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As tourism is on the rise and travelers are looking for alternative stays other than hotels, Homestays have emerged as a very good option for Travelers. Coorg district is one-such popular destination with several Homestay options. Coorg or Kodagu as it’s known, is spread across 4102 sq kms and offers a unique opportunity for travelers to experience hospitality of the Kodava community, who own and run majority of Homestays across the District. However, travelers need to keep in mind the following important points regarding Homestays in Coorg and make sure that they are making their reservation in an authentic Homestay, to truly experience the local culture, cuisine and also the hospitality of the Kodava community-
“majority of Homestays and Homestay owners in Coorg promote eco-sensitivity and promote non-use of plastics, keeping the environment sensitivity in focus. Travelers are advised not to carry along plastic items and avoid littering”
1. Authentic Kodava Homestays offer travelers a close-glimpse of the Kodava culture and the Kodava cuisine. With a little interaction with the hosts’, travelers will also understand more about Coorg, it’s history and the way-of-life of Kodavas here.
2. Coorg being a coffee growing district, it is advisable for travelers to choose Homestays’ located on a coffee plantation, to truly experience a serene stay and also understand the process of Coffee and Black pepper cultivation, along with enjoying a home-grown cup of coffee.
3. The best mode of commute to Homestays in Coorg is a self-driven or driver-driven four-wheeler. Travelling in a two-wheeler is also gaining popularity among travelers. Families travelling as a group also hire commercial vehicles for travel. Majority of Homestays offer sufficient parking spaces for vehicles.
4. Travelers staying in Homestays located on Coffee plantations will see cultivation of 2 varieties of Coffee- Robusta and Arabica. Robusta plantations offer better visual appeal compared to Arabica due to the bigger size of the Coffee leaf and the plants being more spread-out. One will also notice several jungle and silver oak trees within Coffee plantations and will also see black pepper creepers growing on these trees.
5. Homestay accommodation offered in Coorg is usually of 2 types, one with the guest rooms within the Host’s home, and others with guest-rooms located outside the Host’s home to offer privacy to travelers. Choose either of the options based on your preference of privacy and interactions with the host and other travelers
6. Kodava hosts usually speak several languages and are fluent in English, Kannada, most South Indian languages and can also speak Hindi. The workers in these Homestays are local people from both the Kodava and non-Kodava speaking community. In recent-times people from across India are being employed by Homestay owners due to the lack of availability of workers locally.
7. Homestays in Coorg offer authentic Kodava cuisine and travelers are advised to try several of the delicious Kodava food, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Some of the popular dishes include Pandi curry(pork curry), Bamboo shoot, Mango curry, Thambuttu(sweet dish), Paaputtu Kadambuttu and Noolputtu (rice based) and Payasam. Homestays in Coorg are usually surrounded by several fruiting trees which also attract several types of birds and animals.
8. A stay in a Coorg Homestay is incomplete without visiting the several serene tourist spots frequented by tourists, and also several other spots that are hidden-gems of Coorg. Choosing a Homestay close to many of these popular tourist spots will make your stay and travel convenient. Popular among tourists is the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, Dubare Elephant camp, Kaveri Nisargadhama, Raja seat, Golden temple, several water falls including Irpu, Abbey, Chelavara, Trekking spots including Brahmagiri, Thadiyandamol and others.
9. Travelers to please note that travel time within Coorg from the North of Coorg to the South can be as much as 2 hours or more. Hence plan your stay for a minimum of 2-3 nights to allow for sufficient time to plan visiting several parts of Coorg.
10. Last but not the least, majority of Homestays and Homestay owners in Coorg promote eco-sensitivity and promote non-use of plastics, keeping the environment sensitivity in focus. Travelers are advised not to carry along plastic items and avoid littering. Majority of Homestay owners also practice self-sustaining model of growing their own vegetables, rearing their own cattle and feed, bringing about an eco-balance and longer term sustainability