When I heard of Coorg, all that came to mind was COFFEE, so I found myself just blown away by how many things to do in Coorg there are. In case you haven’t heard of this area, it’s in Karnataka, India in the Western Ghats.

I went with goMowgli and one of the guides, Karan, grew up on a coffee plantation there. It was amazing to get such an inside look at the area. Here are my favorite things to do in Coorg that you can do too next time you’re in the area!

At the bottom, I have links to the two VERY detailed posts I wrote on Coorg that explain these places in fuller detail. 

11 Cool Things to Do in Coorg

1. Spend the day walking around Chikli Holé.

backpacking coorg chikli hole

backpacking coorg chikli hole

It was a refreshing site to see cows eating green grass and no tourists around. The perfect place for a long walk or picnic. There is a hidden Shiva temple back here only locals know about- have fun finding it!

2. Bathe elephants.

elephants are dubare camp karnataka

elephants are dubare camp karnataka

Definitely a highlight of my time in Karnataka, bathing these huge cuties at Dubare elephant camp was a blast. I loved that they were well taken care of, retired logging elephants. I also loved that they were still used for work int he jungle, rather than just for tourism.

3. Stay at some cozy homestays.

Touring Coorg Blue mountain homestay

Dhyan's Den kodova homestay coorgI mention all the ones I stayed at in my posts that I’ll link at the bottom, but getting a hotel in Coorg is silly when there are so many homestays around, most of which are on plantations of some sort. I loved coming home after a hard day trekking, having a cute lady in her nightgown pour some tea, and a friendly dog come sit by my side. Might not have had WiFi, but was well worth it!

4. Wander the ancient Madikeri.

backpacking coorg madikeriIt’s this ancient town with a fort (and some amazing stories), one of the coolest museums I’ve seen in India (UM, stuffed cheetah, what!!) and had old school photographs (aka people carved into rocks) just sitting out, with no worries someone would steal them. What a town!

5. Coffee, coffee, COFFEE

Dhyan's Den kodova homestay coorgWhat can I say, Coorg is famous for coffee for a reason. We drank a lot, we saw a lot of coffee plantations, and the girls even got some to take home as souvenirs. We had it with all our food no matter what time of day!

6. Um, there’s wine too

Dhyan's Den kodova homestay coorgAlthough not the hugest fan of fruity wine, it sure was interesting to try all these random flavors like betel nut and pineapple!

7. Try Bylakuppe | Tibetan awesomeness

backpacking coorg bylakuppe tibetan karnatakaWho knew the second biggest Tibetan colony is in Karnataka!? and in Coorg of all places… it was so fun to see a new culture in the midst of all the curry and rice. I ate about 700 momo’s and then died of a food coma. There are amazing temples and restaurants here, as well as local Tibetan artists, hair stylists, and markets.

8. Four-wheel drive through Mandalpatti.

backpacking coorg mandalpatti 4wd

backpacking coorg mandalpatti 4wdYou just can’t ask for better views. I loved the jeep ride through the Western Ghats. This wasn’t a safari, this was pure bumpy fun!

9. Oh wait there is a better view | Thadiyandamol

backpacking coorg Hiking Thadiyandamol

backpacking coorg Hiking ThadiyandamolThis trek about killed me (two hours each way, I know, I’m a wimp) but WOAH that view! Beware of leeches.

10. Visit this secret waterfall.

backpacking Coorg secret waterfall cheladara

Ok it’s not secret because I wrote about it already, it’s called Cheladara. It was so great and no one is ever there. Perfect little stopover.

11. Swim in Iruppu Falls

backpacking coorg iruppu fallsThis one isn’t as secret, so get up early to check it out. The path to walk under is broken, but you can get it and swim a little here. It’s cold though!

Coorg is clearly amazing.

So there you have it! If you’re just popping through Coorg, I hope this list gives you a better idea of what all you can do. I think you could spend a full week here on your backpacking trip and absolutely love it.

Better to move about and try new places than stay in one homestay. This was my favorite part of the goMowgli tour I took. Enjoy!

If you want all the details, check out my two posts that explain my whole time in Coorg:

If you are planning a big trip to India, please check out my India Guide eBook. You can download it and read more about what’s inside, here. It has 6 year’s worth of India travel all tidied up into a perfect guide for travelers.

Dhyan's Den kodova homestay coorg

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