Temple 
On our way, we had lunch on a road side hotel and headed to Raja's Seat. The view was awesome from Raja's seat and we spent some time there and then had a ride in the toy train which is adjacent to this place.
Raja's Seat 
View From Raja's Seat 
In the evening had our dinner in East End hotel as suggested by the owner of Homestay and that turned out to be good decision. The food was really yummy and ambiance was back of the old times. After having a good dinner, went back and called it a day.
Day 3:
After having breakfast said good bye to the homestay owner and started our journey to Kutta. However we thought of visiting Abbey falls and then head to Kutta. Reached the falls around 10 AM and as usual there was too much of crowd.
Abbey Falls 
So had a quick visit and set the home stay name in Kutta in google maps and started our drive. The drive was really awesome with the great views on both the sides and the rains just made it more pleasurable. We planned to have safari in the Nagarhole forest in the afternoon and hence went directly to the forest check post only to realize that safari is cancelled due to rain. Bad luck !!!
On The Way To Kutta 
By this time, we were feeling very hungry and decided to have our lunch and as suggested by the home stay people, headed towards "Cafe Robusta" hotel. The food served here was ok and nothing much to complain about. After having lunch we headed towards the homestay and we were greeted warmly by the homestay owners.
Cafe Robusta Hotel In Kutta 
The homestay was inside the coffee plantation and we really felt like as if we are inside nature. Had a good coffee and chat with the homestay owners regarding this area and places to see. We thought of visiting the Thirunelli temple in the evening but gave it a miss as it was raining heavily and not sure how safe it would be to visit with family in the forest in the night.
Duster In Parking Of HomeStay 
The dinner was served around 9 PM. Homely food and the taste was very good. The day was more of a drive in the rains and this is what I love to do and with some good memories of drive, we ended the day.
Day 4:
This was our day of return to Bangalore and hence woke up bit early. Had a hot coffee and just spent some time sitting outside the cottage and enjoying the view of the plantation. After sometime, all family members joined and we all had a small tour of their coffee plantation.
Had our breakfast and it was time to say goodbye to Kutta. We planned to visit the Thirunelli temple so crossed the Kerala border and had quick visit to the temple. The winding forest road was really pleasure to drive and the cloudy weather on the top really made the visit to this temple memorable.
On The Way To Thirunelli Temple 
On our way back, we thought of visiting Kurva isalnd which was around 25 KMs from the temple however that was closed to due to rains. So started our drive to Bangalore and on the way we visited Kabini dam. There was not much crowd here and we managed to take our car near to the water. It was very windy and we did quick photo shoot and then headed back to Bangalore.
Few Pics Near Kabini Dam 
This trip was much needed break from the monotonous life for all of us and overall this was a fantastic trip for entire family with lots of memories to cherish forever. The rains, the nature and the drive are still waiting for another trip and yes we are coming !!!
