Coffee country on steep, wet terrain
Madikeri and the wider Kodagu, or Coorg, region are defined by coffee estates spread across genuinely steep, hilly terrain, and by a homestay and boutique tourism industry that has grown up around the region's scenery and its coffee heritage. Almost nothing here is flat, and the region receives very heavy rainfall through the southwest monsoon, so — much like Shillong or Munnar elsewhere in India's hill belts — landscaping decisions in Madikeri are governed first by slope and water management, and only afterwards by appearance.