Chikmagalur, popularly known as the coffee land of India, is one serene place to visit. It is merely 5hrs from Bangalore which makes it a good destination for the weekend.

Travel

There are many buses to Chikmagalur from Bangalore. You can easily book a sleeper bus on redbus which costs somewhere between INR 500-850. The bus leaves Majestic around 11.30pm and reaches around 5.30am. There are other non-sleeper KRSTC buses. I would recommend that since the journey is not very long, a non-sleeper bus would be a better option. On reaching Chikmagalur, you can take an auto to the stay location. Taking your own vehicle becomes handy when traveling to the tourist sights.

Stay

I had booked a bed in an 8-bed mixed dorm in Zostel, which is perfect for solo travelers. The hostel is situated in a coffee plantation and is very beautiful, to say the least. The dorm rooms are small but enough for the night. The washrooms are clean and they have a spacious common room.

I took an auto to Zostel which cost INR 200. I reached the hostel at around 5.30. The check-in at Zostel is at 12 and they are pretty strict about it. But till then you could hang around in the common area which has sofas which you can rest on. There is also a common bathroom and a toilet which you can use meanwhile. Vinil, the person in charge of this place, welcomed me and gave me a blanket for the time being. I slept for around 3hrs in the common area and freshened up. There is also a small ‘Coffee bar’ where you get Maggi, bread, omelet, coffee, and tea.

Day 1

had my breakfast at the coffee bar and went on to talking to Vinil about what I can do there. He informed that I could hire a bike to visit the sights in Chikmagalur, which would cost around INR 650. The bikes are to be booked online from Royal Bothers. So you can book it before coming to Chikmagalur. I, anyhow, couldn’t do that as I wasn’t carrying my driving license. So, Vinil suggested that I tag along with others. And that is how I met my 2 fellow travelers for the trip. Vinil had booked an auto for us so that we could go to different places. The auto cost us INR 1600 per day. We left the hostel at 10.30am. The first destination was Mullayanagiri. It is the highest peak in Karnataka. You could take your vehicle to the viewpoint and thereon you could either take a jeep, which costs INR 500 for a jeep, or you could trek around 2.5kms to the top of the hill. I suggest you leave for the hill early in the morning to avoid traffic at the hilltop.

We stopped at the Hill View homestay for lunch and then left for Hirekolale lake. It’s a quiet place to be. There isn’t much to do, but you could just sit there and enjoy the view and see the sunset between the hills.

We came back to the hostel at around 6.30 and got our beds. We freshened up and were offered dinner at the coffee bar itself. You should inform the hostel beforehand that you’d wish to have dinner at the hostel. The dinner was nothing fancy but tasty and sumptuous. After a tiring day, you would appreciate the simple food. You could also enjoy the bonfire set up behind the hostel and just relax for the rest of the day.

Day 2

I kept no traveling for this day intentionally. I slept well till 9am, got ready and checked out at 10am, which is the checkout time at Zostel. You just need to clear the bed but you can hang around the hostel as long as you want to. If you intend to see more places, you can even leave your luggage at reception. After having breakfast at the coffee bar, I spent the rest of the day just hanging around. I caught up with some of my work and read my favorite book.

In the evening, I went to Serai, the first ever cafe coffee day set up in India, for dinner. It is a luxury resort and if you go there before sunset, you can catch a good view of the plantation in the area. It is merely 600 meters from Zostel. The cover charge for the dinner is INR 750 per person. It is expensive and hence I suggest that you go for high tea. The cover charge for the high tea is INR 550 and you could also enjoy the view in the evening.

I came back to the hostel at 9 and spend some more time just relaxing. My bus was at 11.45pm. Vinil arranged an auto for me till the bus stop. I reached Bangalore at 5 in the morning. The entire trip cost me approximately INR 4,500. The cost would typically be lower as the cost of the bus for this weekend was higher than other weekends. This was one of those trips which are best to just sit down and sketch for hours among the beautiful coffee and pepper plantations. It seemed like one of the best locations to have a change of setting and for peace of mind.