If you ever feel inclined to leave the comfort of your hammock at School Estate, there is plenty to do and take in. From exploring the estate to mountain walks along ancient pathways, from bathing baby elephants to fishing for the majestic mahseer in the River Cauvery, from languorous cycling trips to a visit to a clan house, The School Estate offers an unmatched Coorg experience.
ESTATE ESCAPADES
Explore a 200-acre estate with coffee, pepper, cardamom and arecanut plantations dotted with both native and rare trees and home to dozens of bird species. Around every turn of our estate trails, a new adventure lurks.
MOUNTAIN WALKS
Running parallel to India’s western coast, the Western Ghats are an enchanting mountain range. A UNESCO World Heritage site, and a hotspot of biological diversity, the Ghats and its ancient pathways make for invigorating mountain walks.
GOLF
Golfers staying at School Estate can tee off at the Coorg Golf Links, a picturesque and challenging 18-hole golf course that weaves through hills and marshland, complete with a club house and world-class greens & fairways.
MONASTERY VISIT
The Namdroling Monastery built in 1963 is the world’s largest teaching centre for the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Just a short drive from School Estate, a visit to the monastery offers a rare peek into Tibetan culture, in rather strangely tropical environs.
THE ELEPHANT CAMPS
Get up close to an Asian elephant at the Thithimathi and Dubare elephant camps. Feed the pachyderms, help the mahouts bathe them, ride an elephant, or pay a visit to Balarama, a majestic tusker who traditionally carries the Howdah (a ceremonial carriage) at the annual Dussera celebrations at Mysore.
CULTURE
Your hosts at School Estate will help you navigate Coorg and its many cultural peculiarities. Whether its joining the locals in their annual harvest festival, Puttari or planning a visit to the ainmane, the clan house, the Aiyapas will gladly guide you as you unravel this unique martial culture.
ANGLING
The mahseer, a famous quarry of British anglers in imperial times, is a large freshwater fish of the carp family. While staying at the estate, you can fish for the majestic mahseer in the River Cauvery. Anglers are advised to carry your own equipment and inform your hosts well in advance of your plans to go fishing.
COFFEE PICKING
Indulge in a spot of coffee picking during your stay at School Estate. You can handpick coffee berries and learn how they’re processed, dried, roasted and ground at the estate’s processing plant, before they are brewed to make the perfect cuppa that greets you every morning.
CYCLE AROUND
Cycling is an ideal way to take in Coorg, its natural bounty, the rolling hills, coffee plantations and paddy fields. The countryside’s gentle slopes and curves are easily negotiated by pedal power. And for those cyclists looking for something a bit more challenging, there are steeper and more rugged mountains to conquer.