A slice of heaven at Little Earth

Thanks to Outlook Traveller’s Bangalore Getaway book, I came to know of the Little Earth group and their resort called ‘Destiny Farmstay’ at Avalanche. The concept sounded unique and the pictures on their website looked refreshingly lush and pretty.  I added this place to my list of ‘must-visits’ immediately. At a little over 300 kms from Bangalore, this place sounded a perfect destination for a 3-day long vacation. We planned out this vacation for the next 3-day weekend and I must say, we’re really glad we took our little break at this little heaven of a place.

The Route:

Destiny is around 25 kms ahead of Ooty. To reach Ooty, we took the Bangalore-Mysore highway, crossed Mysore and drove to Gundelpet through Nanjangud. After Gundulpet, you cross the Bandipur and Mudumalai forests to reach the Y-fork at Masinagudi where one road takes you through 36-hairpin bends to Ooty (distance 36 kms) and the other longer route with no hairpin bends is through Gudalur (~67 kms). Like last time when we went to Ooty, my husband and I debated about which route to take. I wanted to take the safer longer route but finally we took the trickier shorter route (yeah, just like last time again). If you’re a nervous driver, this route is not for you. The bonus, though,  is an awesome view all through the route.

From Ooty, you need to follow the route map that the Destiny folks will give you. The route map is very precise and if you feel you’re deviating even a little bit from the map (which we did twice), then you’re on the wrong track. After you cross Emerald town, be sure to ask around for the Emerald Dam and take the turn that takes you to the Dam and not Avalanche town.

You will need to park at the Destiny parking lot (after a back-breaking drive of a couple of kms, especially the last 300 meters or so) where the Destiny people will send a military truck to pick you up to cross the last kilometer or so. This leg of the journey and a few kilometers prior is on a route that is more pot-hole than path – we were visiting during the rains which made it worse.

The place:

As soon as we stepped out of the truck, we knew what we saw was worth all the trouble to reach there. Nestled on the slopes of a small valley, close to a portion of the Emerald lake, the farmstay is a vacationer’s delight. In addition to the pristine surroundings the farmstay is located in, the resort is very well made and maintained. All the rooms and the restaurant are in 2 blocks – each with green roof and dark wood exterior with fireplaces for the luxury rooms. A sense of deja-vu swept me – this place brought forth some very old memories of Kashmir and recent memories of Switzerland.

View of the Emerald Lake from Destiny

Destiny Farms - Cottages

The restaurant has a wood-cabin look  and overlooks the lush green slopes. Each room has a small balcony and huge windows so every morning you can wake up to the misty hills. The resort also has a dairy farm, stables and other animals like rabbits, sheep in addition to slopes full of exotic vegetables like zucchini, iceberg lettuce, rhubarb etc.

Horses grazing in the farm

Room balconies overlooking the vegetable garden

The Activities:

While you’re at Destiny, it would make sense to spend all of your time at the farm resort rather than hopping in & out to visit Ooty and other nearby places. The resort provides quite some activities –  few of them free like dairy farm visit, horse riding, indoor games. Other activities – like long & short trek, valley crossing, camping etc are all paid. You can always go for leisure walks across the huge farm on your own. The views from every corner of this farm are spectacular. There is no TV and hardly any cellular coverage, so expect yourself to be pretty much cut off from the outside world during your stay.

View after a short trek from Destiny farms

The Food:

The buffet breakfast at Destiny is complimentary. The breakfast spread was quite good – everything seemed to be freshly made. The idlis were the softest I’ve ever tasted and the juice seemed naturally sweet. Many of the vegetables used by the cooks are home-grown. Lunch, dinner and snacks are a la carte. The prices are not very steep, though not very economical either. The quantities served are satisfactory and there was never a meal when I got up from the table dissatisfied.

The Verdict:

A Big YES. If you live anywhere within 400-500 kms of this place and don’t mind an hour of bumpy road travel, this is an experience you must not miss.

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