Coorg and Club Mahindra

A couple of long weekends were spent in the club Mahindras at Virajpet and Madikeri. Both of them are sprawling properties set a few kilometers from the main town. The shortest route to Coorg goes via Mysore, and having left early, we made a quick stop at Ranganthittu to catch a few glimpses of the pelicans and grey hornbills. The first evening at Virajpet was spent in driving down to Kerala and back through a forest.

The second day was spent traveling to Tala Cauvery and back. Although it is closer to Madikeri, the route from Virajpet has a few other spots on the way. A couple of temples closer to the TalaCauvery and a hill that provides a view of the valley are the main attractions. On the way back we stopped at Iguthappa temple, a popular temple for the local deity. As evening fell, Nalaknad palace was the final stop on the list. It is a small palace but the surroundings are a great place for watching birds. There were malabar barbets, black bulbuls, blackbirds, green pigeons, grey hornbills and greater racquet tailed drongos. Also spotted a couple of smaller raptors on the road nearby the next morning and a number of huge wood spiders. The road towards Nalaknad palace from the club is also excellent in the mornings for watching birds.

The drive back was done through with a pitstop at Irpu falls. There is a 1 km trek to see the falls, which is generally quite crowded during the day. Nevertheless it is a beautiful spot. Taking another detour through Nagarhole tiger reserve, we managed to spot a few more birds including a blue faced malkoha. With the exception of a few forest jeeps, traffic was sparse but we maintained a slow pace to spot more.

Unlike Virajpet which is plain, Madikeri is at an altitude and much cooler. The resort also has multiple steep climbs. The monasteries on the way near the Tibetan settlements, were busy owing to the weekend but not too crowded. One of the prayer halls was closed for renovations but the 3 large golden Buddhas were open. The evening was spent at Abbi falls. There was a short trek route from the resort but we opted for the lazier motor-able route.

Birding within the club was also quite rewarding in the morning. A malabar whistling thrush, grey hornbills, coucals, green pigeons, warblers, sunbirds, various bulbuls and drongos are visible until the guests wake up. The day was spent around Madikeri's popular spots like Omkareshwar temple, Madikeri fort and a viewpoint at Raja's Seat. Nisrgadhama is a short drive from Madikeri but tends to be very crowded due to easy access. A rickety bridge later are a few spots to dip feet into the river and although signboards talk of elephant rides and deer parks, these are defunct. Herur dam is another viewpoint with good birding spots along the way but the dam itself seems to have been closed for general public, not sure if that was temporarily or permanently. Wrapped up the trip with some more birding within the club the next morning