Explore the world with Aditya: Chikmagalur | The Land Of Coffee

As I live in the Garden city of India, Bangalore, It is a gift for the people who Love venturing out around, Thanks to the Beautiful & Delightful destinations all around in Karnataka.

The Coffee Land of Karnataka, "Chikmagalur" is one of them.

ABOUT CHIKMAGALUR

Chikmagalur Literally means "The Town of the Younger Daughter" in the native Kannada language is a town which is located in the Chikmagalur district in Karnataka, India. It is located in the foothills of the Mullayanagiri range and is famous for the Favorable Climate and Coffee Estates.

Chikmagalur was the place where Coffee was first cultivated in India. Rivers like "Tunga" and "Bhadra" have their sources in the Mountains here which are parts of the Western ghats. Chikmagalur District also contains Mullayanagiri, the Highest peak in Karnataka.

It is around 250 Kms from Bangalore and hence is a perfect weekend getaway Destination for you who are Travel enthusiasts based in Bangalore and surrounding Territories.

Planning for the Trip

Chikmagalur has been on my bucket list for a long time. I along with my few friends started to plan for this trip a month before our travel & decided to visit the place in the month of June End as Monsoon was on the door, so before it gets heavier & would not be an Ideal time to explore, We wanted to Check out most of the attractions it had to offer us.

The Plan was to stay in Chikmagalur for 1 Night/2 Days and explore the Places around it.

We looked into various options to Stay & finally came down to stay at Discovery Plantation Delights Homestay, which eventually turned out to be one of the Best parts of our Trip.

Journey Day

Its been exactly 11 Months since we took this Road Trip but still, it feels fresh in my Memories as if it was just a few days ago. We Started our Trip at 6am in the Morning from Bangalore. It was a Saturday Morning so we didn't get much of Traffic.

Now, Coming to the routes, there are Two routes which you can take:

Route 1 (NH48): Via Neelmangala - CR Patna - Hassan - Bellur - Chikmagalur

Route 2 (NH206): Via Tumkur - Tiptur - Kadur - Chikmagalur

Recommendation: I opted for Route 1 and this turned out be a great choice. Route 2 is longer and some patches are not that good to drive on. I got this information from the previous Reviews of the people who used Route 2.

Driving with music is an all-time Favorite of mine. I don't mind driving around for long hours if there's music and if I'm on a Highway.

The newly constructed elevated Flyover on Tumkur Road towards Neelmangala is Awesome and you can reach the NH-48 Junction in no Time.

After driving for almost 50-60kms on NH-48, we stopped to have our breakfast at Kamat Upachar (in CR Patna); Famous for its typical South Indian Breakfast.

After having our breakfast We left for the final Destination. It's a decent drive and the course to Chikmagalur is delightful as you go by the hill ranges and forest regions. Most of the time It's cloudy and cool and you can manage out how to get stunning pictures at any Spot.

Devaramane

Devaramane, also known as "The Home of God" is a small village in Mudikere taluk in Chikmagalur. This place is 248 km from Bangalore and it takes you to a completely New Horizon of experience.
Instead of going to our Homestay, we headed directly towards this place as the weather was too pleasant to stay inside the room & It was little far from our place of Stay.

There are a few Places I have visited that have become very close to my Heart. Not just because of its mesmerizing beauty, but that combined with peace and love of the place. Such places become more than a Beautiful experience, they end up as a Home in another land.

Devaramane is one of the most Ideal places for the tourists to spend their time with their Friends and Family. Adventure, soothing ambiance of Flora & Fauna, the view of the dense goup of greenery from the Western ghats close by are the attributes of this amazing place.

It provides a variety of choices for the People who are adventurous & this makes it a perfect Trekking spot for both learners and hardcore trekkers.

From a height of 3000ft. the Stream of the river flowing beneath can be heard. "Gutti" and "Mularahalli" are the Two amazing spots in Devaramane which can take away all your attention.

A Laid-back vibe lets you totally unwind and revive, Far from the chaotic calendar of your everyday life. The Greenery, the peace and the Climate everything are Very welcoming and calming here. As we reached to the Top, the mountains were laden with fog which made the entire view amazing. I could not have asked for anything better.
So you should plan your next trip for this stunning spot settled in the lap of nature.

Hirekolale Lake

OK so Just Imagine a beautiful sunset, a pleasant weather, an isolated beautiful Lake surrounded by huge Mountains, a viewpoint at the Center of the lake & you are sitting beside the Lake... Isn't that an Amazing feeling from your heart? Your Imagination can be turned into reality. Yes, Hirekolale Lake can bring you such a feeling.

Surrounded by the greenery all around in the Western ghats, Hirekolale Lake is one of the most wonderful places to Visit in Chikmagalur. This beautiful Man-Made Lake is situated at a distance of 10 km from Chikmagalur Bus Stand.

The Lake enhances its beauty when you visit during sunset as the saffron Color of the sun rays gets reflected & making thepl place seems magical. The only purpose of the development of this Lake was to Supply Water to the nearby Town of Chikmagalur and assist in the irrigation of lands in all the villages.

The Lake is surrounded by the lovely mountains in the Western ghats thereby making it an amazing destination. This place also gives a perfect setting for all the Photography lovers who wish to add a pleasant Sunshot to their album of travel moments. This Man-made Lake is a delightful enjoyment for every Tourist in Chikmagalur and should not miss out on If at all You are Planning a Trip to the Town.
You will also appreciate the Exceptional Views of Mullayanagiri hills from Hirekolale Lake.

Tips:

1. Do not visit during the peak Monsoon as the Place will be muddy.
2. No Boating facility is available for the tourists.
3. Pets are not allowed inside the premises.

After spending enough Time at this Peaceful Place, It was time to bid goodbye and we drove back to our Homestay.

Discovery Plantation Delights Homestay

As I earlier mentioned this Home Stay as one of the Best parts of my Trip. After all the Beautiful experience during the day, we finally came to our place of stay at night. The place had a big space at the front which is being used as the activity area, the Bedrooms were airy and welcoming, with the balconies offering dazzling views of the Coffee plantation all around and giving us an Ideal space to tune into the sounds of nature.

Discovery plantation Delights, Chikmagalur

There was a Bonfire organized at night to make sure our stay to be warm, comfortable and cozy.

At Plantation Delights, you will find a restaurant serving local cuisine. Guests can enjoy a Buffet breakfast.

The homestay has its own Coffee plantation of its own spread over few acres.
Let me tell you in brief what I discovered-

Arabica Coffee Bean

First of all, Coffee estates do not smell like coffee. The smell is Inherited when the coffee beans are being roasted in the next process.

There are two kinds of Coffee plants- Arabica and Robusta. While Arabic plants are smaller in size, Robusta plants are larger. Also, Arabica plants need more maintenance compared to Robusta.

The cycle of collecting beans goes for a year. If You want to see Coffee plantation, try to visit a Coffee estate in December end or January beginning. Post that when plucking of beans is done. You will be able to see a monstrous presence of reddish brown color of Coffee beans in the estate.

I can still remember the gorgeous view from my Cottage, that delicious cup of coffee and the peace I felt there.

Mullayanagiri

Next day we woke up early and it was already planned to Go to Mullayangiri peak to enjoy the view from the highest peak of Karnataka.
Mullayanagiri peak rises to 1926.7m above the Sea level and is situated at the South of the range. It is 25Kms away from Chikmagalur and it's the Uppermost peak of Karnataka.

This place is a heaven for all the Trekkers and a lot of people goes there to visit the temple on the Top of the hill. If you love to trek, then this place should be in your "Bucket List". Also, there are few Trekking trails nearby so you can give it a shot.

It is one in a lifetime experience compared to the other places and there is no denying the fact.

So what else do you do when you have a company of Great Photographers???

Take Awesome photos right!!! ;-)

Tips: A few Handy tips from my experience below-

1. Start Early in the Morning if you plan to Trek to the Top of Mullayanagiri.

2. Taking Young Children under 2years to Mullayanagiri could prove Dangerous since the terrain is treacherous and oxygen levels get low as you trek.
3. Carry raincoat is a must in Chikmagalur.
4. If you are not an expert driver, consider hiring a jeep from the city center to take you to the remote sightseeing places around Chikmagalur.

Baba Budan Giri

It is one of the Most famous places in Chikmagalur. This place is also known as Chandra Drona Parvatha. This place has a famous tourist spot and named after the Muslim saint Baba Budan. It must be in your list of "Things to do in Chikmagalur." During Diwali people visit this place to worship Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudanswammy’s Dargha. This is one of the ancient Dargha and Hindu also regularly visit this Dargha.

It’s a nice place but not as great when compared to Mullayanagiri. As soon as we reached there, It started to rain and within a few minutes, the road got muddier and this place was covered by mists with almost no visibility.

After clicking some group photos and some amazing Cliff shots of the landscape that lay ahead, we decided to leave. However, the mist added a thrill in the Journey.

It was almost evening and we had to head back to Bangalore.

Transportation-

The distance from Bangalore to Chikmagalur is approx 240 Kms. You can reach Chikmagalur by bus, train, cab or by your own car. You can get buses easily from Bangalore at a gap of every 3 hours. If you want to go by Train, there are not many options but Trains are available Daily.

Have you been to Chikmagalur Before? Feel Free to Share your Experiences & Information in the comments section below.