Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty Road

[goandude]

Originally Posted by kannan666

used the Masinigudi route both ways, roads for most part are excellent, watch out for a number of speed breakers from Bandipur to Masinigudi though. Heard that the Gudalur road has also been resurfaced and is in a good condition. Masinigudi route will save you around 36kms .

Thanks. So the only difference is the increased distance and time.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

If it was me, I would prefer the Kallatti(36 Hairpin) route.
Well, the other route is better(road condition) but much longer and not as exciting as the Kallati route.

OTOH the Kallatti route is very narrow and the yellow boards literally force white boards to the side.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

the roads as of last weekend are excellent indeed.
all the way from Bangalore to Mysore - no issue as usual.
Mysore-Nanjangud - been repaired and is far better than it was 4 months ago.
Nanjangud-Gundlupet - been repaired and is in very nice shape.
Gundlupet -Bandipur -Mudumalai - good condition.

Coming back you could take the Gudalur route - more scenic and gentler landscape.

Please do follow the hill driving rules and good road manners like not overtaking around curves, staying in the extreme left lane, not honking un-necessarily in the sanctuary area etc.

Enjoy!

Guess We will take the Gudalur while going and check out Pykara and the 36 hairpins on the way back. Give the brakes a work out. Thanks again guys.

[nfsfreak]

Originally Posted by goandude

Guess We will take the Gudalur while going and check out Pykara and the 36 hairpins on the way back. Give the brakes a work out. Thanks again guys.

Just a caution:
While coming down via Masinagudi (36 hairpins), be careful not to excessively use the brake just for slowing down (i mean, no continuous use of brakes). This could result in over-heating of disks and hence make it less effective when needed.
Just climb down on 2nd gear and you would be fine.

[dhanushs]

IMP: Always descend in the same gear which you used to ascend.

[shankar.balan]

please dont use brakes excessively while descending the hills. Use engine braking instead - ensure as Dhanush has rightly pointed out, that you use the same gear while descending the slope, that you would use/ used while ascending the same slope. Standing on the brakes all the time/ sustained harsh use on a downhill journey will burn out the brakes and sometimes can cause them to fail. Please read about and use the proper techniques for hill driving.
Enjoy your holiday and be safe.

Originally Posted by goandude

Give the brakes a work out. Thanks again guys.

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

please dont use brakes excessively while descending the hills. Use engine braking instead - ensure as Dhanush has rightly pointed out, that you use the same gear while descending the slope, that you would use/ used while ascending the same slope. Standing on the brakes all the time/ sustained harsh use on a downhill journey will burn out the brakes and sometimes can cause them to fail. Please read about and use the proper techniques for hill driving.
Enjoy your holiday and be safe.

+1. But even in first gear, you *have* to use breaks will descending in this ghat. Invariably, I get burning smell around 25th hair pin bend. I try to improve on this metric (avoid burning smell as long as possible) each time I drive. There is a great thrill in trying to drive well in descending this ghat.

Since I can't speak Tamil, I pay a toll of Rs.50 to the police each time.

BTW, is this the toughest ghat to descend in South India?

Prasad

[nilanjanray]

I sometimes climb this ghat on 2nd and 3rd gear (some places), but have found that 2nd gear is too high - while descending - for some stretches. Better to use first gear extensively. Else you will have to rely on brakes pretty often.

@ Prasad: Don't feel that this ghat is that tough as long you are careful (don't go too close to other vehicles while climbing, overtake cautiously, minimize braking while coming down, always be on the lookout for rash drivers coming at you etc.). I actually enjoy climbing up much more than coming down (too much of engine braking) - I find it takes me 10-15 min less to climb up than come down in my Fortuner.

Do be careful while driving in the night/eve or early morn though. Often elephants and bisons stand in the middle of the road.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

.... Often elephants and bisons stand in the middle of the road....

... with no reflectors to warn you. Pretty dangerous!

[GSMINC]

Originally Posted by prasad14

BTW, is this the toughest ghat to descend in South India?

Not the toughest, but IMO it ranks in the top ten,
other tough ghats in South India:
Sabarimala route-Erumeli to Pampa via the short route (only LMVs allowed during peak piligrim season)
Sabarimala route-Puliamedu/Pullumedu to Pampa (only 4 wheel drives allowed), this is the road on which the stampede took place last year.
Munnar to Top Station- a short but tough route
Kodaikanal to Munnar Via Top Station- road permanently closed now for vehicular traffic due to auto accidents blocking the road & also to prevent timber smuggling, drove several times in the 1990s
Munnar-Anamalai, Anamalai is the highest peak in South India
A few streches in the Thekkady to Munnar road

[shankar.balan]

Kodai to Munnar - the old POTATO Road as it was called. Permanently closed now and completely overgrown. Ive been on it as a kid. My dad has biked on it and jeeped on it quite extensively in the 70's.

Munnar to Anamallais - this is the small road (little more than a bridle path really) which connects across the range of hills called the "Grass Hills". This is also used for transporting cattle across from TN to KL for the butchery trade.

And, Anamalai is NOT the highest peak in South India.
It is ANAIMUDI peak followed quite closely by DODDABETTA.

Originally Posted by GSMINC

Kodaikanal to Munnar Via Top Station- road permanently closed now for vehicular traffic due to auto accidents blocking the road & also to prevent timber smuggling, drove several times in the 1990s

Munnar-Anamalai, Anamalai is the highest peak in South India

[PRADEEP KUMAR]

Folks,
Plan ooty via bangalore.
After Mysore enroute to ooty do you have decent eateries?
2 years back on the way to calicut ate at a lousy joint in gundalpet.


tx

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by PRADEEP KUMAR

Folks,
Plan ooty via bangalore.
After Mysore enroute to ooty do you have decent eateries?
2 years back on the way to calicut ate at a lousy joint in gundalpet.
tx

There's a CCD right at Gundlupet and I would say that's your best bet. Else stop over at Mysore and have a good bite.

[shankar.balan]

You can stop at:
1. Cafe Coffee Day - Gundlupet - reasonably clean toilets. Standard CCD foor and drinks. If nothing else, CCD like McDonalds, is attempting to sell a predictable experience for the motorist. They are not bad at all really.
2. Bandipur - PUG MARKS restaurant. You will get reasonable relatively inexpensive food options. Reasonably clean toilets too.

The Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundlupet-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Ooty road is also pretty good now. They are widening it and have re-surfaced it too. So it s not as uncomfortable a drive as it used to be about a year ago.

Originally Posted by PRADEEP KUMAR

Folks,
Plan ooty via bangalore.
After Mysore enroute to ooty do you have decent eateries?
2 years back on the way to calicut ate at a lousy joint in gundalpet.


tx

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by PRADEEP KUMAR

After Mysore enroute to ooty do you have decent eateries?

There is none after Gundelpet till Ooty. Or you have to go through Gudaloor, where there are some. Well, at Bandipur, you may get good refreshment facilities, not sure about the food.

Mysore - Gundelpet, there is a CCD at Gundelpet. No other decent place that I know of.

[nilanjanray]

CCD in Gundlepet...that is where I stop for a break.

A couple of places before Bandipur e.g. Jungle lodges, Bandipur lodge etc.

Small joints in masinagudi.

[ampere]

As Shankar said, if you want a proper restaurant, its Pug Marks at Bandipur. (Its a JLR property). But for all practical purposes, CCD at Gundlupet is perfect. It is also well stocked (Most of my experiences there have been good). The Gnudlupet CCD also serves as a perfect first break point from Bangalore. One would have done about 220 Km.

As regards to Pugmarks, one needs to be there in that hour for BF or Lunch. I think they dont have enough stuff left at odd hours. Can someone confirm that? I had that problem once, as I reached there at 3 while coming from Kerala. All I got was Roti Dal and Plain rice. (I could not ask for more! ) But yes the options do reduce.