RiverMist Resorts — Hotel in Karnataka

I recently stayed at the River Mist resort, and the experience surpassed my expectations. The resort is situated about 305 km east of Bangalore in the Chikmagluru region. I drove initially on the NH 75 up to Hassan and then via Belur and Mudigere. The UNESCO heritage temple at Belur on the way is worth a visit. The property is nested about 4km deep in the forest after leaving the Mudigere-Kalasa-Horanadu main road. The last bit of the road is rough terrain but managed to pull through with Baleno. Just 200 m before reaching you will need to drive through the Netravati River which is a thrilling experience. There was about 4-5 inches deep water. In the monsoon season you will have to park your vehicle on the main road at a facility and they will transfer you in a 4x4 vehicle.|From the moment I arrived until my departure, everything about my stay was impeccable. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a refreshing welcome drink. The check-in process was smooth and quick, Mr. Raju at the front desk provided all the necessary information about the facilities and nearby attractions. They even upgraded my room for part of my stay, which was a delightful surprise. |The room offered was extra spacious, beautifully designed, and had excellent views of the mountain range. The bed was exceptionally comfortable, ensuring a restful sleep. Every morning waking up to chirping of birds and swarming butterflies was the ideal start for a day. The truth is that surroundings were so awesome that I hardly felt the need to stay in the room ! |The resort's in-house restaurant was the highlight of my stay. Since the resort is in lap of nature and cutoff from the outside world, they provide all the meals. The buffet was top-class, offering a wide variety of options. I feasted on the sumptuous South Indian fare particularly the Malnaad cuisine. The chef even offered to prepare any personal request. This was however not needed as during my one week I witnessed dozens of mouthwatering dishes. A lovely cake was prepared for a personal occasion during my stay. They enquired about this upfront during check-in which is appreciated.|The resort is spread across a large area but has only 14 rooms. This ensures that it never feels overcrowded, and you enjoy the pristine environment almost privately. They have options of tree house style rooms, luxury camp style rooms with jacuzzi and regular rooms. The standout attraction for me was the buttermilk like waterfalls available within the property. I would like to mention and thank Ajith and Harsh who were the passionate environmentalists at the property. They gave the guests memorable morning walks, river walks and night walks through the shola forests. Got enlightened with some fancy stuff about the flora and fauna of western ghats. |A special session called nature connect was conducted for 15 minutes daily in the evening wherein all guests would muster at the pool deck and all resort lights would be switched off. This provided an ideal opportunity for star gazing and meditating on the wilderness of the jungle with cricket sounds blowing in the background. There was a clean swimming pool available to take a relaxing dip. |The front desk deserves special mention. They were always happy to assist with local recommendations. Their suggestions for sightseeing were very honest and practical. What truly sets the river mist apart is the staff attitude. Every member I encountered was polite, professional, and genuinely eager to ensure our comfort. The property owner was present onsite and engaged happily with the guests for any queries.|Some of the nearby tourist attractions worth visiting are - Rani Jhari view point, Ballarayanadurg fort, Kailasa/Horanadu temples, Kalassa hanging bridge, Amba Teertha, Kythanmakki view point with 360 degree views of lush green meadows, Mullayangiri peak(highest peak of Karnataka), Hirakolele lake(near Chikmaglur), Rolling tea estates and the aromatic black pepper climbers on silver oak trees amongst the coffee plantations. The drive through the serpentine roads itself was an eye tonic. Traffic was minimal which made the drive more enjoyable. |To sum up, the resort delivers an outstanding experience with its serene environment, delicious food, and exceptional service. My lungs thanked me at the end of my blissful stay here. I highly recommend this resort and will undoubtedly return preferably in monsoon to see the gushing streams and rain-soaked greenery.|Thank you, River Mist, for making my stay truly...

Of late I started to follow Karnataka and its rich heritage from past on instagram reels and it was like I struck gold when I saw reels on Chikmagalur and the scenic spots there. That how I chanced upon this heavenly abode on earth - River Mist Resorts. Right from the adventurous path that unravels itself with each turn and bend being so very different from the other and as we traverse the altitude leaving us high not in height but also our awe and excitement , we understood that the adventure began even before we reached the Resort. Just as we reach the resort at 7PM, we were invited by nature 360 degrees around us. Birds chirping as they return home, croaking and cricket pulse. The temperature was adding its share to chill along with the nature chills. As we were shivering, we are offered a herbal tea by the resort team which was such a soother. We were told to gather at the pool side for a 10 min meditation and so eagerly we waited for the clock to strike 7:30pm and there we were sitting just with like minded guests and nature in pitch forest darkness journeying into self in pin drop silence. Just as we thought we had enough adventure for the day, boom . A huge bon fire is lit by the resort team and opening our calm self to the warmth of the crackling and popping twigs was just not something that I could imagine ever dreaming of. After this amazing experience, we were asked to follow the extremely knowledgeable Naturalist Ajith for the evening Nature walk within the property. LO behold and what all did we get to see with our bare eyes in the resort property - 
Spiders - golden, flying , snakes, eagle, couple birds perching for sleep on tall trees. Ajith is working on diversity of spiders as an independent researcher. Can you believe that in the Resort property, around 300 known species of spiders have been documented. I loved his simple yet impactful message to the world on spiders- Small beings are generally ignored. remove the web if need be but let the spiders be, as spiders are one of the influential biological controllers existingThat is well versed Spider-Man Ajith for you!

The next day morning 7am we were all set to be lead by Harsh on our morning adventurous river hike.

Harsh has achieved his bachelor's in zoology from the Bhavan's College, Mumbai University. He loves observing snakes and life of the vipers is his main area of study.

He works as a full time naturalist at the River Mist resorts and one very exciting part of his work is to lead the guests in the resort on mesmerising nature walks and adventurous river walk inside the property. He explained to us the diversity in the natural species in the resort property. Icing on the cake, his enormous knowledge on reptiles and unforgettably, the emotion he adds to wild life reptiles and the enthusiasm with which he explains about the little reptiles and water beings like the Snakes and Frogs. With great empathy he handled an injured snake and a tiny frog right in front of our eyes. This has had a great impact on my girls so much so that my younger one intends to change her line of study to support wild life. Thank you Harsh for being such a knowledge resource and answering so many of our queries with ease and patience. Not to forget mentioning here that he is not only an active naturalist but also is excellent at managing the operations, events and activities at the River Mist Resort. Dear Harsh, We wish this ardent Snake-man all the very best in his pursuit to achieve the Masters in Forestry.

The team at the reception and food - Ambareesh, Srijith and the others whose names I forgot to register were fabulous. The food and Room service was perfect to the T. Nature and keeping it pristine is the topmost priority of the management team is what we had noticed. It takes a great mind to create a natural resort like this. Hats off to the brains behind the River Mist Resorts and its architecture team. We shall be back soon.

With huge...

In the folklore Aladdin and The Magic Lamp, Aladdin had three wishes to make to his genie and those wishes are all fulfilled. When you are in Rivermist Resort, you feel like Aladdin and guess what, you have unlimited number of wishes to make and the team led by Mr. Srijith and Mr. Ajith, at the resort makes sure that all your wishes come true.

Our stay in Rivermist Resort was nothing short of a magical experience of 3 days. The team at the resort gives you a Disney like experience. The moment you arrive, your bags are taken and all you need to do is to soak in the beautiful property and the amenities/services they offer.

The property is in the middle of the forest, and you have to cross a river stream to reach, the journey is an offroad drive which in itself is quiet exhilarating. The property is surrounded by lush green forest and coffee plantation with abundance of flora and fauna. Mr. Ajith, who is a naturalist takes you on 3 trips, 2 of nature walk (day trip and night trip) and 1 of a river walk which is an amazing trek like journey through river Netravati. His knowledge of the wildlife there is mind blowing. Don’t miss any of these walks and treks.

We stayed in the Premium Cottage rooms which are big and spacious, even the bathrooms are large with the most modern fixtures. Despite being in such a remote location you will get a feeling of being in a luxury hotel in the city. The balcony opens to the Charmdy mountain range, and the mornings are something you would look forward to with birds chirping and the greenery of the property, with only the silence of the valley to gather yourself.

Then there is a waterfall a little down the property which is accessible only through the property and that makes it a private waterfall for you. You generally don’t have a waterfall only to yourself in today’s world, but here at Rivermist its only for you to enjoy. No one will fall over your shoulder while taking a selfie, its just you with your dear ones!

In a remote location you would always worry about food, but rest assured the buffet spread for breakfast, lunch and dinner will just surprise you. Each and every dish was delicious, and they catered to our requests of customizing few things without any fuss. Can you imagine 3 choices of desserts for lunch and dinner in the middle of a forest?? I won’t have to speak about the main course spread!!!

They host an activity everyday at 7:30pm where all the lights of the resort are turned off for 5 minutes and guests can enjoy the sounds of the forests, fireflies light up the forest, toad/frog calls, crickets chirping and listening to many other insects and birds’ calls is an unique experience to have.

We would certainly be going back to experience the post monsoon hues of the property and we are already looking forward to it! We are grateful to Rivermist team for taking such great care of us and ensuring that we really go back refreshed with loads of pleasant memories. It’s a place to just break away from the cacophony of our daily life and submerge ourselves into the peace...