While driving to Coorg, just two km away from Kushalnagar, on the State Highway linking Madikeri and Mysore, one can see a wooden arch beckoning all tourists to Cauvery Nisargadhama, a breathtaking emerald green riverine island, carved by the river Cauvery just as it reaches the plains.

Originating in Talacauvery, at the foot of Brahmagiri hills, the meandering river has created a cluster of five islets teeming with greenery, of which Nisargadhama is the biggest and most picturesque.