[goandude]

Guys, we are riding to Wayanad next Saturday. Plan is to take Kanakapura, Mallavali, Bannur, Mysore ring road, Mananthavadi road (SH33) , Nisna and then to our homestay at Payyampally (near Mananthavadi). map here https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Be...11.8121657!3e0

How is this route? Hope motorcycles are allowed in the little of the Nagarhole national park that we are planning to go through.
Also strangely the route on GM does not show you take the SH 33 in the north west of Nisna.
Has the road widening work between Malavalli, Banur, Mysore been completed?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by goandude

Has the road widening work between Malavalli, Banur, Mysore been completed?

I can answer a part of your query - this route is fine from my experience 3 months ago, but don't know if the heavy rains have had an adverse impact though. A very good alternative to the boring and sometimes painful SH 17 Bangalore-Mysore road.

[kala]

Originally Posted by goandude

How is this route? Hope motorcycles are allowed in the little of the Nagarhole national park that we are planning to go through.
Also strangely the route on GM does not show you take the SH 33 in the north west of Nisna.

That small section of SH33 (which passes through the middle of the WLS) has been off limits for vehicular traffic for more than a decade if my memory serves me right. The alternate route that passes through several villages on the periphery of the forest was bad for several years, but is in very good condition now. The forest section between Nisna and Bavali though is quite narrow at some places, so expect to have to go on to the road shoulder to pass an oncoming vehicle at times. But thankfully the traffic on this route is quite sparse to cause too much of a worry.

Has the road widening work between Malavalli, Banur, Mysore been completed?

SH33 is in excellent condition between Malavalli-Mysore except for a small stretch of about a km or so around Bannur town (some roadwork was ongoing there) and around the Cauvery bridge that comes up just after Bannur.

[venkikewl]

Need some quick info about self drive rentals in kozhikode. I am planning a trip to Wayanad in the last week of Sep. A quick search showed kozhikode as the nearest airport to wayanad. Would like to know the available self drive car options in kozhikode as google search doesn't show any. Any inputs are apprciated, so that I can plan my trip accordingly.

[SajiNSalin]

I don't think there are any authorised self drive agencies like Myles, Zoomcar etc. in Kozhikode. There are people who rent out their cars to known persons. These are not strictly legal. You can ask around in the shops dealing with bus tickets, cab rentals, for local information.

[vinukm]

Originally Posted by goandude

Guys, we are riding to Wayanad next Saturday. Plan is to take Kanakapura, Mallavali, Bannur, Mysore ring road, Mananthavadi road (SH33) , Nisna and then to our homestay at Payyampally (near Mananthavadi). map here https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Be...11.8121657!3e0

How is this route? Hope motorcycles are allowed in the little of the Nagarhole national park that we are planning to go through.
Also strangely the route on GM does not show you take the SH 33 in the north west of Nisna.
Has the road widening work between Malavalli, Banur, Mysore been completed?

I have done from Wayanad to Mysure via Nagarhole. I took Kurawa Dweep-> Bavali->HD Kote Road it was absolutely fine, unless they are impacted due to rains.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by venkikewl

Need some quick info about self drive rentals in kozhikode. I am planning a trip to Wayanad in the last week of Sep. A quick search showed kozhikode as the nearest airport to wayanad. Would like to know the available self drive car options in kozhikode as google search doesn't show any. Any inputs are apprciated, so that I can plan my trip accordingly.

No, there are no official self drive options in Kozhikode. Would be better to arrange a cab from the airport. Also, I don't think there are direct flights from Hyderabad ( assume that's where you are coming from) to Kozhikode.

Better option is to fly to Bangalore, 2-3 of hours extra drive to Wayanad. But I guess cheaper flights and better self drive options.

[venkikewl]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

No, there are no official self drive options in Kozhikode. Would be better to arrange a cab from the airport. Also, I don't think there are direct flights from Hyderabad ( assume that's where you are coming from) to Kozhikode.

Better option is to fly to Bangalore, 2-3 of hours extra drive to Wayanad. But I guess cheaper flights and better self drive options.

We do have direct flight options to Kozhikode & also a 1 stop in Chennai. Did see the option of driving from Bangalore which comes to around 5-6 hours. Haven't booked our tickets yet, if self drive options are not available in kozhikode & the road conditions from bangalore favour, we might opt to drive directly from hyderabad as flying to bang is way expensive than driving.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by venkikewl

We do have direct flight options to Kozhikode & also a 1 stop in Chennai. Did see the option of driving from Bangalore which comes to around 5-6 hours. Haven't booked our tickets yet, if self drive options are not available in kozhikode & the road conditions from bangalore favour, we might opt to drive directly from hyderabad as flying to bang is way expensive than driving.

If more than 2 persons are traveling, driving will be far cheaper. However you might need to rest overnight at Mysore to avoid night driving at Bandipur. From Mysore, it is a drive of 4 to 5 hours, depending on where your resort is located.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by kala

SH33 is in excellent condition between Malavalli-Mysore except for a small stretch of about a km or so around Bannur town (some roadwork was ongoing there) and around the Cauvery bridge that comes up just after Bannur.

Did the trip on Saturday/Sunday. SH33 is in great shape, great scenery and smooth surface. Not too many speed breakers. Even the diversion around Nagarhole is great. In the forest itself there are too many speed breakers and rumble strips.
The Mysore ring road is also great. Then the road through Bannur is bad for about a km as you have said. No work is going on there. But rest of the road was very good, right upto Bangalore
From Kanakapura on our return, we encountered heavy oncoming traffic, little did we know about the deluge which had caused blockage of Mysore road.
On entering Kerala the road conditions deteriorate considerably, but we did not do much kms inside Kerala as our homestay was very close to the border.

[RedOne]

Originally Posted by goandude

Did the trip on Saturday/Sunday. SH33 is in great shape, great scenery and smooth surface.

@Goandude, Any breakfast options along this route? I am planning a Wyanad trip on 29th long weekend and will be taking SH33.

Thanks,
Red-One.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by RedOne

Any breakfast options along this route? I am planning a Wyanad trip on 29th long weekend and will be taking SH33.

*Where exactly are you heading to in Wayanad district ? Asking since you can take the Gundlupet route also to reach Sulthan Bathery/Kalpetta/Vythiri which are also part of Wayanad.

When you say you're going to Wayanad by taking the SH33, I'm assuming you intend to take Bangalore-Kanakapura-Malavalli-Bannur-Mysore ORR-Mananthavadi

Here are some options, depending on your time of start, one or more may be suitable:
1.Vasu Hotel & Srinivas Sagar in Kanakapura
2.Kamat Madhuvan near Mysore Palace (From Bannur when you reach Mysore Ring Road turn left and continue till end of ring road and it merges onto the Nanjangud Road near APMC. From here you need to turn right and then left for Mananthavadi. Here, if you detour by going straight for 1-2 Km towards the Mysore direction you can reach Kamat)

*not sure of any options on the Mananthavadi road

[vint]

Hi Guys,
I'm planning to visit Wayanad from 09-11 Oct with family. I'll be staying at Vythiri Village Resorts. This is my first trip to Wayanad. So, I have a few questions :

1. Are two nights good enough for Vythiri ? Any nearby tourist attraction I can visit ? We've two little ones to manage as well, so please take it into account when you recommend
2. How is the network reception there ? Airtel / Vodafone has good coverage ?
3. I'm planning to take the std route : Blr-Mysore-gudlupet-vythiri. Is this good ? Anything I should be looking out for (traffic snarls/bad roads etc)?
4. I'm planning to start from 6:30 AM on 09/Oct (sunday) from BLR and around 10:00 AM from Vythiri on 11/Oct (wed). Is this good enough to avoid peak traffic along the routes ? How much travel time can I expect ? Also, if you know of any good eateries along the way, do recommend.
5. Last and most important - how is the rain situation in Wayanad/Vythiri area ?

Thanks in advance

[NPV]

Originally Posted by vint

I'm planning to visit Wayanad from 09-11 Oct with family. I'll be staying at Vythiri Village Resorts. This is my first trip to Wayanad. So, I have a few questions
...

1. Depends on what you want to do. On a lighter note - city dwellers yearning for a long break can simply stay put doing nothing for days sometimes
Some places to visit are..
Closer to Vythiri:
-Pookote lake
-Thamarassery ghat view point
-Chain saw tree
Others:
Banasura Sagar Dam (closer to Kalpetta)
Kuruvadeep Island (closer to Kalpetta)
Edakkal caves (closer to Sulthan Bathery)
Chembara Peak

With 2 little children in tow, maybe you just want to go the places nearby Vythiri and relax at the resort.

2.Not sure, I think "Vythiri Resorts" is the one that is 2Km away from the road and with dense vegetation so probably reception may be an issue. But, i think "Vythiri Village" is close to the main road and maybe reception will be better

3.&4.Route should be fine since you start on Sunday from Bangalore and return on Wednesday. Lots of options for you for breaks since you start late, do try to start by 5:30 if possible for a more peaceful drive

5.Not sure, but some parts of Kerala are getting a lot of rain last few days.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by RedOne

@Goandude, Any breakfast options along this route? I am planning a Wyanad trip on 29th long weekend and will be taking SH33.

Thanks,
Red-One.

After you cross Mysore the options are limited. But if you are coming on Knp, Mallavali road, just before you hit Mysore ring road ther is a petrol pump on the left and a decent eating joint on your right. We had breakfast at Knp itself