Bangalore - BR Hills road conditions and other info

[windsurfer]

Hi,

I am travelling with my wife to Bangalore this weekend. We are planning to head to some place (less than 250 KM) from bangalore along with some friends. I will reaching Bangalore (travelling by Raj national express) by 8AM. Planning to start from Bangalore by 10-11AM. Return journey from Bangalore would be by Bus (Raj express) at 7.30 PM. I would be driving a i10 (good idea?) .

My first choice was BR Hills. Jungle lodges resort is full. Is there any other place to stay there? How is road conditions to BR hills? This seems to be a very good place with Safaris, trekking etc..

My questions
1. Is this trip possible?
2. What are my other alternatives? (Similar to BR hills, else any hills stations)
3. I need road conditions and approx travel time.
4. Any other info that i should be aware of?

Cheers

[windsurfer]

I am surprised that there has not been single response to my post with so many guys from Bangalore.
Well, BR Hills plan is now dropped. Still looking for alternatives.

[dadu]

Nandi hills (Reclaiming Nandi Hills) - Nothing much to do, can be covered in a single day

Yercaud (Reclaiming Yercaud) - Small hill town, good for 2-3 days

Yelagiri (Southern Spice : Twin City Meet Report !) - Team-BHP meet

[kaushik_s]

Sorry for a late reply and I hope you'll see this post on time.
I've been to BR hills 3 years back so this info may be little dated. That time Kanakapura road was a dream to drive but I guess current condition in few sections are not good. Other option is to go via Mysore-Chamrajnagar-K.Gudi Camp and I think it's better. The road inside the forest was not so good but I managed to do it on a Zen that time. Don't know what the current condition is.
Accommodation option : There is one Forest Rest House, an IB and another Guest house( i think this belongs to the temple authority). But please do prior inquiries as most of these places will be booked by govt. officials. You can talk to Chamrajnagar Forest Deptt office regarding the booking of the FRH. I've no idea if any other lodging facilities are available there.
I hope you are thinking of a overnight stay kind of journey as going there and coming back on the same day can be hectic and they don't allow traffic movement after 6PM inside the forest range.
Yes, it's a very good place for Safari and trekking. Have a look at this site for trekking options : Mystery Trails - Home page of the Eco trek programme initiative of Chamarajanagar Forest Department

Regards,
Kaushik

Another route can be Bangalore-Maddur-Malavalli-Kolegal-Yellandur-Chamrajnagar-BR Hills, But I'm not sure of the road conditions from Maddur to Malavalli. Also from Kollegal, instead of going to Chamrajnagar, you can directly go to the other entrance which directly goes to the Biligiri Rangana Temple. And the FRH/IB and Guest house is situated near the temple only. From Chamrajnagar side it's the K.Gudi entrance.

[windsurfer]

Still not decided. But most probable place looks like - Chikmagalur. I will post my experience when I am back. Thanks.

[kvish]

Bringing back an old thread to life :-)
Am travelling tomorrow to BR Hills. Planning to take Yellandur-kolegal-Malavalli-Kanakpura-Bangalore route on the way back. What is the latest condition of this road? Should I just stick to the Chamrajnagar-Mysore route (which I plan to take on my way to BR Hills) instead?

[anupkma]

What is the condition of the road via Mysore and ChamarajaNagar? Is it doable on a Honda City(IDSI engine- not the new Vtec)? Any advices?

Head the road upto ChamarajaNagar is OK, but then it is bad. Not sure how bad. Is it only pot holes? or potholes with nasty climbs?

[anupkma]

I did this trip during Nov 13-15. Based on the feedback from NilanjanRay and Kvish we had decided to take the Bangalore-Mysore-Nanjangud-ChamarajNagar-K Gudi Route.

But then on the morning of the trip (13th Nov), decided to try out Bangalore-Kanakpura-Malavalli-Kollegal-ChamarajNagar-K Gudi path

The road till Kollegal was good, with hardly any traffic compared to the hustle and bustle of the Mysore highway. From Kollegal, the road turned bad as it was being dug up and relaid as part of the NH-209 renovation work. We reached Yelandur and stopped at a bakery to buy something. The bakery guy suggested going to BR Hills from yelandur and then to K Gudi. We tried out that it proved to be very good. The road was narrow , but well laid and there was hardly any soul in sight.

So after starting out at around 6.45 am from Bangalore we reached K Gudi at around 12.30 (with several stops for breakfast, tea and for observing nature)

On the return leg we took another route- After passing BR hills turning and the forest check post, there is a route which directly goes to Kollegal without going via Yelandur. This is not a great route to drive (but better than the current Yelandur-Kollegal stretch and more scenic with lot of fertile green land). Took that and reached Kollegal. Then the drive back to Bangalore and home...

[shishir_bn]

Originally Posted by anupkma

I did this trip during Nov 13-15. Based on the feedback from NilanjanRay and Kvish we had decided ................
..................... Took that and reached Kollegal. Then the drive back to Bangalore and home...

by the way the info was great. Where are the pic