Every morning, as the first rays of sun filter through the foliage, a group of tribesmen begin their trek into the forest, as they have been doing for generations. Their mission; gather honey and herbs from the forest. Meanwhile, not far away, another group is already in their rice fields with buffaloes in tow, ready to plough the earth loose. The tiny district of Coorg in Southern India has woken up to greet another day.

The landscape is arid of different shades of green spread all over. The dark green pepper vines clinging on to tall trees, coffee bushes spreading out their branches, tender green cardamom plants covering the slopes, the coconut and banana palms swaying gently in the breeze with the wild flowers adding a dash of color.

They wake up at dawn is the chirrups and the twitters of a variety of birds that lingers through the day.

As the day gets warmer, the air is filled with heavenly fragrances of coffee and cinnamon. The village folk get busy climbing trees picking the spices and fruits.

The tribals start off to the local market in their bullock carts and the farmers can be heard humming a flock tune as they reap the harvest. Scenes familiar for centuries continues unhurried to this day.

The surrounding woods now comes alive with the chattering of the monkeys as they swing from one tree top to another. A herd of elephants parade towards the river, pulling down small twigs and branches on their way.

Bison, deer and Sambar graze on tall grass and the lepoard beings its prowl. As dusk falls, the chirping of crickets breaks the eerie silence.

Coorg has its own curious mixture of population, a clan of warriors and tribals. The warrior clan is the Kodavas. Legend says that they are descendants of the Great, who invaded India in 327 BC.

These warriors migrated and settled down in Coorg. Through they follow Hinduism, their customs and traditions are entirely different. They consider River Cauvery, the perennial sources of water, as their Goddess.

More significantly, the Kodavas are ancestor worshippers with each family maintaining an ancestral house called Aiynmane. These houses are quaint four winged structures made out of stone and mortar with large verandah, a courtyard, carved wood work and tiled roof.

They also have their own unique customs and traditions which reflect in their festivals, art, culture and language. The Kodavas speak Kodava talk a mixture of Kannada and Malayalam languages.

More significantly, the Kodavas are ancestor worshippers with each family maintaining an ancestral house called Aiynmane. These houses are quaint four winged structures made out of stone and mortar with large verandah, a courtyard, carved wood work and tiled roof.

Coorg is also a land of colourful festivals. Come harvest season and the district is immersed in color and music.

Kodavas have a distinctive dress for all special occasions where the men wear their traditional outfit called Kupia and the women wear Sari pleated at the back and draped over their shoulders. Married women wear a trailing scarf called Vastra.

On festival days like Puthari (harvest festival) it is enchanting to see the doe-eyed Kodava women and men dance to the traditional music in their colorful attire.

The tribals have their own colorful festivals and customs. Akin to some African tribals, the men and women smear ash and vermilion on their bodies, sing and dance around a fire pit after the sunset. Certain trees are also worshipped and considered scared.

Amidst this wild and rustic setting, Orange Country Resort offers classy luxury while retaining all the charm of Coorg, for the holiday of a lifetime. The resort projects a village character with 4 thatched cottages facing the paddy fields and the main facility located in the centre.

The resort offers standard cottages and also suites that consists of sit out, living cum dining, bedroom, dressing room and elegant bathroom. The cottages are individually placed with unusually large airy rooms, terra-cotta tiled floors and unique wood work crafted using a combination of noga wood and rose wood.

What's more, the resort also has a host of facilities like round-the-clock reception counter, banquet hall, laundary service, satellite television, advanced telecommunication system, indoor games and other nature related activities.

Pampering takes on a whole new meaning at this resort. Dip into the swimming pool or sprawl on the pool deck. The fully equipped gymnasium should help you flex those muscles and get in shape. Succumb to the pleasure of an Ayurvedic herbal body massage, a branch of ancient Indian medicine.

You might want to keep your spirits high at well stocked bar before moving on to taste pure magic. The cuisine served at the restaurant especially the curries are blend of local spices. The staple food of the locals is rice and an amazing range of dishes are prepared from it.

What goes with it are Panthi curry (spicy pork curry) and koli curry (chicken curry). The menu also features the best of Indian, Chinese and selected Continental cuisine.

Listen to the call of the wild-Go on trek through the jungle. Explore the diverse flora and fauna while expert guides enlighten you on the various species of trees, herbs, vines and their characters. On a lucky day you may come face to face with a herd of Elephants, Wild Boar, Deer, Sambar or even a Stray Leopard.

Head straight for River Cauvery bordering the Resort. Mahsheer, a massive game fish is every angler's favorite. The biggest catch recorded at the world renowned Valanoor fishing camp, just one kilometer downstream is a 96 pounder.

Ayurvedic Herbal Massage.