I have been footloose and travelling extensively in the last few years, visiting many corners of the country. I have spent time in the North East, Ladakh, Rajasthan and Kanyakumari, where I have seen varied cultures and the amazing diversity of the country. But wherever I go, one thing that I often see is the difficulty in getting the right information. Informed tour guides with in-depth knowledge are always are hard to come by. Some times it is even difficult to get details about the right places to visit. It may often happen that you go to the most touristy spot in a location and completely miss something nearby that is equally interesting. Sometimes it can be frustrating to be standing in front of a beautiful monument with no one to tell you the inside stories related to its history.
When I met Lakshmi who shared similar thoughts and had furthered her ideas into helping travellers get a better experience, we joined hands together and created TravelWise. Both of us having done a lot of professional travel writing for newspapers and magazines, we had been used to taking that extra effort to collect information. We decided to launch trails and take with us people who are keen to know more about the places they go to. While launching our trails, we spent a lot of time researching about places to travel to. We spoke to experts to know more about history, culture, biodiversity and other aspects of interest to the travellers. We talked to the locals to understand the traditions, stories and legends associated with the places. We went through research materials and documents to design trails around a destination as a story telling session that can grip even the marginally interested tourist.
Hoysala Trail, the first of our projects got such good feedback, we were encouraged to continue further and work on more trails. Our second one, “Vignettes of Coorg” is now launched, with the first trip scheduled for coming weekend – 21st and 22nd November.
Below are the details of the tour. Join us for the tour, spend a weekend amidst nature and get to know a lot about the nature, culture and heritage of this beautiful district.
Highlights of the tour.
- Guided walk in a coffee plantation
- A closer look at the birdlife
- Know Cauvery saga at Talacauvery
- A tinge of heritage at Nalknad Palace
- Kodava culture at an ancestral home
- Stay with a Kodava family
Itinerary
- Pickup from MG Road on Saturday at 6.30am
- Return to Bangalore by Sunday night (Drop off at home)
More Information
Green hills, misty rivers, lost monuments and an endless fabric of coffee plantations. Add to this a distinct local culture and a history of conflicts and intrigue.
Welcome to Vignettes of Coorg. You see a different slice of life at every corner of this coffee country. Meet the Kodavas, soak in their culture, follow the call of the birds, wet your feet in a creek, feel the rush of a waterfall, visit an ancestral home.
As you travel, listen to stories of passion and intrigue, myths and legends and blend with the rhythm of nature.
Join us on the Coorg trail. Its time to wake up and smell the coffee.
To join the tour, email travel -at- travelwise -dot- in or call me at 9880006460
When do we see Travelwise in North ?, I heard that there are some decent guys around ;-)
Good Luck. Once you are back from this one, probably some more details might further help future trailers.
Thank you Nandan. I don’t know when we will head north, but we definitely will :)