Coorg @ Honey Valley estate
Can time stand still but yet move on eternally ? Yes, this kind of rare phenomenon happens at Honey valley estate..a paradise among the hills of Coorg, where there is no difference between weekdays and weekends..where television sets don’t blare..and mobile phones don’t scream..where the only traffic is that of cows grazing and the only noise is of birds chirping..well in short, its a welcome retreat thats truly out-of-the-world!
Getting there
Situated among the hills of the Western Ghats in Kodagu / Coorg district , Karnataka, Honey Valley is an estate run by the Chengappa family. From Bangalore, its a 6 hour drive to Virajpet which is a town in Coorg. From there you have to reach Kabbinakkad, a small town, about 45 minutes from Virajpet. From kabbinakkad, our host Mr. Suresh Chengappa will very gladly pick you up in his jeep anytime of the day. The Chengappas - Suresh, Susheela and their daughters Savitha, Cynthia are very hospitable people. At first we thought we’ll stay at Honey Valley and see ’other’ places, but only later did we realise that Honey Valley is THE place to see and experience! So read on to find out more about it..
Trek it out
Honey Valley has wonderful trails for trekking..Our hosts have done all the treks themselves and have created maps for the same. There are treks of varying difficulty - ranging from the short 2 hour ones (both ways) in not-so-hilly terrain to the full day treks to Mt. Tadiannamol which is the highest peak in Coorg. We stayed at Honey Valley for two days and took two treks one easy and the other a half-a-day one across ridges and rain forests. The second trek especially was very scenic and I could really experiment with my SLR zoom camera. (Will know the success of the experiment once the prints are out!). They have local guides for the treks but we chose to do it ourselves with the help of the maps. On the second day, one of their dogs called Jerry came with us. Jerry is a well-behaved cross-breed alsatian and more than a guide, he was very good company, wagging his tail whenever we fed him biscuits and giving us short barks as he dutifully waited for us at every bend..
Coorgi cuisine
There’s more to Coorgi cuisine than just pork. Being vegetarians, we were quite anxious about the food, so we took a lot of snacks and things like cup-o-noodles, but they were not necessary. The food there was very good, atleast for us - not-so-spicy with lots of salads, fruits apart from the authentic main dishes. Liked Pal Puttu which they gave for breakfast - it is made out of coconut, cardamom and rice. For the non-veggies - guess there’s a lot more variety which can be explored. To speak of the hospitality of the Chengappas, well, we did not anticipate a half day trek on day 2, so we did not take packed lunches like everyone else. When we returned at 4 p.m., it was past lunch time. Mrs. Susheela said that she had made lunch only for the family and served us that food. Later we found that they did not even charge us for it because it was not a full-fledged meal! Such non-commercial home stays are quite rare to see these days..
Hunt for the Orion
The night sky here is one of the best that I’ve ever seen. One can get an unobstructed view of the sky and the stars, especially on a cloudless night. So all those astronomy buffs or simply sky-watchers, just switch off the lights and watch the stars..its truly amazing..
Final word
There are many other things that one can do here - you can explore their coffee plantations, read a book, light up a bonfire, swim, or play volley ball. You can also have a good chat with the Chengappas who’ll tell you stories about coffee, cardamom and Coorg. But if you want to just do some sight-seeing well, then you might have to stay in a hotel in Madikeri or some other town. But to experience the true essence of Coorg at a reasonable price, Bingo! Honey Valley is the place for you. So, go with your family or friends and enjoy the rare confluence of man and nature...