Kodagu – or Coorg - lies on the eastern slope of the Western Ghats. It is a hilly district; the lowest elevation is 900m above sea-level. The highest peak, Tadiandamol, has an altitude of 1,750m; Pushpagiri is 1,715m high. The principal river is the Kaveri River (Cauvery), which rises at Talakaveri on the eastern side of the Western Ghats, and with its tributaries drains the greater part of Kodagu. In the rainy season, particularly the southwest monsoon from June to the end of September, the rivers flow violently and with great rapidity.

In July and August the rainfall is high, and the month of November is often showery. The yearly rainfall may exceed 4,000mm; in the dense jungle tract it reaches 3,000 to 3,800mm; in the bamboo district in the west it reaches from 1,500 to 2,500mm.

Kodagu has an average temperature of about 15 °C, the extremes being 11 °C and 28 °C. The hottest season is in April and May.