Bhagamandala

The sacred source of the river Kaveri on the Brahmagiri hill at about 1,276 m, with a spring-fed tank (kundike), a temple and a stepped climb to a ridge viewpoint; the Tula Sankramana each October marks the river’s ceremonial rising.

The most important temple of the Kodava people, near Kakkabe, dedicated to Igguthappa (a form of Subramanya/Kartikeya); a Kerala-influenced shrine that is the focus of the community’s Kailpodh and other festivals.

The highest peak in Kodagu at about 1,748 m, near Kakkabe, and one of the most popular treks in Coorg — a half-day climb through shola forest and rolling grassland to a summit with sweeping Western Ghats views; the historic Nalknad Palace lies at its base.

An 1820 Shiva temple in Madikeri built by Lingarajendra II in an unusual blend of Kerala, Gothic and Islamic styles, with a domed roof, minaret-like towers and a central tank.

A garden viewpoint where the Kodagu kings are said to have watched the sunset over layered Western Ghats valleys — Madikeri’s classic sunrise-and-sunset spot, with a musical fountain and a toy train.

A hilltop fort in the heart of Madikeri, first built in the 17th century by the Haleri rajas and rebuilt in stone by Tipu Sultan and the British, now enclosing government offices, a small museum, a church and views over the town.

A 1792 palace of the Kodagu (Haleri) kings tucked among coffee estates at the foot of Tadiandamol near Kakkabe, its wooden halls painted with faded murals; it was the last refuge of the Kodagu royals before the British annexation.

A cascade on a tributary of the Kaveri near Cheyyandane, close to Kakkabe, tumbling over a broad rock face; a short walk from the road (the descent to the base is often restricted), it is best just after the monsoon.

The Raja’s Tomb (Gaddige) — domed, Indo-Saracenic mausoleums of the Kodagu kings and a royal priest on a hill above Madikeri, with fine views.

A powerful waterfall about 8 km from Madikeri, set among coffee and spice estates and viewed from a hanging footbridge; fullest and most dramatic during and just after the monsoon.

A grassland hilltop viewpoint within the Pushpagiri range, reached by a rough jeep track from near Madikeri, famous for sunrise and sunset over layers of misty Western Ghats hills; often wrapped in cloud in the monsoon.

The third-highest peak in Kodagu at about 1,620 m, north-east of Madikeri, with a Shiva shrine near the top; a grassland-and-shola trek quieter than Tadiandamol, rewarding clear-day walkers with wide Western Ghats views.