Hello Traveler,Coorg which is also known as “Scotland of India” is easily accessible from Bengaluru via road .Please book in advance your travel needs (bus/cab) or else if you are traveling by your own vehicle ,then it is even better as you can have multiple pit stops to give your eyes a sight to relish !Assuming you have booked a cab or you are taking your own car there ,let us try to paint the 2 day holiday for you and your family.Day 1: Early morning (6–7 AM) ,you can start your journey towards Madikeri (district headquarters of Coorg or Kodagu ) which is 260 KMs from Bengaluru .Starting early helps you in avoiding the city traffic of Bangalore ,as well as It gives you ample time to spend your journey in your own leisure .Mysore falls around 150 kms from Bengaluru and just around 20 kms before Mysore, the travel path diverts towards a narrower road which eventually takes you to Madikeri. On the way ,while absorbing the lush greenery that the roads have to offer to you ,you can also take a stop at Balmuri Falls which is on a diverted path but pretty near to main road. It is actually 1 amongst the multiple places where Mighty Cauvery creates a scenery worth watching . What I personally liked about Balmuri is- It has a very calm river bank and yummy fish fries to devour .Try visiting the local temple for divine blessings . Word of caution : If due to some reason ,there are number of cars waiting to get parked ,it is better to park your vehicle a bit far and travel on foot for remaining distance .Let’s hit the road again for even better avenues on the way to Madikeri.About 80 kms from Balmuri, you have the second largest Tibetan Settlement in India at Bylakuppe [1] ,where you can spend another 30 mins-1 hour admiring the amazing architecture of Tibetan Monastery and get a taste of their culture .By this time, as per my relaxed estimate, it should be around 2–3 PM in afternoon but if you are not making regular stops, you can cover all these places well before 1 pm.It gets darker a bit early in forests,so we will try to make use of the remaining sunlight of the day by stopping at Nisargadhama [2] which is basically created over an island of River Kaveri . Pretty modest ticket charges and you are inside it where you will find greenery , wild deers ,zipline activity and multiple things to buy ,specially if you have women traveling with you , they will certainly like the place for the shopping items .You can spend a good 1–1.5 hours here and since the rest of the journey is pretty short ,you can munch on several food items (mostly fast food) if at all you are hungry.The last leg of journey is dependent on where you have kept your accommodation . I stayed in Madikeri town and found it pretty convenient with respect to movement in and around Coorg and also ,It has a nice market .Many tourists stay at Kushalnagar[3] and if you have booked your accomodation there, you can finally take your vehicle towards there and relax for the day. In the evening ,in case you are staying at Madikeri, you can try mouth watering authentic Coorg cuisine at numerous restaurants but you have choices of normal South/North food as well.I liked Coorg style meals and coffee a lot . Having an early start from Bengaluru means you all would be tired and it is in your best interest to hit the bed early so that you are ready to conquer Day 2.Day 2: It is usually a tad cooler than Bangalore at Coorg, so grab your mug of coffee,fill your tummy with a good breakfast and get started to embark on an even more exciting day of journey.I assume that we start at 8 AM . If you are staying in Madikeri, you can visit the Omkareshwar Temple [4] which I liked a lot because of its unique architecture which is within 1 km from main roundabout of Madikeri Town .Once you are done, you can keep travelling towards Abbey Falls which is located just 5–6 kms from Madikeri town . Enjoy your time there and don’t forget to stay safe.At this point ,we have 2 options :Plan 1 : Go towards Dubare Elephant CampPlan 2: Go towards Mandalpatti .Unfortunately, if you are on a 2 day trip ,you can’t cover all places because in my personal opinion ,If you are not relaxing a little bit, spending time at places and just moving in/moving out of spots , It won’t qualify as Quality time which is very essential in a trip. I would prefer Route 1 if I am OK with a little bit of adventure and Route 2 if I want to feel the chill of hills . But again,it is very subjective and it depends on when you start from Bengaluru . If you take a night journey from Bengaluru towards Coorg and are ready to roam around Coorg for full 2 days ,then you can cover but I won’t recommend.Now, let us come back and I will discuss in details about both routes ,so let us start with Plan 1.Once we are done with Abbey Falls (by 11 AM) ,We can start traveling towards an adventurous tourist spot - Dubare Elemphant Camp [5] . It is highly recommended to go for River Rafting offered at this place and the route taken while Rafting will transport you to a different world of peace ,greenery and calmness. For me ,It was the highlight of my trip.(Note : Many people go to other side of river to see Elephants and Mahouts involving them in daily chorus but I didn’t go there due to scarcity of time and lack of interest ,but you might want to do that ,so it is up to you )Now ,coming back to the adventure ,the Rafting counters are located right there on the shore and will pryou all the details .For the family members who wish to opt out of this activity due to health reasons or personal preferences , you need to inform the cab driver to be taken to the place where you are going to halt your rafting boat (almost 10 kms from where you start ). Please make sure you have kept your footwear in the vehicle itself before setting your feet on the boat. Drops (water currents) that you will face on your rafting route will give you an adrenaline rush and long lasting memory but it is pretty safe and moderate .The Rafting coordinator will help you out with carrying mobile phones so that you can click pictures while the boat is at peace during the journey but always be careful about holding the phone properly .As the journey ends ,you can find the car parked and get into it after getting your clothes changed at 1 of the multiple change rooms located near the drop point .YOUR CLOTHES WILL GET WET DURING RIVER RAFTING,SO MAKE SURE YOU CARRY ADDITIONAL CLOTHES IN YOUR CAR.Plan 2 : Post Abbey falls visit, we can take our vehicle towards a group of hills famous for its chilly nature and fast winds ,Mandalpatti . It is situated some 24 kms from Abbey falls and most of it you will cover on car but for the last leg ,The terrain is muddy ,full of rock gravels and hence, It is compulsory to take a jeep (costs 200–300 per person,back and forth) after parking your car at the last mile .Once you reach at top, you will get to witness the hide and seek game of clouds resulting in multiple views of same hill (It is truly mesmerizing ). Please carry woolen clothes /jackets at this point if you don’t want to take any chances .Even on bright sunny days ,Mandalpatti sends shiver down the spine .Either you went on Plan 1 or Plan 2, you should be done by 2 pm and now, it is time to have a sumptuous meal .Although you don’t want it,but you need to get back on car to return towards Bengaluru . It might be a bit saddening to end this ongoing happy hours but wait ,I have got 1 more gem on the way .While you are on the way ,about 100 kms from Coorg, you have Brindavan Gardens [6] which gets amazing at Evening time . It would be nice if you can spend some time and witness the musical fountains as well as go see the mighty dam of KRS [7] . After spending an hour or 2 at this beautiful spot ,you can start your journey towards Bengaluru (150kms from there ) .Don’t forget to try out some Dhaba or Fish Curry Mangalore Style when you feel like having dinner on your way .By this plan,you will be in Bengaluru by 11 pm and take a good 6–7 hours of sleep ,before the city life gets better of you !All the best :)Footnotes[1] Bylakuppe - Wikipedia[2] Nisargadhama - Wikipedia[3] Kushalanagar - Wikipedia[4] Omkareshwara Temple | Temples at Madikeri | Coorg[5] Dubare - Wikipedia[6] Brindavan Gardens - Wikipedia[7] Krishna Raja Sagara - Wikipedia