This is the second part of Coorg Trip. This post primarily
covers Madikeri and surrounding areas.
What to see?
Trip to Madikeri is not possible to be covered in one day
from Bangalore. You need to keep at least 1 full day for sightseeing here. 2 days will be good. There are many stay
options in Madikeri. If you are staying on Coorg I will suggest homestays in
Madikeri. There are many available. I choose one Ananda Nilaya
(anandanilaya.com).
The main places to see in Madikeri are:
Abbey Falls, Raja’s tomb, Tala Cauvery, Bagamandala, Madikeri
Fort, Raja’s seat, Omkareshwara temple
If you have one more day you can cover Safari in Nagerhole
national park (6-9 AM and 3-5 PM) and drive to Irpu falls. One can bathe in
Irpu falls as the water flow is less.
Route:
Bangalore to Kushalnagar as discussed in previous post. http://drivingholidaysbangalore.blogspot.in/2014/11/coorg-trip-for-beginners.html
From Kushalnagar its one straight road (SH 88) to Madikeri .
Additional driving directions are:
Abbey falls – It’s a narrow good road with lots of turns and
one big hairpin curve. Refer map
Talacauvery – Curvy road but in good condition. This road
will first lead to Bagamandala then another 8 kms will reach Talacauvery
Fort and Raja’s seat are within the city. Please ask locals
for directions to these places. I have added as much as possible. Google maps misleads.
Omkareshwara temple – in the heart of Madikeri town. Nice
old temple. With not much crowd.
More details in the attached map:
Where to Eat?
There are lots of eateries in Madikeri. There is one place
named “taste of Coorg” which servers authentic Coorg delicacies. This place is
just behind town hall in Madikeri and is close to Fort.
On the road to talacauvery there is only one decent eatery
run by Karnataka tourism after Bagamandala. They serve meals.
Other points:
o
Abbey falls – The main attraction of this place
is a hanging bridge in front of the falls which you can take to get a full
front view of the falls. This place is very scenic. Just be cautious of the
upward climb. Some 300 meter downhill trek from the parking place will take you
to the falls. You cannot get into water here.
o
Raja’s tomb – Tomb of erstwhile ruler of
Madikeri and his wife, priest and brother. The architecture of the tombs is
nice but this place badly needs maintenance. The gardens are all gone as of Nov
2014. This falls at the start of the road to Abbey falls. No entry fee.
o
Talacauvery – The birth place of kaveri. There
is a small pond and an attached small well type enclosure which is considered
the birth place of Kaveri. The drive is scenic. The place as such has got good
views. Also one can climb some 400 odd steps to the top of a nearby hill called
Brahmagiri to get an even better view. This place takes roughly 1 hour from
Madikeri. If you are not of the religious type you can give this place a miss. No
entry fee.
o
Bagamandala – Confluence of three rivers 8 kms
before Talacauvery. Again this place is more of religious importance. There is
a nice temple of Kerala architecture opposite the confluence.
o
Madikeri Fort – old fort holding the DC office.
The DC office is a nice building. You can also get ontop of the fort walls. Not
much view from the walls but getting on top of fort walls is a feeling in
itself. No entry fee here.
o
Raja’s seat – some 1 kms from Fort is the sunset
view point. Opposite this place there is a park running a toy train for adults
and childs (Rs 10 per head). Entry free to Raja’s seat is 5 Rs.
