Coorg or Kodagu is a beautiful hill station situated in the state of Karnataka. Madikeri, the district headquarters of Coorg, situated at a height of 1525 metre above the sea level. Earlier Coorg was known as Kodaimalenadu, which means 'dense forest on a steep hill.' Coorg district has many tourist spots of historic, epicand natural importance. Nestled amidst the hills and deep valleys of the beautiful Western Ghats, Coorg is one of the most attractive places inIndia. Coorg is also referred as the Scotland of India, because of its misty hills, beautiful towns and mist-covered slopes. The hill station offers breath taking views of lush green forest, acres of tea and coffee plantation,orange groves and the curved streets. A part from orange and coffee plantation, Coorg is famous for spices, pepper and cardamoms. Madikeri produces almost half of Karnataka's coffee production. Coorg has three taluks namely Madikeri, Virajpet and Somwarpet. Coorg is famous for the brave Kodava or Coorgi people, who have always stood a part handsome, braveand hospitable. A martial tradition of the Kodava people, has given the Indian Army several Generals and Brigadiers. The beautiful and gracefulKodagu women, wear the saree in special varient ways. The people of thedistrict celebrate many festivals. The famous festivals are Kali Podu in September, Huthri in November- December and Dassera.
Attractions :
» Madikeri Fort - Built in the 19th century the fort is situated in the centre of Madikeri. The fort houses a museum, aprison, a chapel and a temple. The fort provides breath taking view of Madikeri.
» Raja's Seat - Situated at the top of the hill,this is a beautiful view point in Coorg. It offers stunning views of the surrounding dense forests. According to legend, the kings of Coorg used to come to this view point to spent their evenings here. One must not forget, to take the spectacular views of the sunset from the hill top.
» Nagarhole National Park - Situated at Coorg,Nagarhole National Park is a Project Tiger reserve, spreads in an area of 640 Sq Kms. The park is linked to Bandipur National Park and is covered with thick tropical forest, grassy swamps and several rivers and streams. The National Park provides shelter to a number of Gaur (Indian Bison) tigers,leopards, elephants, sambhar, wild boar, barking deer mongoose, peacock,jungle fowl, spotted deer and many other birds and animals. Both trekking and visiting by private vehicles are allowed through prior-permission.
» Talakaveri - 
Talakaveriis the source of the river Kaveri, situated in the Brahmagiri Hills. Aperennial spring lies at a height of 4,500 feet, which is the beginning of this mighty river.
» Iruppu Falls - Iruppu waterfalls are situated on the Lakshmanatirtha River. Local people believe, that this place possess the power to clean one's sins. Thousands of devotees come on the Holy Day of Shivaratri, to bathe in these falls, to clean their sins. There is a temple dedicated to Sri Ram, from where it is a climb up to the falls via natural forest.
Nearby Attractions :
» Abbey Falls - Located at a distance of 8 Kms from Madikeri, the Abbey falls is a famous tourist attraction. The surrounding cardamom and coffee plantations provides the scenic beauty to Abbey Falls.The roar of the falls can be heard from a long distance, while thechirping of birds fill the air with sweet music.
» Dubare - This is mainly an elephant capturing and training camp of the Forest Department lies on the Kushalnagar Siddapur road. Situated at the edge of Dubare forest, on the bank of river Kaveri, the elephants are caught here and is held captive for up to 6 months inlarge teak wood cages. The domesticated elephants attends various jobs and the mahout offers free elephant rides to eager tourists.
Accessibility :Coorg is not directly connected by Air or Railways, but it is connected bywell-motorable roads .
» Air - The nearest airports are Mangalore (125Kms) and Bangalore (250 Kms) from Madikeri.
» Rail - Nearest railway stations are Mysore (120Kms), Hassan (125 Kms) and Telicherry(135 Kms).
» Road - Coorg is well connected by buses from allover Karnataka as the Mysore - Mangalore high way passes through the town.The distance of important towns from district headquarters Madikeri(Mercara) are Bangalore(260 Kms), Mysore (120 Kms),Mangalore (136 Kms),Cannanore and Tellicherry ( 115 Kms). Regular bus services are availablefrom these places to Madikeri.
Accomodation :
The Hotels in Coorg offer a wide range of choice to the tourists. The hotels well-equipped with modern luxury makes one feel at home even away from home. The hotels in Coorg range from 4 Star hotels to 2 Star Hotels.The famous hotels are Hotel Coorg International, Club Mahindra KodagvValley, Orange Country Resort (2 Star) and Kannika International (2 Star).
Best Time To Visit :
The temperature does not vary much at Coorg, hence the climate remains pleasant throughout the year. The temperature shores to 30°C during summers while it goes down to 16 °C in winters. One can visit the hill station any time in the year, but the ideal time to visit the place is October to April. As the climate remains cold, one must carry warm clothes while planning a trip to Coorg.
