If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ll know that moving to Bangalore has been somewhat of a challenge for me. First of all, I’m not a city person and Bangalore is a massive city that is heavily and densely populated. I’m fortunate to be living in a residential neighborhood, but peace and quiet is still very hard to come by. As I write this post, we are entering our 8th month since our arrival to Bangalore, and I can finally say that I’ve adjusted to life here. As in, I’ve gotten used to living here but there are still many things that I find difficult that I’ve learned to tolerate. Acceptance and tolerance are key to survival in India; an important life lesson that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

City life in India is absolute madness but for those interested in escaping the city and enjoying the outdoors, nature, and wildlife, India is a wonderful option. I have come to the realization that getting out of Bangalore and into nature at least once every 2 months is what will give me the reset I need to stay tolerant. Our first trip out of Bangalore was over the Christmas holidays. We went on a much needed, week long visit to Coorg (or Kodagu) in the Western Ghats, a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km along the western coast of the Indian peninsula. Coorg is in the state of Karnataka (same as Bangalore), and is located on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and is famous for its lush landscapes and beautiful coffee and spice plantations.

For the 2024 Christmas holidays, along with my husband’s family, we stayed for a week at The Linger Farm Coorg Homestay. It was an absolutely beautiful and serene place. It was perfectly peaceful; the exact break we all needed from the chaos of Bangalore. The pure air just filled my lungs and I felt rejuvenated. The life that was being drained from me (I get overstimulated very easily which can be quite draining living in a major city like Bangalore) was given back to me by mother nature. Bangalore isn’t known for its clean air and I could really feel that my lungs were being cleansed of all the dust and smog I’ve inhaled over the months.

Traveling with 3 littles children (a 6 year old, 4 year old, and 1.5 year old) and a 7 year old cousin wasn’t easy and, as anyone with young children knows, traveling with young children always introduces logistical challenges. The drive there and back, including all our food and coffee stops, was 9 hours each way (if you have a baby or toddler, I highly recommend getting a car seat because having to hold a little one for any number of hours is quite miserable for both the adult and child). And as often happens, each of us fell sick, one by one, with a stomach flu. The stomach bug was exacerbated by the fact that we didn’t have easy access to a kitchen or a washing machine (there were lots of vomit spoiled clothes and bedsheets and a need for plain food which we couldn’t get easily). But the amount of time we got to spend outdoors, amongst nature, was worth it all. Our older two boys played with their cousin nonstop, barely spending any time indoors in our small cabin. They went bird watching, bug “hunting”, hiking, played in the Kaveri (Cauvery) River (the major source of water in Bangalore), went for a hike, skipped stones in the pond, and enjoyed the simple, slow pace of the tranquil countryside. 

Somehow, even with such an insanely large population of people, India is still one of the most biodiverse regions and is home to a large variety of wildlife. You can imagine us struggling the first few nights as we tried to drift off to sleep to the unfamiliar noises of nature, gazing up at the insects roaming around in our cabin.

Most home stays and Airbnbs in India offer home cooked meals as well as coffee/tea twice a day. We spent a week not having to worry about food or washing dishes and were taken care of by the very kind and helpful staff at the farm. We even got coffee and tea served to us twice a day! A trip to the Linger Farm is well worth it and definitely doable with young children! Traveling with little children, no matter where you go, is more challenging than traveling only with adults and it requires more thought and preparation. But with some planning, extra gear and equipment, I’d say a homestay in Coorg is a must do if you’re living in Bangalore and wanting to explore the Western Ghats.

Here are some family friendly things that we enjoyed during our stay:

-Taking a dip in the Kaveri (Cauvery) River – kids absolutely loved this spot and went 3-4 times during our visit

-Trekking in the Kopatty Hills. I unfortunately didn’t get to join this trek because I had to stay at the farm with our youngest but my husband took the older two kids and they all absolutely loved it. There is a longer trek to the Kopatty summit but for those short on time or unable to summit due to other reasons, you can stop on the way at a smaller peak. This is what my husband and brother-in-law did since they were with children and they said the views were wonderful. The trek goes through jeep trails, dense jungles, water streams, outspread meadow and lush green grassland. My husband did have to carry our 4-year old most of the way so perhaps not advisable for younger children, especially if they don’t have a lot of experience with trekking. For more details on the Kopatty trek, you can read The complete guide to Kopatty trek.

-Visit the Talakaveri Temple up on the Brahmagiri hill. Talakaveri is said to be the source of River Cauvery and you can enjoy beautiful lush views from the top. It is a very clean and spacious temple. The children enjoyed running around while the adults walked around.  

–Dubare Elephant Camp: the camp is about 58km from the farmstay but can easily be done as a day trip. You have to purchase tickets in advance and we unfortunately did not make it because we were not able to book enough tickets in time for our entire group (we did not look to book until the evening before so that was totally our fault). We are planning on taking a weekend trip here and staying at https://www.junglelodges.com/.