Maker:0x4c,Date:2017-10-31,Ver:4,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar01,E-Y
Of all the weekend getaways close to Bangalore, the most popular ones is Coorg. Its a great drive from Bangalore to Coorg, and towards the end you climb into the hills and are suddenly surrounded by coffee plantations and a LOT of greenery.
Naturally, Bangalore to Coorg makes for an excellent ride too. I have done the distance in a car plenty of times, but to do it on a bike was something I wanted to try.
Bangalore to Coorg
So, towards the end of June 2018, I found myself on the bike heading out on Mysore road on my way to the place I had wanted to ride to for a while. The route I took was to head down Mysore Road till Srirangapatna. Immediately after crossing the town, I took a right towards the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and followed that road to Kushalnagar and then to Madikeri. The total distance was about 240 to 250 km, which we covered in a lazy 5 hours.
Since it had been rather cloudy and rainy in Bangalore the past few months, I was expecting more of the same on the road. We were lucky enough not to get too much rain on the way, but we did get caught in a few showers here and there. Each time we would seek shelter in the closest shop and wait for it to stop.
Reaching the town of Madikeri was no big deal because I have driven there many times in the past. The challenge was to find our resort. We had booked a place called Three Hills, which we had found on Booking.com. Since we reached Madikeri around the middle of the day, we decided to postpone any attempt to find the resort to after lunch.
Related: 5 Cheapish Places to Stay in Coorg
Madikeri to Three Hills
Post lunch we checked the GPS and were told that the place was 20 km from where we were. We first Rode down the Madikeri-Mangalore road (National Highway 275) for 10 Km.
After 10 Km, we came upon a small road leading off to the left of us. We took a left and rode for another 10 km before we reached our resort. The road was a very narrow one, barely the width of an average hatchback, but it was pretty. It wound around coffee estates and the hills of Coorg.
Some patches of road were nice and smooth, but others were broken and rough, but riding up that road was pure joy.
Three Hills
Since we had booked the resort online, we didn’t know what to expect. Sure, we had seen the reviews and the pictures, but there was no telling when those pictures were taken and if the place was still as green.
Moreover, feeling a bit ambitious, we had booked a tent, and I was hoping that it would not be a disappointment. Little did I know that this place would go straight to my list of favourite places.
The place is about 20 km away from Madikeri. You go down the Mangalore road for 10 km, then take a left off the main road onto a small road that winds its way for another 10 km through the hills. It will eventually lead you to the resort, and there are signs on the way that will keep you on the right path.
When you get onto this path, you need to prepare your cameras and all because this is one very scenic ride/drive. Three hills surround the resort itself, hence the name.
It offers stays in log cabins and tents but don’t be fooled by the word tent. Each of these tents can accommodate two people, has a couple of couches in it, a TV and an attached bathroom.
The whole resort faces a big open area that has a couple of ponds in it. Towards the top right-hand side of this ground is a place where they have set up some benches that you can go and chill on. Once you settle in, you can go for a walk around the resort.
I would recommend that you go to the benches that I mentioned earlier because just behind those benches is a WATERFALL and a small RIVER!!! Yes, you read it right. It is very pretty and makes for an ideal place to sit and spend a few hours.
Their dining room has a nice pool table and table tennis too. If that too isn’t your way, then you can always watch tv in your room, although if you do, then you are missing out on a great place.
Things to remember about 3 Hills
A few things to remember would be that the resort has no phones and will give each room a walkie-talkie that can be used to order room service. On the subject of phones; you will not get good cell phone reception anywhere, so prepare for that.
There are also no shops nearby so whatever you want must be carried with you. Don’t want to drive 20 km to get it? No problem, you can ask the staff to get it with him when he does the evening supply run.
For first visits to Coorg, you can spend the day roaming around and checking the place out. Be sure to get back to the resort by evening. If you have already seen all, there is to see then, by all means, sit and chill at the resort.
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