[arun_josie]

I am taking the below route to Ooty this weekend. Planning to start by 4:00-4:30 AM from Bangalore. So, we may have breakfast before Mysore. Any good hotel after Theppakadu for a stoppage?

Bangalore - Mysore - Theppakadu - Gundlupet - Bandipur - Mudumalai - Gudalur - Ooty

Also, please point me to some good bunks for diesel in this route? I might fill either in Ooty or on the way back?

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Guys
I am at Ooty and need pointers for my return trip to Bangalore tomorrow. I am taking the route via Gudalur to Gundulpet as I'd seen the Kalhaty route while coming here.
Thanks

Vnabhi, can you please update with the current road condition till Gundulpet?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

I am taking the below route to Ooty this weekend. Planning to start by 4:00-4:30 AM from Bangalore. So, we may have breakfast before Mysore. Any good hotel after Theppakadu for a stoppage?

Bangalore - Mysore - Theppakadu - Gundlupet - Bandipur - Mudumalai - Gudalur - Ooty

Also, please point me to some good bunks for diesel in this route? I might fill either in Ooty or on the way back?

If you start at 4am from bangalore,highly unlikely that you would find any open restaurants on the mysore road.Most of them operate from 630am.I dont remember if thecdonald was 24hrs.In that case you could target the CCD at Gubdlupet or the Jungle Lodges before Bandipur entry for breakfast.

By the way Thepekadu comes after Gundlupet not before as mentioned by yourself.No place beyond thepekadu for breakfast,you might find some tea stall at masinagudi but none whatsoever otherwise

There are good bunks in ooty.you would find a good one built in two levels on your way out of ooty before the kalhatty turnoff.Theres one on kotagiri road as well close to Charring cross.

Then there is the HP pump with CCD attached at Gundlupet.Beyond Gundlupet plenty of pumps.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

I am taking the below route to Ooty this weekend. Planning to start by 4:00-4:30 AM from Bangalore. So, we may have breakfast before Mysore. Any good hotel after Theppakadu for a stoppage?

Bangalore - Mysore - Theppakadu - Gundlupet - Bandipur - Mudumalai - Gudalur - Ooty

Also, please point me to some good bunks for diesel in this route? I might fill either in Ooty or on the way back?



Vnabhi, can you please update with the current road condition till Gundulpet?

I took the route via Gudalur to Gundulpet yesterday from Ooty. From there I took the route via Chamarajanagar, Kollegal and Kanakapura.

The road from Ooty to Theppekadu Jn is wider and a lot easier to drive than the one via Kalahatty. This is because the road was wider and the hair-pin bends were fewer and a lot less curvy.

The route was also more scenic in the sense that it passes through thicker forest. But it is around 35 kms longer than the Kalahatty route. And the average speed was around 35 kmph on this route. It took me around 40 minutes longer, as I was driving slow and stopping at places to enjoy the scenery. Total time to reach Gundulpet was 2.5 hours.

But as someone already pointed out, there are lots of pot holes on the left side of the road, so please drive with caution. The last 1 km upto Theppekadu Jn is full of potholes, so you have to drop to second or even first gear. From Theppekadu to Gundulpet the road is smooth, but beware of speed breakers every 700 meters or so all through the Bandipur stretch. The worst one is the one at the Karnataka-TN border--there is a big arch announcing the border, so be careful there.

From the end of the forest it is great all the way to Gundulpet and Mysore.

Following are the odo readings on my car till Gundulpet:-

• Ooty : 0
• Gudalur : 52
• Theppekadu : 72
• Karnataka border : 76
• End for forest : 88
• Gundulpet : 103

[VindyWheels]

Hi,

For how many kms do you have the bad stretch with potholes (From Gudalur to Gundlupet)? I am planning to take this route from Kalpetta (Kalpetta-Meppadi-Gudalur) to have a drive thru the Wayanad tea estates while returning to Bangalore.

Thank You

Vindy

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I took the route via Gudalur to Gundulpet yesterday from Ooty. From there I took the route via Chamarajanagar, Kollegal and Kanakapura.

But as someone already pointed out, there are lots of pot holes on the left side of the road, so please drive with caution. The last 1 km upto Theppekadu Jn is full of potholes, so you have to drop to second or even first gear. From Theppekadu to Gundulpet the road is smooth, but beware of speed breakers every 700 meters or so all through the Bandipur stretch. The worst one is the one at the Karnataka-TN border--there is a big arch announcing the border, so be careful there.

From the end of the forest it is great all the way to Gundulpet and Mysore.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

If you start at 4am from bangalore,highly unlikely that you would find any open restaurants on the mysore road.Most of them operate from 630am.

Now our plan is 5:00 and may be even later. Any ways we are planing to go slow only.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I took the route via Gudalur to Gundulpet yesterday from Ooty. From there I took the route via Chamarajanagar, Kollegal and Kanakapura.

The road from Ooty to Theppekadu Jn is wider and a lot easier to drive than the one via Kalahatty. This is because the road was wider and the hair-pin bends were fewer and a lot less curvy.

Thanks Vnabhi.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

Hi,

For how many kms do you have the bad stretch with potholes (From Gudalur to Gundlupet)? I am planning to take this route from Kalpetta (Kalpetta-Meppadi-Gudalur) to have a drive thru the Wayanad tea estates while returning to Bangalore.

Thank You

Vindy

The potholes come in patches every few kms, thereby forcing you to restrict speeds to below 45 to 50 kmph. But the last 1 km to Theppekadu is filled with potholes all through.

[sumannandy]

A quick question. There are a number of buses that promises to reach ooty by morning by leaving Bangalore at night. How do they travel through the forest or do they bypass it?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

A quick question. There are a number of buses that promises to reach ooty by morning by leaving Bangalore at night. How do they travel through the forest or do they bypass it?

I thought they mostly take the Annur/Mettupalayam Ooty route.
But on a whim I also checked KSRTC website. They list 3 Volvo services for the night and all the of them go via Mysore which means Bandipur.
And I am sure they won't be taking the Sathyamangalam route. So looks like they do go via Bandipur and they are allowed (they being State
Govt. buses).

[nilanjanray]

Just before Masinagudi, when coming from Mudumalai there is a restaurant that falls on the left. I don't know about breakfast, but I often stop to have lunch or brunch. They make very good kerala parathas, fried chicken etc. I have eaten there many times, and haven't fallen sick (I avoid normal water and cut veg/fruits).

The place is basic and like a dhaba, but good for non-veg food. I have seen families stop by as well.

Bandipur Plaza before Bandipur is again ok.

[ankan.m.blr]

I hope I am posting this query in the right thread. Some friends were discussing a day trip to Ranganathittu bird sanctuary when somebody mentioned that the sanctuary is closed due to some construction work going on.
Is this information correct? Has anybody visited the place recently ?

[kala]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

A quick question. There are a number of buses that promises to reach ooty by morning by leaving Bangalore at night. How do they travel through the forest or do they bypass it?

There are 2 or 3 KSRTC buses that are allowed to ply through the forest during the traffic ban period in the night. I guess there must be a similar number of Tamilnadu RTC buses also that are allowed.

Even on the bangalore Calicut route, there are 2 Karnataka RTC buses and 2 Kerala RTC buses that are allowed to pass through in the night (I travelled in one of them a few months ago and reached Kalpetta by 5 AM).

[mpksuhas]

Yes there are I guess 2 buses of Karnataka SRTC which are allowed through forest even after its closed. One of them is Volvo and it starts from Mysore road Satellite stand. Have seen that bus while waiting for another. Check in KSRTC website you will be able to find it.

[ankan.m.blr]

Any idea how the Safari is organized in Bandipur now a days? I have heard that only Govt safaris are allowed; no private ones. Can anyone share his/her recent experience ? Also, safari and accommodation wise which one is better - Bandipur or Mudumalai ?

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Yes there are I guess 2 buses of Karnataka SRTC which are allowed through forest even after its closed. One of them is Volvo and it starts from Mysore road Satellite stand. Have seen that bus while waiting for another. Check in KSRTC website you will be able to find it.

9.30 PM A/c Corona Sleeper bus and 10.30 PM Airavath A/c Volvo to Calicut passes through Bandipur forest during the restricted times. And both of them start from Shantinagar bus stand.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

A quick question. There are a number of buses that promises to reach ooty by morning by leaving Bangalore at night. How do they travel through the forest or do they bypass it?

Did you check with them what time do they mean by "morning" here?
When booking tickets for a friend's family, I enquired with some travel agents on how they bye-pass the timing restrictions (I thought they either took special permissions or they simply pay bribe) to reach early morning to Ooty. When he said, "we start around 11 PM from Bangalore's last pick-up point, drive slowly, stop for mid-way food-break, and finally we reach JIT, read 5.45 AM, at the forest entry gate. And from there to Ooty is about 2.5 hours journey and so we reach Ooty BEFORE breakfast time which is early morning !". Then he said, tourists are given about 2hours for freshening up and breakfast to join the local sight-seeing trip around 10.30 AM. So, be sure about what exact arrival time they mean by "morning" or "early morning" when reaching any destination (Ooty or Wayanad) if you need to cross the forest.

Incidentally, when I went to Ooty, the travel agent(I think, Greenline near ARC) booked tickets on KSRTC buses that had permission to pass through the forest in the night for the long-leg (Bangalore->Ooty) and the rooms (for stay and local sight-seeing through their travel desk) were arranged in a decent hotel (forgot the name but remember it being opposite to a mini-park) just 5 mins walk from the bus stand and somewhat towards Railway Station.

EDIT: Sorry, missed out the multi-quote option here. Will be alert next time for back-2-back posts.