Chikmagalur in April is the Coffee Blossom tail plus pre-monsoon transition. Daytime 28-32C at 1090m, nights 17-19C, humidity climbing past 65 percent, rainfall 60-100mm with pre-monsoon thunderstorms hitting the last 10 days. The Coffee Blossom window (which starts after the first pre-monsoon shower triggers synchronous flowering across Arabica plantations) often runs into April 5-10 — the 7-10 day visual peak depends on the exact first-rain date. Late-March / early-April blossoms remain at peak photogenic; the jasmine-scented white-carpet visual across 200,000+ hectares of Arabica plantation across Chikmagalur-Coorg-Sakleshpur is the year's defining Western Ghats experience. Tata Coffee plantation, Coffee Day Estates, Devon Plantations all run extended blossom-tour hours. Mullayanagiri (1930m, Karnataka's highest peak) still workable — the 470-step temple climb works 6-10am, mid-day temperatures at the summit exposed-stone make later climbs punishing. Baba Budan Giri (1895m, the Sufi dargah and Manikyadhara Falls trek) at clean access. Kemmangundi (1434m, the Sahyadri viewpoint), Z Point sunset, Hebbe Falls (168m drop) at full schedule.

Why April scores 8.0/10