7 places, 4 days, 4 guys, 1600 kms - 1 'bombat' trip!

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by aviorp

We headed back to our rooms, had a quick shower and left Gokarna at 1 P.M. Our next destination was Yana, which was about 60Kms. Had our lunch on the way and reached Yana around 3 P.M.

Hi, How is the road condition between Gokarana to Yana, has this road been laid?
Can it be done in a Civic?

The next league of the journey was from Yana to Murudeshwara, which was 75Kms. We stayed the night there and the cost was 450 for 4 us.

Which route did you take? Does Gokarna to Yana route connect with Yana - Kumta route?

[laluks]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Hi, How is the road condition between Gokarana to Yana, has this road been laid?
Can it be done in a Civic?

I have taken Civvy to Yaana in 2008. Guess the roads are still in good shape. For the routes please refer http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...mangalore.html (Civved : Goa, Yaana, Jog, Murdeshwar, Maravanthe, Mangalore...).

Current conditions - probably ravibhat would know.

[Kimified]

Wow. Nice Pics and a really good photolog. Don't you think this deserves a full fledged Travelogue ? Shimoga is my home town and you seen to have covered almost all the places around

One quick question, I have somehow missed going to Kodchadri all these days. Whenever i have planned, something else used to come up and the kodchadri trip as eluded me from a long time. Plan to do it over the next 2 months. Can we drive all the way up ? I have a humble hatchback and no SUV

Or can we drive upto say Kollur and park the car somewhere there and head up in a jeep or trek up ? How safe is it to park and leave the vehicle unattended for 2 days ?

[aviorp]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Hi, How is the road condition between Gokarana to Yana, has this road been laid?
Can it be done in a Civic?

The road is good, with very few bad patches. It can be easily done in a Civic. No road humps or pot holes will scratch the belly of your Civ.

Which route did you take? Does Gokarna to Yana route connect with Yana - Kumta route?

From Gokarna, take NH17, that goes to Mirjan. Then take the Kumta-Sirsi Road towards Yana.

Originally Posted by Kimified

Wow. Nice Pics and a really good photolog. Don't you think this deserves a full fledged Travelogue ? Shimoga is my home town and you seen to have covered almost all the places around

One quick question, I have somehow missed going to Kodchadri all these days. Whenever i have planned, something else used to come up and the kodchadri trip as eluded me from a long time. Plan to do it over the next 2 months. Can we drive all the way up ? I have a humble hatchback and no SUV

Or can we drive upto say Kollur and park the car somewhere there and head up in a jeep or trek up ? How safe is it to park and leave the vehicle unattended for 2 days ?

Thanks Kimified. Yes, you can take a hatchback all the way to the top. If you notice, there is a M-800, in one of the pics, which was at the top.

I would suggest, do a trek to the top of Kodachadri instead of driving. Its more fun, walking and exploring the forest.

If you're taking your vehicle and planning to trek, then dont stop at the foot of Kodachadri. This is the place, where all the jeep drivers are waiting to get hold of a tourist. I dont think its safe to leave your car here and then trek to the top.

If you know anyone in Kollur, leave your car at their place. If not, take someone along with you, who can rest in the car. If not, drive to the top.

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by aviorp

The road is good, with very few bad patches. It can be easily done in a Civic. No road humps or pot holes will scratch the belly of your Civ.

From Gokarna, take NH17, that goes to Mirjan. Then take the Kumta-Sirsi Road towards Yana.

Due to some issues the trip got cancelled :(

Anyway, Thanks Aviorp for the inputs.

However please note that the route you mentioned is not Gokarna - Yana route. It is Kumta - Yana route. There is a direct route from Gokarna to Yana also but seems like it is still in very bad shape (read non existent).

Last night I was doing more desperate search and found this...

June 2011 status of this road can be seen in this photoblog.

And you can see the Gokarna to Yana (and to Sirsi) route here.


Edit: for some reason the Photoblog URL is not working - type this URL (after removing spaces)
http://g e a r h e a d s .in/showthread.php?5663-LoneWolfRides%AE-i-TheWanderer&p=117202&viewfull=1#post117202

[Kimified]

Originally Posted by aviorp

Thanks Kimified. Yes, you can take a hatchback all the way to the top. If you notice, there is a M-800, in one of the pics, which was at the top.

I would suggest, do a trek to the top of Kodachadri instead of driving. Its more fun, walking and exploring the forest.

Yup. A proper trek up would be more adventurous. But i am kinda lazy to take the trouble of going till Shimoga, parking the car and then traveling in a bus till Kollur. This is exactly why i asked if i can park the car at the foothill and then trek up. Spoilt by all the comforts you see.

And moreover, Taking the car up would be interesting as well. And if we really want to trek, we can choose to trek to some water fall which is supposed to be there. True ?. Thanks for all the inputs.
When is the next long weekend ?

[aviorp]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Due to some issues the trip got cancelled :(

Anyway, Thanks Aviorp for the inputs.

However please note that the route you mentioned is not Gokarna - Yana route. It is Kumta - Yana route. There is a direct route from Gokarna to Yana also but seems like it is still in very bad shape (read non existent).

Last night I was doing more desperate search and found this...

June 2011 status of this road can be seen in this photoblog.

And you can see the Gokarna to Yana (and to Sirsi) route here.


Edit: for some reason the Photoblog URL is not working - type this URL (after removing spaces)
http://g e a r h e a d s .in/showthread.php?5663-LoneWolfRides%AE-i-TheWanderer&p=117202&viewfull=1#post117202

Oh, okay. No, I was not aware of a direct road to Yana. Will keep this in mind, the next time we do that stretch. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Kimified

Yup. A proper trek up would be more adventurous. But i am kinda lazy to take the trouble of going till Shimoga, parking the car and then traveling in a bus till Kollur. This is exactly why i asked if i can park the car at the foothill and then trek up. Spoilt by all the comforts you see.

And moreover, Taking the car up would be interesting as well. And if we really want to trek, we can choose to trek to some water fall which is supposed to be there. True ?. Thanks for all the inputs.
When is the next long weekend ?

Yeah, you can drive to the top. The top is actually where the 'Batru-Mane' is (thats the only place, you can halt for the night, unless you plan to camp). You cannot drive beyond this point. From here, you need to trek about 3 more kms to the summit.

I guess, its best to be done in September/October. So, probably next month, you can try giving it a shot, if you can squeeze a day or two with your weekly off's.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Kimified

Yup. A proper trek up would be more adventurous. But i am kinda lazy to take the trouble of going till Shimoga, parking the car and then traveling in a bus till Kollur. This is exactly why i asked if i can park the car at the foothill and then trek up. Spoilt by all the comforts you see.

I've been to Kodachadri 2 times. The first time I parked the car in a lodge in Kollur. We took a room to freshen up in the morning and then informed the lodge manager that we would leave the car there till the next day. Then we took a bus to Karikatte and then trekked to Kodachadri.

Second time, I parked the car in the temple car parking and took a jeep to Kodachadri. It was not parked there overnight though.

Originally Posted by aviorp

Oh, okay. No, I was not aware of a direct road to Yana. Will keep this in mind, the next time we do that stretch. Thank you.

This is a very narrow stretch of road and it is densely forested. I took this route in my swift while returning from Goa. Although I did not face any problems, the going was very slow because the road was being repaired at many places and the rest of the route was bad. Although slow, I enjoyed the drive. I'm sure with an SUV, you would enjoy the drive even more.

Originally Posted by aviorp

Yeah, you can drive to the top. The top is actually where the 'Batru-Mane' is (thats the only place, you can halt for the night, unless you plan to camp). You cannot drive beyond this point. From here, you need to trek about 3 more kms to the summit.

Has the road been widened? There were a couple of very narrow hair pins where you had to reverse and then move forward. Its great that you too the Scorpio to the top. It should have been lovely to drive over there. Were there any other vehicles (car?) on that route?

I don't think it is 3 kms to the top. It should be a lot less from what I remember

[aviorp]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

This is a very narrow stretch of road and it is densely forested. I took this route in my swift while returning from Goa. Although I did not face any problems, the going was very slow because the road was being repaired at many places and the rest of the route was bad. Although slow, I enjoyed the drive. I'm sure with an SUV, you would enjoy the drive even more.

I don't remember coming across this route. Will definitely try finding it the next time.

Has the road been widened? There were a couple of very narrow hair pins where you had to reverse and then move forward. Its great that you too the Scorpio to the top. It should have been lovely to drive over there. Were there any other vehicles (car?) on that route?

Yes, they have levelled the road and its much more wider. It is was more like a trekking path before (when we went in 2008). We saw a M-800 on the top. Its listed in one of the pics.

I don't think it is 3 kms to the top. It should be a lot less from what I remember

Yeah, I think its less than that. The steep climb made me feel like I was climbing forever.