If you are looking to drive to Coorg, here’s a 3 day Coorg trip plan we think will help. This is based on our experience with numerous tourists who have visited Coorg in the past. There are many great places to visit in Coorg. However, we think you can still do a Coorg trip in 3 days and cover most major tourist destinations.
For this article we shall assume you will be staying in Madikeri ( The District Headquarters of Coorg).
Here’s a quick summary of your itinerary ( 3 Days 2 nights Coorg Trip plan)
Day 1: Driving to Coorg. Visit Ranganathittu, Mysore place , Mysore zoo, Namdroling Monastery and Kaveri Nisargadhama
Day 2: Visit locations in and around Madikeri. Rajah’s seat, Sunny side museum, Abbi falls, Mandalpatti, Omkareshwara Temple
Day 3: Visit locations away from Madikeri and then return to Bangalore. Visit Talacauvery, Nagarahole, Dubare Elephant camp and return to Bangalore.
3 Day Coorg Plan : If You Are Driving From Bengaluru
Day 1
If you plan to leave Bengaluru early, here are a few things to do on the way to Coorg.
Ranganathittu Birds Sanctuary
This is a very famous birds sanctuary located on the way to Coorg, from Bangalore. Ranganathittu is located about 3 hours from Bengaluru. It is located near Srirangapatna, before the city of Mysore. To get here, you will have to take the Mysore bypass road (KRS Road) to the right, which you will find after about 3 km from Srirangapatna town. The location of the sanctuary can be found on the map here .
Approximate visiting time is 1 hour. Ranganathittu is on the road that bypasses Mysore City. Once you finish visiting the bird sanctuary, you have two options. You may directly bypass Mysore City and proceed to Coorg, or visit Mysore. Travel time from Ranganathittu Birds Sanctuary to Mysore city is about 30 mins.
Mysore palace
Mysore palace is a beautiful palace built by the erstwhile rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore. It is located in the heart of Mysore city . Visiting time is approximately 1 hour.
Mysore Zoo
Mysore zoo, also called Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens is well known zoo located within Mysore City and you will need between 1 to 2 hours in Mysore Zoo. If you are visiting Mysore you can club this visit with Mysore palace.
Lunch : If you are visiting Mysore, plan to have your lunch at Mysore. If not, there are multiple restaurants on the way to Coorg.
Other place to visit in Mysore are Brindavan Gardens and Chamundi Hills. Brindavan Gardens is near KRS Dam while Chamundi Hills is a temple located on top a hill. It is located about 13 kms from Mysore Palace. Please note that visiting too many places in Mysore will take away time from visiting other places on your way to Madikeri. Therefore, plan to limit Mysore destinations to about 2 spots.
Namdroling Monastery (Golden Temple)
This beautiful Buddhist monastery is located in Bylakuppe ,about 90 km ( Less than 2 hrs) from Mysore. The monastery is on the way to Madikeri, From Mysore. You will need to take a left (golden Temple Road) just near a place called Koppa, on the highway. Here, you will be spending about 30 to 45 mins at the monastery . Visiting timings are 7 am to 7 pm. However, please be respectful of temple rules.
Kaveri Nisargadhama
Once you are done with the Golden Temple consider making a stop at Kaveri Nisargadhama . Nisargadhama is located after Kushalnagar town in Coorg District. It is an island like park on the banks of the river Kaveri and a popular stop with tourists that are heading towards Madikeri. If you are visiting places on the way to Coorg you will reach Kaveri Nisargadhama by the late afternoon or evening.
Nisargadhama is a relaxing place with a few animals and birds. You can visit this place as a last stop on the way to Madikeri.
Dinner : Plan to have dinner in Madikeri . Distance from Kushalnagar to Madikeri is about 30 kms (45 mins)
Day 2
Rajah’s seat
Rajah’s seat is a beautiful park located in the heart of Madikeri. In addition, it offers beautiful views of the mountains and valleys. Plan to spend about 1 hour in Rajah’s seat . Good times to visit are dawn and dusk. You may have to pay a token entry fee.
Sunny side Museum (General Thimmayya Museum)
This is a museum located 1 km from Rajah’s seat within Madikeri. It contains items related to defense and reflects Coorg’s contribution to India’s defense forces .
Abby Falls
Once you are done with breakfast, consider visiting Abby falls. Abby falls is located about 7 kms ( 20 mins ) from Madikeri and is located within a coffee estate.
Mandalpatti
Mandalpatti has beautiful views of mountain ranges. It is reachable from a deviation on the way from Madikeri to Abbi Falls. You can plan to head towards Mandalpatti after your visit to Abby falls. However, you may need a 4×4 to reach Mandalpatti. These vehicles are available on rent. Mandalpatti is about 20 km ( 50 mins) from Madikeri.
Omkareshwara Temple
This is peaceful temple with a large pond located in the heart of Madikeri. It is built in the Indo-Sarcenic style of architecture.
Day 3
If you are planning to head back to Bangalore on the third day, you have two options
Option 1: Visit Talacauvery . After that, return to Madikeri and then head to Bangalore from Madikeri. Visit Dubare on the way to Bangalore/Mysore.
Option 2: On the other hand, consider visiting Nagarahole National Park. After that, proceed towards Bangalore, directly from Nagarahole – You don’t need to return to Madikeri.
Talacauvery
Talacauvery is the birthplace of river Kaveri. River Kaveri is a major river in South India. Talacauvery is located near Bhagamandala in Kodagu. Bhagamandala is about 36 km ( 1hr) from Madikeri. Bhagamandala has a ” sangama” where three rivers meet. Devotees visit Bhagamandala before proceeding up the hill to visit Talakaveri. Talakaveri is about 8 km 20 mins from Bhagamandala. This is a temple more than a tourist attraction. However, it has stunning views of mountain ranges.
Dubare
If you plan to return to Bangalore from Madikeri you plan to visit Dubare elephant Camp. This is located on the banks of river Kaveri and has water based activities. You can also visit the adjacent elephant camp.
After Dubare you may head towards Bangalore. On the way to Bangalore, you can choose to visit Mysore City or bypass Mysore City completely via the bypass road at Yelawala. Alternatively if you have time and missed visiting certain places in Mysore on your way to Coorg you can save it for your return trip. However, We think you will be fairly exhausted after Dubare and will prefer to save your energy for the drive back home. Dubare to Bangalore is going to take about 6 hours, depending on traffic. Therefore plan your time accordingly.
Nagarahole National Park
Nagarahole is a national park that is also a tiger reserve. It is a deciduous forest where you can sometimes spot Elephants, Deer, Peacock, Monkeys and other wild animals. If you plan to visit Nagarahole ( Rajeev Gandhi National Park) you can directly head to Bangalore from there. Nagarahole is 70 kms (2 hrs.) from Madikeri.
These plans are based on our interactions with guests who have stayed at Chirpy Haven. Please feel free to drop a comment on what your experience was and how you chose to plan your trip. If you want to plan the trip yourself and want a comprehensive list of all tourist spots near Madikeri, please click here.