My Christmas holiday this year was extra special. This was my first holiday with my mum and son in unfamiliar territory. Of course i did travel to Goa but Goa is like home…been there so many times alone and i know the local language so Goa was easy when i went there with my son. Coorg was different. In addition to Coorg we also visited numerous relatives, attended a wedding, went to Mudigere (another coffee growing destination) and ate a LOT of fish and pork.

While on the surface there is very little you can do with a kid in Coorg,  my little boy had a blast. So when we ask him what he did in the holidays, he says, “I saw elephant, deer, tree house, mountain and tallest tree in the park”.

So here is a list of things you can do when you are in Coorg:

EAT: Eat as much pork you can get your hands on. Pack some for the way. Take to different parts of the world – cooked, packed, frozen . Eating pork is the top thing you can do when at Coorg. It is spicy as hell, but what the hell, you can always grow back your tastebuds. If you are not a pork eater, then forage for some Coorgi chicken or mutton. Best place for Coorgi pork is the home cooked  variety. The best chicken and mutton can be found at East End Hotel in Madikeri

STAY: Opt for staying in a homestay. I stayed  at Ochre Moon Holidays. This was pure providence. So lucky to have found this place. Old world charm and earnest, honest hospitality bowled me over. Felt at home at this place. Not only did they make us feel comfortable, my son received special attention. It was truly touching when they prepared food that agreed with his palate. The pictures speak for themselves!

LOVE: Here is why i loved Coorg. Apart from all the food i ate and the comfort of the homestay – we visited the Dubare Elephant park – where Aiden saw a real live elephant for the first time in his life, touched it, got sprayed with water, crossed a river on a boat. All exciting things for a 4 year old. He saw his first deer in the wild. He fearlessly climbed a bamboo tree house in the Nisargadhama Bamboo Park. He also identified the tallest tree in the park on the way to the Abbey Waterfalls – well he also experienced a waterfall for the first time and saw mountains and more mountains. And of course the weather there could make anyone feel they are in love! Other things to watch out for in Coorg are Raja’s Seat  – such a beautiful garden, the serene Namdroling Monastery, ThalaCauvery – slightly overrated and very hot if you visit during the day and the Madikeri Fort

Now that we have told you how to have fun in Coorg, here is how to get there: Fly to Mangalore followed by a road trip – 4 hours from Mangalore city and 3.5 hours from my home Karkala 🙂  OR Fly to Bangalore and  road trip it from Bangalore 5 hours and 20 mins approximately.

Best time to visit: September to January