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Coorg tourism
Kodagu is on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. It is a hilly district with the lowest elevation in the district at 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea-level. The highest peak, Tadiandamol, rises to 1,750 metres (5,740 ft), with Pushpagiri, the second highest, at 1,715 metres (5,627 ft). The main river in Kodagu is the Kaveri (Cauvery). The Kaveri starts at Talakaveri, located on the eastern side of the Western Ghats, and with its tributaries, drains the greater part of Kodagu. In July and August, rainfall is intense, and there are often rain showers into November. Yearly rainfall may exceed 4,000 millimetres (160 in) in some areas. In dense jungle tracts, rainfall reaches 3,000 to 3,800 millimetres (120 to 150 in) and 1,500 to 2,500 millimetres (59 to 98 in) in the bamboo district to the west. Kodagu has an average temperature of 15 C (59 F), ranging from 11 to 28 C (52 to 82 F), with the highest temperatures occurring in April and May. The principal town, and district capital, is Madikeri, or Mercara, with a population of around 30,000. Other significant towns include Virajpet (Viraranjendrapet), Kushalnagar, and Somwarpet.
Much of the district is under cultivation: characteristically and historically, paddy fields are found on the valley floors, with agroforestry in the surrounding hills. Ginger crops and meadows can also be found in the valley. The most common plantation crop is coffee, especially Coffea robusta variety. Kodagu is the first coffee production region in India. The Coffea arabica variety is also grown in some parts of southern and western Kodagu, the historical area of coffee production. The coffee agro-forestry systems of Kodagu are one of the most richest [agroforest] in the world with around 270 species of shaded trees inventoried (see publications of CAFNET project). But, the trend is now the replacement of the native shade trees by exotic trees (i.e. Grevillea robusta). In those coffee agro-forests are also cultivated spices like black pepper, cardamon, vanilla. Coorg is also famous for its forest honey.
Many other crops are also cultivated, including para rubber, teak, and cocoa. There are also large areas of natural forest, especially in the forest reserves in the south and east.
Kodagu is considered rich with wildlife and has three wildlife sanctuaries and one national park: Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and Nagarahole or Rajiv Gandhi National Park.
The flora of the jungle includes Michelia champaca (Champak), Mesua (Ironwood), Diospyros (Ebony and other species), Toona ciliata (Indian mahogany), Chukrasia tabularis, Calophyllum angustifolium (Poon spar), Canarium strictum (Black Dammar), Artocarpus, Dipterocarpus, Garcinia, Euonymus, Cinnamomum, Myristica, Vaccinium, Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubus (three species) and a rose. In the undergrowth are found cardamom, Areca, plantains, canes, wild black pepper, tree and other ferns, and arums.
In the forest of the less thickly-wooded bamboo country in the west of Kodagu the most common trees are the Dalbergia latifolia (Black wood), Pterocarpus marsupium (Kino tree), Terminalia tomentosa (Matthi), Lagerstroemia parviflora (Benteak), Anogeissus latifolia (Dindul), Bassia latifolia, Butea monosperma, Nauclea parvifiora, and several species of acacia. Teak and sandalwood also grow in the eastern part of the district.
The fauna include: the Asian elephant, tiger, leopard, dhole, gaur, boar, and several species of deer.
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