Coorg sightseeing by cab
Places to visit in Coorg, and the order to see them
Coorg's main sights fit in two days by cab from Madikeri: Dubare Elephant Camp, Kaveri Nisargadhama, the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe and Abbey Falls on one day, and Talacauvery, Bhagamandala and Raja's Seat on the other. One day covers Abbey Falls, the Golden Temple and Madikeri. Dubare is open to visitors only from 09:30 to 11:30.
14 placesroutes from road routing, timed against opening hours
How many days do you need?
Each plan is a real route by cab, timed against opening hours.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
1 day
Abbey Falls, the Golden Temple and Madikeri
6 places · 85 km by cab
See the plan →© OpenStreetMap contributors
Most people
2 days
Dubare, the Golden Temple and Abbey Falls · Talacauvery, Bhagamandala and Raja's Seat
10 places · 186 km by cab
See the plan →© OpenStreetMap contributors
3 days
Madikeri and Abbey Falls · Talacauvery and Bhagamandala · Dubare, Nisargadhama and the Golden Temple
10 places · 185 km by cab
See the plan →Cab for Coorg sightseeing
Call or message a local Coorg operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
Full day, 8 h / 80 kmSedan, SUV or InnovaPrice from the operator
COORG TAXI SERVICE.COORG BEATS TOURS AND TRAVELS
Visit website ↗Pickup from Coorg · based in Madikeri
Opening times of Coorg's top sights
With the best time to go and how long to stay.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Falls | 09:00 to 17:00 every day; small ticket. The path can close on heavy-rain days | At opening time, before the tour buses. | 1 h |
| Raja's Seat | About 05:30 to 20:00 every day; small ticket. A musical fountain runs in the evening when it is working | Late afternoon. Stay on, or come back from town, for the sunset over the hills to the west. | 45 min |
| Madikeri Fort | 10:00 to 17:30; the museum is closed on Mondays | Late morning, with the museum inside open. | 45 min |
| Omkareshwara Temple | 06:30 to 12:00 and 17:00 to 20:00; free | Morning, before it closes for the afternoon. | 30 min |
| Gaddige (Raja's Tombs) | About 09:30 to 17:30; small ticket? | Any time in daylight; it is quiet and close to town. | 30 min |
| Mandalpatti Viewpoint | About 06:00 to 18:00; a forest entry fee. Cars stop below the top, and a hired jeep does the last few km? | Early morning or late afternoon, when the views are clearest. It needs a jeep, so it is not in the day plans. | 1 h 30 min |
| Talacauvery | About 06:00 to 18:00 every day; free | Morning, before the mist and the crowds. | 1 h 15 min |
| Bhagamandala and Triveni Sangama | 06:30 to 13:30 and 15:00 to 20:30; free | On the way back from Talacauvery. | 45 min |
| Dubare Elephant Camp | Viewing only, 09:30 to 11:30, in batches of about 45 minutes (since 20 September 2026). The boat across stops when the river is high | Be at the river by 09:30. The camp is open to visitors only in the morning. | 1 h 30 min |
| Kaveri Nisargadhama | About 09:00 to 17:00 (one listing says 06:00 to 18:00); small ticket. Boating stops in high water? | Midday or afternoon; the bamboo keeps it shady. | 1 h 15 min |
All 14 places to visit in Coorg
Abbey Falls
1 hA waterfall on the edge of a coffee estate about 6 km from Madikeri. A paved path and steps lead down through coffee and pepper to a hanging bridge right in front of the falls.
In the 1-day planRaja's Seat
45 minA garden on the edge of Madikeri where the kings of Kodagu are said to have sat to watch the sunset. The view runs west over layer after layer of green hills and valleys.
In the 1-day planMadikeri Fort
45 minA hilltop fort in the middle of Madikeri, first built in mud in the 1600s and rebuilt in stone by Tipu Sultan. Inside are the old palace, two stone elephants and an old church that is now a small museum.
In the 1-day planOmkareshwara Temple
30 minA Shiva temple built in 1820 by Lingarajendra II, a few minutes from the fort. It looks unlike most temples, with a dome and four corner towers, and stands beside a tank full of fish.
In the 1-day planGaddige (Raja's Tombs)
30 minThe domed tombs of the Kodagu kings Dodda Vira Rajendra and Lingarajendra II, and of a royal priest, on a small rise at the north end of Madikeri. Built in the early 1800s, they mix Indian and Islamic styles, with domes and corner towers.
Day 2 of the 2-day planMandalpatti Viewpoint
1 h 30 minA grassy hilltop on the edge of the Pushpagiri forest, about 20 km north of Madikeri by road. It looks out over the Western Ghats, often with clouds below you.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.Talacauvery
1 h 15 minThe source of the Kaveri river, high on the Brahmagiri hills about 44 km west of Madikeri. A small tank marks where the river rises, and steps climb the hill behind it to a view over the hills towards Kerala.
Day 2 of the 2-day planBhagamandala and Triveni Sangama
45 minA temple town where the Kaveri meets two smaller rivers, the Triveni Sangama. The Bhagandeshwara temple, with its tiled Kerala-style roofs, stands just above the meeting point.
Day 2 of the 2-day planDubare Elephant Camp
1 h 30 minA forest department elephant camp on the far bank of the Kaveri, about 28 km east of Madikeri. You cross the river by boat and watch the camp's elephants with a guide, in small groups.
Day 1 of the 2-day planKaveri Nisargadhama
1 h 15 minA forested island in the Kaveri near Kushalnagar, reached by a hanging bridge. Paths run through tall bamboo to the river bank and a small deer park, and boats go out on the river.
In the 1-day planNamdroling Monastery (Golden Temple)
1 hA large Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Bylakuppe settlement, just past Kushalnagar and about 34 km east of Madikeri by road. Its Golden Temple holds three gilded statues, each about 18 m tall, of the Buddha, Padmasambhava and Amitayus.
In the 1-day planHarangi Dam
45 minA dam on the Harangi river near Hudikeri, about 33 km north-east of Madikeri by road. There is a large tree park below it, and the water is let out in a big spill after the monsoon.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.Chelavara Falls
1 hA waterfall in the hills of south Kodagu near Cheyyandane, about 35 km from Madikeri by road. The water drops over a wide rock face into a deep pool.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.Nalknad Palace
30 minA two-storey palace from the 1790s near Kakkabe, where the Kodagu king Dodda Vira Rajendra hid from Tipu Sultan's army and later married. It stands at the foot of Tadiandamol, Kodagu's highest peak.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.Cab routes from and to Coorg
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Coorg sightseeing?
Two days: one for Dubare Elephant Camp, the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe and Abbey Falls, one for Talacauvery, Bhagamandala and Raja's Seat. A third day makes it relaxed, with a free afternoon for Mandalpatti.
Can you still bathe the elephants at Dubare?
No. Since the camp reopened on 20 September 2026, visitors only watch, from about 10 m away, between 09:30 and 11:30. Touching, feeding and bathing the elephants is not allowed.
Can a car drive up to Mandalpatti?
Not to the top. Ordinary cars stop a few km below, and a hired local jeep does the last rocky stretch. That is why it is not in the day plans.
Which day is Madikeri Fort closed?
The museum inside the fort is closed on Mondays. It is open 10:00 to 17:30 the rest of the week.
Is Iruppu Falls in these plans?
No. It is about 75 km south of Madikeri, near the Kerala border, so it needs a day of its own. Stay in south Coorg if you want to see it.
Are Coorg's tourist spots closed in the rain?
Some can be. On red-alert days the district bans going into the water at falls and rivers, and Dubare shuts when the Kaveri is high. Check the morning you go, above all from June to September.