[Night_Hawk]

Originally Posted by ampere

The road is quite good with some portions around Doddaballpur-Nelamangala. Surely worth taking to beat the Bangalore traffic.

Planning a 3 day trip with family : Hyderabad to Chikmagalur on 03.04.2015.

I will be starting from HYD around 4 AM; and I presume 12 hours will be enough to reach CKM

Request suggestion on the route to be taken via Devanhalli - Doddaballapur - Neelamangala - CKM.

Thanks in advance
NH

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Night_Hawk

Planning a 3 day trip with family : Hyderabad to Chikmagalur on 03.04.2015.

I will be starting from HYD around 4 AM; and I presume 12 hours will be enough to reach CKM

Request suggestion on the route to be taken via Devanhalli - Doddaballapur - Neelamangala - CKM.

Thanks in advance
NH

You can also do :

Devanahalli-Doddaballapur-Dobbaspet-Guddemaranahalli.

Here is the link: Route Link

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Night_Hawk

Request suggestion on the route to be taken via Devanhalli - Doddaballapur - Neelamangala - CKM.

To add to my prior post:

- NH207 is fantastic all the way. Its now being widened to a 4-lane now. (I think that may be on the Devanahalli-Hoskote side.)
- The proposed option avoids Nelamangala totally.
- Once you reach Dobbaspet, you will hit NH4 (BLR-Bombay GQ).
- Go below the 4-lane and take the road to Shivanganga monolith as marked.
- You will see the "Karnataka : One State Many Worlds" tourism hoardings by the state government.
- Once you are close to the monolith tourism spot, you will see the SH take a sharp turn. Keep at this road.
- You will also see marking for Magadi. When in doubt ask for Magadi.
- This SH if you see the maps cuts through Bangalore-Hassan 4-lane NH48 and goes to Magadi.
- Hence its probable that many would know this road as the one to be taken for Magadi.
- Once you see the Hassan 4-lane get on to it and you are on.

[Night_Hawk]

Originally Posted by ampere

To add to my prior post:

- NH207 is fantastic all the way........... Once you see the Hassan 4-lane get on to it and you are on.

Ampere,
Thanks for the guidance. I appreciate the details.. I will take a printout and give it to my Navigator.
Any recommended food joints considering that I will be crossing Dobbaspet around 12.30-1.00pm
Thanks again
NH

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Night_Hawk

Ampere,
Thanks for the guidance. I appreciate the details.. I will take a printout and give it to my Navigator.
Any recommended food joints considering that I will be crossing Dobbaspet around 12.30-1.00pm
Thanks again
NH

- You have no choice but to opt for a later lunch. Do keep some food in the car.
- The first good place is just about 8 km after Kunigal bypass.
- Its called Swathi Delicacy and its a very good place for a break.
- Its about 65-70km from Dobbaspet. I think it would take about an hour to 80 minutes to reach this place.
- Here is the route : Dobbaspet to Swathi Delicacy
- Please note, while going towards Hassan, the hotel is on the other side.

EDIT: I see its called Swathi Deluxe in the map. I somehow remember it being called Swathi Delicacy. Either way I have been to this place multiple times. Its good. (Its about 8km after Kunigal bypass ends).

[Night_Hawk]

Originally Posted by ampere

To add to my prior post:

- NH207 is fantastic all the way. Its now being widened to a 4-lane now. (I think that may be on the Devanahalli-Hoskote side.)
- The proposed option avoids Nelamangala totally.
- Once you reach Dobbaspet, you will hit NH4 (BLR-Bombay GQ).
- Go below the 4-lane and take the road to Shivanganga monolith as marked.............
......Once you see the Hassan 4-lane get on to it and you are on.

Followed ampere's suggested route. One of the best options to Bypass BLR.
Thanks to @ampere for the suggestion.

Started HYD at 5.00 AM on 03.05.2015 and reached Chikmagalur ( Hotel Gateway) by 5.00 PM. There few very rough / under construction patches on SH3 between Shivganga and Gudemaranhalli.

I took the Gudemaranhalli- Hassan- Belur- CKM route. Excellent roads through out; and the surroundings are very scenic and lush green. Innumerable food joints are available on either side.
While returning to Hyderabad on 06.05.2015, took the conventional bypass route i.e. via Nelamanga, Doddaballpur and Devanahalli.

Brief add on for folks intending to drive to Manikyadhara falls:
The road from Baba Budangiri shrine to the falls is quite narrow. There are no guard rails, thus exposing you and the car to sheer drop-offs from the cliffs, which obviously gets worse as you go farther and farther towards Manikyadhara. Every time another car or jeep came in the opposite direction, my heart would be in my mouth with a “will we or won’t we” feeling. A couple of kms from Baba Budangiri shrine, the stretch became extremely narrower and dangerous because the shoulder on the free fall side has caved-in at many places due to recent rains. Wanted to immediately return but the alternative of a U turn wasn’t simple either. Finally, aborted the plan to go further and turned right around when found a place, where cliff side of the road was widened probably as a spot for allowing passage of two vehicle

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Night_Hawk

While returning to Hyderabad on 06.05.2015, took the conventional bypass route i.e. via Nelamanga, Doddaballpur and Devanahalli.

Great update! I always thought this would be a better option. You can now guide us all in terms of which is a better option? Via Nelamangala or Dobbaspet? Some how I was not very convinced about Nelamangala because many have reported the Dobbaspet-Nelamangala section to be quite bad.

What is your assessment as on date? Would be great to know. Is the Dobbaspet-Guddemaranahalli a bad option compared to Nelamangala-Doddaballapur? How about the time taken between the two? Once 207 becomes a 4-lane it would be even easier and more efficient to bypass Bangalore.

[Night_Hawk]

Originally Posted by ampere

......which is a better option? Via Nelamangala or Dobbaspet? Some how I was not very convinced about Nelamangala because many have reported the Dobbaspet-Nelamangala section to be quite bad.

What is your assessment as on date? Would be great to know. Is the Dobbaspet-Guddemaranahalli a bad option compared to Nelamangala-Doddaballapur? How about the time taken between the two?

Both the options are fine. However, there are few minor issues associated with both of them.
Shivganga -Guddemaranahalli stretch has rough under-construction patches / Bridges, culverts under construction at various locations, which will slow down the travelling speed.
Similarly, Nelamangala-Doddaballapur has two stretches of substantial travel on the lake bunds with multiple curves which will restrict the overtaking opportunity and thus increase the travel time.
If one is speaking strictly about the Road surface quality in terms of the entire stretch, then IMHO, on the current date, Nelamangala- Doddaballapur is a better option.

[enragz]

We completed a trip to Chikmagalur from Hyderabad last week.
I opted for the Nelamangala-Doddaballapu and it turned out pretty fine.

Numbers speak better than words. So the details of the return journey.



Hyderabad - Bangalore and Bangalore - Mangalore Highways are great.
Enough places, all through, to have tea or catch a bite.
There is a 100 meter stretch on the Nelamangala-Doddaballapu section which is badly broken, but its navigable.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Night_Hawk

If one is speaking strictly about the Road surface quality in terms of the entire stretch, then IMHO, on the current date, Nelamangala- Doddaballapur is a better option.

Since the thread was recently updated, I was looking your post again. The other thing I realized is that while taking Nelamangala option, one also needs to:

- Wait at one more toll booth
- Cross the crowded freeway on NH4
- Go through Nelamangala town to get to the Doddaballapur SH.

All the above (especially the first two) on a bad day, can cause substantial delay. The Dobbaspet option will avoid this problem.

[PVS]

Originally Posted by enragz

We completed a trip to Chikmagalur from Hyderabad last week.
I opted for the Nelamangala-Doddaballapu and it turned out pretty fine.

Numbers speak better than words. So the details of the return journey.

Hi enragz - can you share your experiences with your stay at Taj Gateway, and what all did you do/see at Chikmagalur? Did you travel to nearby places like Mulliangiri/Kemmangundi/Sringeri?

I plan to do the trip from Hyderabad in October 2015.. Thanks!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by PVS

Hi enragz - can you share your experiences with your stay at Taj Gateway, and what all did you do/see at Chikmagalur? Did you travel to nearby places like Mulliangiri/Kemmangundi/Sringeri?

I plan to do the trip from Hyderabad in October 2015.. Thanks!

Gateway is one of the good hotels in Chikkamagalur. Its an ageing property though, but well maintained. You can visit the mentioned places easily and also plan for a relaxed day out. I have been there a couple of times, but that was some time in past.

[enragz]

Originally Posted by PVS

Hi enragz - can you share your experiences with your stay at Taj Gateway, and what all did you do/see at Chikmagalur? Did you travel to nearby places like Mulliangiri/Kemmangundi/Sringeri?

I plan to do the trip from Hyderabad in October 2015.. Thanks!

Taj gateway is a typical gateway property, which means its mid range. The food is average+. Lots of greenery and birds.
You might want to consider staying at a coffee plantation, if you like solitude and nature. We stayed at Vila Urvinkhan and loved the place. The food is good too.
We did not do much, just wanted to relax.
The Temple at Belur is a must see it is almost on the way. We could not visit Halebeedu, but the temple there too is said to be an architectural marvel.

[Srinivas C]

Originally Posted by ampere

To add to my prior post:

- NH207 is fantastic all the way. Its now being widened to a 4-lane now. (I think that may be on the Devanahalli-Hoskote side.)
- The proposed option avoids Nelamangala totally.
- Once you reach Dobbaspet, you will hit NH4 (BLR-Bombay GQ).
- Go below the 4-lane and take the road to Shivanganga monolith as marked.
- You will see the "Karnataka : One State Many Worlds" tourism hoardings by the state government.
- Once you are close to the monolith tourism spot, you will see the SH take a sharp turn. Keep at this road.
- You will also see marking for Magadi. When in doubt ask for Magadi.
- This SH if you see the maps cuts through Bangalore-Hassan 4-lane NH48 and goes to Magadi.
- Hence its probable that many would know this road as the one to be taken for Magadi.
- Once you see the Hassan 4-lane get on to it and you are on.

Thankyou all. It was a first for me on this route.
For the sake of first timers , request veterans to give directions with landmarks.
The issues I faced :
1. From NH 7, onto 207, after crossing Gitam univ, google maps shows straight, but a sign on the road points left to Dodballapur. Asked people for Dobbaspet, and they asked me to take this left. ( Maps given by members always asked us to continue on 207).
After this left, the road goes thru a colony and reaches a small circle. Turn right at this circle and you immediately reach a sort of fork. Left fork shows signs to Dobbaspet under a railway bridge. The straight road climbs up, but there are no signs to Dobbaspet on it. This road leads to the railway crossing.
Would , not taking the earlier left on 207 , bring us directly to this crossing?

2. At Dobbaspet , members suggested going straight under NH4 , towards Magadi, via Siva ganga monolith. (Google suggests going on NH4 and joining Mangalore highway). This road is quite bad for 2 km, with lot of work going on. Its quite a back-breaking stretch followed by a smooth road upto "Handpost", where you get the highway.

3. Chikmagalur was hot !. DM Villa, a homestay was without ACs. Ok rooms, not being maintained clean. We used it only as a stopover on the way to Kukke.

4. CKM to kukke is a very scenic road. The stretch from Belur to Sakleshpur is narrow and rough (but made up by the beautiful coffee estates thru which this goes). Sakleshpur to Kukke is one of the most beautiful stretches I have seen.
5. On the Ghats the truckers and tankers are extremely well behaved. The problem is educated looking drivers who want to take the turns downhill 50 kmph !
6. Kukke was HOT at 41 degrees !
7. Dharmasthala to Hornadu thru the Charmadi ghats was tough because of heavy traffic. After getting down there is a 34 km stretch that does not have a straight road at all....it is only curving. I was told the better route is via Kudremukh.
8. Sringeri to Hospet was good till Shimoga. Shimoga to Hospet is quite rough.
9. The 10 km stretch before hospet is a nightmare with the hundreds on mining trucks.

10. But the worst road I have ever driven is the hospet to Raichur stretch. It is extremely bad . There are, I think more than 150 speed breakers .

One major thing we noticed all over Karnataka is that signs are only in Kannada and strangely at junctions there are no signs to the important towns before the junction, but after it !

[PVS]

Has anyone been on the Chikmagalur Hyderabad route via Kadur Hosadurga, Hiriyur, Challakere bye-pass, kalyanadurg, Ananthapur route? https://goo.gl/maps/CXkgPQoYj5N2