If you want to experience monsoon, you should go to those places where it pours.
24/7 relentless pitter patter of rain drops.
We love monsoon and have fond memories of it when we drove through Malnad experiencing countless waterfalls in Chikmagalur. We were mesmerised by lovely meadows in Sakleshpur while driving around. We drove under the canopy of waterfalls in the ghats on the way to Goa. We were bowled over mind-blowing Munnar in Monsoon.
We thought of sharing some of the places where we have stayed and come back with lovely memories of monsoon. Here is a list………..
1 Bettadamalali Home Stay, Chikmagalur, Karnataka
This was a pleasant surprise we discovered last fortnight. A lovely home nestled in the middle of a 350 acre coffee estate. Four lovely rooms and a nice balcony to sit and enjoy the rain falling over the hills in the front. What else do you need? Of course, a great hospitality by Ms Shantha & Nagesh Gowda and lovely food too! There is a pristine lake in the middle of the estate. If one is adventurous – we mean it as it is slippery and risky in monsoon, apart from leeches – one can go for monsoon trek to Bandekallu gudda from where the views are gorgeous.
2 Bananki Home Stay, Tirthahalli, Karnataka
Bananki is not like Bettadamalali. It is not in the hills. In the middle of a nice farm. It has its own charms and one of them being amazing hospitality of Arpita and Rachan and awesome Malnad food. Add to that are nice rooms in a typical Malnad setting, you have a place to enjoy the rains. It doesn’t rain here but pours. Sit in your verandah and experience the rain drops falling with force. When the rain stops, go for a nice walk outside the home stay and check out a small but pristine pond and a lovely stream flowing by.
3 Sinnadorai Bungalow, Kadamane estate, Sakleshpur, Karnataka
We want to go to Five acres – see picture above – during monsoon and just get drenched! It will be an experience of life time. Sinnadorai bungalow at Kadamane estate is a charming British bungalow perched on a small hillock in the middle of a tea garden. Spacious rooms and nice food are added bonus. You can read all about it here.
Sakleshpur – Kaptivated in Kadamane estate!
4. Kaadumane Home Stay, Dandeli, Karnataka
Dandeli is unspoilt and has some lovely forests. It pours in Dandeli. You may not be able to go on a safari in the forests during this time. That is compensated by checking out numerous water falls around and lovely views of Kali valley. Kaadumane is a lovely home stay in the middle of “kaadu” or forest! Narasimha Bhat and his family will ensure you have best of monsoon experience!
5. Gundimane Home Stay, Jog Falls, Karnataka
Like Kaadumane home stay above, Gundimane is in the middle of thick forests of Sharavathi valley. This is so remote that you love it. When you go there in monsoon, you will experience what it means to live in Malnad in monsoon. With Jog falls close by and numerous small water falls to enjoy during monsoon, this is one place to stay and experience monsoon. Vinayak Rao and his people are great hosts.
6. Thotadahalli Home Stay, Chikmagalur, Karnataka
This place has set standards among home stays in Chikmagalur ever since it opened. Prakash and Pallavi are great hosts. Tastefully done rooms – check out the room with an attic – and good food make this a nice place to stay and experience monsoon. Being close to Mulllyanagiri will help you drive up early morning for sunrise when no one is there. Lastly,don’t forget to appreciate the huge Bonsai collection of Pallavi.
7. Ambat Farm Stay, Palakkad, Kerala
We were there last week and we told Narayanan Kutty and Nirmala that we will be back during monsoon. They have only one well furnished room next to their own house in a 15 acre farm. The room is well done with lot of eye for details. We ate with the charming couple with zest for life – Narayanan is 83 years young and Nirmala in her seventies – in their dining room and Nirmala served us excellent Kerala cuisine. Walk down the farm for 500 meters and you will see a lovely countryside with paddy fields. A stream flows by where you can sit and spend some time.
This is the list of 7 places which are home away from home for us. You would love to go there. Go there to experience monsoon and come back drenched and refreshed!
Want to know how to experience Monsoon in India? check this out in this blog……..
Monsoon Experience in India – 6 Things to do to enjoy it!
We are sure you have a similar list of places. Please do share them on this blog.
Please Share
We hope you liked this post and enjoyed reading it. Please share it among your friends by clicking the buttons below. Our aim is to share our experiences to inspire you to travel more!
