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Plantation
Trails is located in and around the idyllic
coffee growing estate of Pollibetta. Pollibetta
was once renowned for its high yielding
and fine flavoured 'Coorg Mandarin' which
was grown as an intercrop. Spread over an
extensive area, these estates also grow
pepper, cardamom and vanilla as intercrops.
Following the plantation's trail along the
beautifully pruned hedges, you can breathe
in the invigorating air and take in the
enchanting scenery of expansive estates.
You also interact with the coffee planters
whose life, they say, are poured into every
cup of coffee. Walking through the estates,
you can discover how India has consistently
produced and exported a remarkable variety
of high quality coffee for over 150 years.
The estate also has a
number of activities that you can choose
from. You can stroll through the estate
and if lady luck is on your side, you can
spot a lumbering elephant. A guided tour
of the coffee-making process can be arranged
and a sports enthusiast can have many activities
to choose from. For those who are interested
only in putting their feet up, the estate
has lawns where you could curl up with a
good book and, of course, a steaming pot
of coffee.
There are open-top jeep
drives through the coffee-plantations with
well-trained guides to help you understand
the nuances in growing coffee. These drives
are the best way to experience coffee through
the eyes of a planter and you can learn
how real coffee is made at the Tata Coffee
plantation. You can visit the cardamom kiln
and can even take some spices home with
you.
Bird watching is another
exciting way to experience the sounds and
sights of nature at its best. You can arm
yourself with a pair of binoculars and a
copy of the book 'Feathered Jewels of Coorg'
compiled by Dr S V Narisimhan to spot any
of the 300 species of birds.
If you are an adventurer,
you can trek up the hills of Coorg and explore
the countryside with your local guide. You
can never know what surprises you may have
in store for you. In the evening, you can
warm yourself around a bonfire and a spectacular
barbeque dinner should settle you just in
time to listen to some stories about Kodagu.
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