The Hindu Business Line : Figs and coffee

Imagine walking through lanes of coffee plantations in mountain valleys, away from the noise and pollution of the city. Attikan is one such destination. I started from Mysore to reach Punjur check-post and from there, entered the Attikan estate. Attikan lies at the confluence of the Eastern and Western Ghats in the Biligiri Rangana Hills of Karnataka. Attikan, also called `Fig Forest' Eco-Lodge, is situated at an altitude of nearly 6,000 ft. The place offers a mix of rich heritage, coffee plantation and hill-station delights, and is surrounded by the Biligiri Rangana wildlife sanctuary.

The bus took two hours to reach the check-post, where a jeep was waiting to take us to Attikan. The 30-km ride traverses hilly and bumpy roads. Deeper into the forest area, one could feel the cool winds bringing about a drastic change in the climate; the environs change too with verdant green forests appearing within sight. I was lost in the surrounding beauty when, suddenly, my companion pointed excitedly to a leopard, which howeverescaped into the thicket before I could see it.

As we neared the resort, we decided to walk the rest of the way, which we were told would take 15 minutes. The 15-minute walk however extended into two hours as we passed through several coffee estates. When we finally reached the resort we were so entranced by its beauty that we forgot all about our hunger.

Sitting atop the cliff and gazing at the trees, I could feel the breeze blowing strongly. After a good, tasty meal, we had freshly brewed coffee from the coffee estate. We then took a long walk into the hills to try and sight some wildlife. I sat on the edge of the cliff with binoculars, trying to spot any. Though we weren't lucky enough to see elephants, we did manage to see some stags and Gaur. As dusk set in, there was total silence except for the wind and the sound of the birds. We walked back to the resort and had a few mugs of fresh coffee and a good dinner.

It was an early start the next day, and we went exploring into the woods. We returned to eat a delicious breakfast before setting off to see how raw cardamoms are processed. Another walk into the jungle and a climb to the cliff top, where complete silence enveloped me. Though I did spot birds like the common kestrel and also heard the call of the Sambas, I could catch no sight of the the racket-tailed drongo.

On the return journey, we took a different route to reach a place called Kollegal, where we could spot many birds such as sand goose, red-collared dove, spotted dove, river tern, paddy heron, blue bee-eater and cormorant among others.

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