A weekend at Blossom Homestay, Coorg, Karnataka

Coorg (previously known as Kodagu) district is nested in the western part of Karnataka. The district is renowned for their participation in military forces and in agriculture. Coffee plantations are in abundance out there. A weekend getaway in a coffee plantation was a perfect way to start my short Karnataka trip. So after a discussion with my brother Gaurav and his gang of friends we had selected Blossom Homestay near Kutta, Coorg for our weekend trip.

After reaching Bangalore late at night, our group of ten boarded a tempo traveller before sunrise and headed out to Mysore road to avoid the crazy Bangalore traffic. The well maintained roads led us to Ramnagara, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna and headed towards Hosur bypassing the Mysore city. The party had already started on board and early morning boost was enough for everyone to avoid dozing off. After several tea breaks and breakfast breaks we finally entered Coorg district and headed towards the town of Kutta via Gonikoppal and Ponnaampet. The road from Kutta routed into coffee plantations and we drove 3 km to reach our destination at around 11 am.

The estate belonged to Mrs. Kavita and her family and was situated amidst coffee plantations and there was greenery all around. The panoramic view was a pleasant visual treat. We were accommodated in the guest rooms in second floor and the tree house on the other side of the road. A vacant area adjacent to the residence was perfect for car park, campfire at night or a game of cricket. The plantations spanned over 40 acres of land were owned and maintained by the family for last 50 years. Our host Mrs. Kavita showed us around. Let the pictures do the talking.

A short drink was followed by lunch with Coorgi dishes including chicken curry in coconut milk, Aila fish curry, home made stuffed noodle (some form of puttu !!) and veggies. All the items were cooked in traditional style in wood fired oven and concluded with custard topped with biscuit powder.

After a short nap we headed down to Nagarhole National park for a evening safari (will be talking in detail in my next blog). While returning it was dark and deserted. That’s when someone popped out the idea of a night safari !!!

On return camp was set up for a campfire and a barbecue. We relaxed for a while and headed to the campfire. It was time for some foods and fluids after a eventful day in the jungles. Soon the starters came out… Chicken lollipops… Coorgi special Pepper chicken…Pork chops…sprout salad…French fry…Vegetable pakoras etc etc. The starters were so tempting that all of us left the camp fire and the fluids and hurdled around the table to grab a plate. As our appetites got satisfied we focused on songs and haunted stories. We requested to switch off all camp lights to enjoy the star studded clear sky. I realised I don’t have any good snaps of the evening party as I like others was busy eating.

The night didn’t end there. We talked with a local guide Ramesh who suggested that we should take a night drive in the Wayanad forest. High on spirits we accepted that offer and headed out at around 10 pm in two Thor jeeps. The winds were chilly and we cruised through the Wayanad forests after crossing the Kerala border. We could spot few elephants and a bison but was not allowed to stop to have a close look. So I could not click any photographs. Ahhh!! We returned at around 12 am for dinner and went to bed in a flash.

Next morning we strolled around the vast coffee plantation with the owner himself. The Trail lead us into the plantation, where he showed us fruit trees, coffee plants, how to identify the ripe coffee seeds, techniques of drying and plucking them. We explored the vast stretches of farmlands and hiked back for breakfast through the bushes like the workers usually do. Breakfast with paputtu and dosa was delicious.

We finally headed off for the next part of our journey to Mysuru at around 11.30 am. On the way we stopped for a short break at Irpu falls and headed on to Mysuru.

The website – Blossom Homestay

Distance from Bangalore- 280 kms one way. (6-7 hours).

Perfect for a weekend trip.