[Rohit_Quad]

Hi fellow Bhpian's. I have taken inspiration from various travelogues and traveled to Tadiandamol, Andaman & Gandikota with guidance from our fellow members. I need assistance on this trip that i am planning for 2 of us.

When - Last week of May/ first week of June
Why - To be a part of nature and experience it's beauty + a break from city life
Places intended to cover - Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary & Coorg
Need help with - almost everything
How am i travelling - Fiesta 1.4 Duratec 2006 !!!

So here is the rough plan -

1. Travel from hyd to blore and spend a night there just to break the monotony of the drive. DAY 1
2. Start early (6-7am) to Nagarhole and check into a hotel (1 day/night stay) in heggadahalli by 12pm. Day 2
3. Go to the Nagarhole sanctuary and do the evening safari.
4. Cover the surroundings in the evening and chill in the resort for the night.
5. Do the early morning safari the next morning. Day 3
6. Cover any close by places and check out.
7. Drive to Coorg and check into a stay (not sure where) and Chill the night there.
8. Start early intending to do bit of forest walk and see a good water fall (no clue on where to go) and drive to Tadiandamol. Day 4
9. The last time i did the Tadiandomol trek in 2016, a stay near the starting point of the trek, leased us their camp site where we pitted our tent. Intending to do the same.
10. Pitch tent by evening, have food in the stay/ hotel and retire to our tent.
11. Wake up by 3 am and do the Tadi trek. Day 5
12. Come back, unpitch tent and go to a coffee plantation stay (No clue which - a 2 night stay). Take rest there for the night.
13. Enjoy the nature (no clue where) spending the day amidst it and retiring for the night to the same saty. Day 6
14. Start the next day and reach Blore by evening to a hotel. Day 7
15. Start to hyd the next day post breakfast and reach by evening. Day 8
16. Reflect on the trip

Please free to suggest changes to the Itenary & route. And suggestions for all those 'no clue' things. Kindly correct me at places where i am wrong. Looking forward for a massive amount of info.

Route intended -

[XUVwanderer]

All roads around Nagarahole is well asphalted. You should not have any issues with road atleast. Safari at Nagarahole is now split among 2 checkpost from the original RFO office starting point. One towards Hunusur and the other towards Kutta. This has been done by the forest dept just so that the people who come for safaris do not disturb the wildlife which is thick around the RFO office.

Usually, safari that starts at Hunusur checkpost is less crowded. From here all safari vehicles go till the RFO office and then enter forest this is atleast 24kms and you end up most of the 2hrs of safari time on the nagarahole main road. Kutta checkpost being relatively closer to the RFO office, travel time should get reduced on the main road. Evening safari closes at 4PM so you should be at either of the checkpost before that. Safari charges are now 500rs per adult.

If you plan to visit Irrupu falls expect bad strech of 3kms. Also water is less now but you can stand below the falls water and enjoy which you usually cannot do in other seasons.
Dont even enter Bangalore city as Mysore road is well known for traffic jam due to metro works. Preferably use Outer ring road or NICE road to reach Mysore road.

[Rohit_Quad]

Originally Posted by XUVwanderer

All roads around Nagarahole is well asphalted. You should not have any issues with road atleast. Safari at Nagarahole is now split among 2 checkpost from the original RFO office starting point. One towards Hunusur and the other towards Kutta. This has been done by the forest dept just so that the people who come for safaris do not disturb the wildlife which is thick around the RFO office.

Usually, safari that starts at Hunusur checkpost is less crowded. From here all safari vehicles go till the RFO office and then enter forest this is atleast 24kms and you end up most of the 2hrs of safari time on the nagarahole main road. Kutta checkpost being relatively closer to the RFO office, travel time should get reduced on the main road. Evening safari closes at 4PM so you should be at either of the checkpost before that. Safari charges are now 500rs per adult.

If you plan to visit Irrupu falls expect bad strech of 3kms. Also water is less now but you can stand below the falls water and enjoy which you usually cannot do in other seasons.
Dont even enter Bangalore city as Mysore road is well known for traffic jam due to metro works. Preferably use Outer ring road or NICE road to reach Mysore road.

Thanks for the information on the Nagarhole Safari. So you are suggesting we take the safari from kutta checkpost, so that we won't waste much time on the main road?

And i have heard of Iruppu falls quite few times. Will definitely go there.

Thanks for the heads up on the blore traffic, i thought i bypassed blore while going towards Nagarhole. Is the route that is seen in the map good, while coming from hyd?
I haven't selected the proper route back from croog to hyd, via blore . I intend to follow the same route that i will take while coming from hyd towards nagarhole.

[XUVwanderer]

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Thanks for the information on the Nagarhole Safari. So you are suggesting we take the safari from kutta checkpost, so that we won't waste much time on the main road?

And i have heard of Iruppu falls quite few times. Will definitely go there.

Thanks for the heads up on the blore traffic, i thought i bypassed blore while going towards Nagarhole. Is the route that is seen in the map good, while coming from hyd?
I haven't selected the proper route back from croog to hyd, via blore . I intend to follow the same route that i will take while coming from hyd towards nagarhole.

Would prefer Kutta checkpost. But it depends on from where you enter Nagarahole.
I would suggest this to bypass Bangalore. Devanahalli - Elevated Toll - Hebbal (take right) - ORR - Tumkur road - ORR - Magadi road - ORR to Kengeri satellite town - Mys road. There is 2 ORR from Magadi road to Mys road. Make sure you take the one that goes to Kengeri directly.
Another point, most of the trecking routes here are closed now. Have not seen any forest dept staff/checkpost on the way to Tadiyandmol when I visited 2yrs back. Keep some backup to your trek plan.

[rocksterraghu]

I have a few suggestions for you:

Regarding the route. Avoid Bangalore-Mysore road altogether. The pain of getting in and out of Bangalore, plus the traffic on Bangalore-Mysore road is frustrating. Considering you want to spend some peaceful time in Nagarahole and Coorg, this route through Bangalore is urban chaos. I would suggest you look at a property to stay close to the airport or on ORR (such as Movenpick).

Hit the outer ring road early in the morning. Take the Tumkur Road exit and after Nelamangala, take the diversion towards Mangalore road (also called Hassan road). The diversion towards Holenarasipur and continue onto hit the Hunsur road from thereon. You will approach the Hunsur road where the left will lead you to Mysore and right to Hunsur. Navigation should help. The roads are all in great condition.

This is a longer route, but definitely much better in terms of traffic, highway cruising and quite scenic. The Bangalore-Mysore road is a pain in terms of traffic and over the weekends, a nightmare.


Nagarahole is a great forest range to drive through. The safaris are good, but keep your expectations low as not many spot rare wildlife.


Regarding your stay in Coorg, I could suggest a homestay in Somwarpet close to Mallalli falls (you could Google it up) - over 2000+ steps to climb on your way back. I can PM you the details if you're interested. The host is quite knowledgeable and can take you around for multiple treks. Just as a disclaimer, I am not associated with them in anyway.

[Rohit_Quad]

Originally Posted by rocksterraghu

Regarding the route. Avoid Bangalore-Mysore road altogether. The pain of getting in and out of Bangalore, plus the traffic on Bangalore-Mysore road is frustrating. Considering you want to spend some peaceful time in Nagarahole and Coorg, this route through Bangalore is urban chaos. I would suggest you look at a property to stay close to the airport or on ORR (such as Movenpick).

Thanks for the wonderful info and picks. I will modify my route and stays according. Can you please PM me the home stay details. I know there is much time for the trip, but it will be of great help.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rocksterraghu

I can PM you the details if you're interested.

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Can you please PM me the home stay details.

Guys, a request.

A PM helps one person while a public post helps a thousand. Helping anyone via PM defeats the purpose of an open forum like Team-BHP.

Please share your advice on the thread itself. Thanks!

[greendream]

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Thanks for the wonderful info and picks. I will modify my route and stays according. Can you please PM me the home stay details. I know there is much time for the trip, but it will be of great help.

I stayed at a lovely homestay at Kutta. Contact Mr.Manu Ayyappa. (9449982854)
If spotting wildlife is high priority, then staying at Kutta is ideal.
The Rangers office is a short drive from there.Further at around 6am when the checkpost is opened, you can drive around and spot some wildlife. I have done that.
At night when Nagarhole is closed, Wayanad is open to public. You can drive and spot animals. That’s your personal night safari.
If you can pull strings, there are watch towers in the interiors,where official safari vehicles don’t go. With Rangers permission you can sit there in the middle of the jungle, preferably in a tower near a water hole as summer heat invariably brings animals to the water. A good dslr should be handy. Proper discipline is expected when you are in the watch tower. No sound,no perfumes,nothing disturbing to the animals is permitted.
From Kutta you can visit irruppu water falls and Thirunelli temple very conveniently.

[Rohit_Quad]

Hi fellow Bhpians

As per all the feedback that i got from every one, i have altered the initial travel plan and dived the trip into stages -

Stage 1 - Hyd - Nagarhole. https://goo.gl/maps/zucArEcvHbM2

23rd morning start from Hyderabad and reach Bangalore airport region. Check into hotel - Hotel Presidency.

24th start by 7am and reach Nagarhole - The Kings Sanctuary. Checkout is 26th. Irupu falls and forest safari will be covered in these 2 days. What do you guys think?

[The Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Hi fellow Bhpians

As per all the feedback that i got from every one, i have altered the initial travel plan and dived the trip into stages -

Stage 1 - Hyd - Nagarhole. https://goo.gl/maps/zucArEcvHbM2

23rd morning start from Hyderabad and reach Bangalore airport region. Check into hotel - Hotel Presidency.

24th start by 7am and reach Nagarhole - The Kings Sanctuary. Checkout is 26th. Irupu falls and forest safari will be covered in these 2 days. What do you guys think?

Hi Rohit,

I do this route every other week as I have a vacation home right in the middle of Wayanad forests bordering Nagarahole.

I would start from Bangalore at 3am if I were to be you and reach Nagarhole gate by 6am when they open it for vehicles. You would also avoid traffic on the Bangalore - Mysore route. (Not sure if you are traveling with kids and leaving at 3am may be a challenge). The drive through the jungle at this hour with not many vehicles is an experience by itself, and makes up even if you don't spot any wildlife. You will definitely get to see lot of deers though.

King's sanctuary is on the other side of Wayanad, which means you don't get to drive in the forest post 6pm. I suggest you stay in Wayanad for a much more adventurous experience and still be able to do the safari run by Karnataka Forest Department in Nagarahole.

Given that you have 2-3 days, I would suggest the itinerary below

Day 1 : Bangalore - Srirangapatna - Hunsur - Nagarhole - Kutta - Wayanad

Day 2 : Wayanad - Kuruva Island - Iruppu Falls - Nagarhole Safari - Wayanad

Day 3 :Wayanad - Pookhot lake - Edakkal Caves - Sulthan Bathery - Muthanga Forest - Gundlupet - Mysore - Bangalore

Let me know if you are a bunch of enthusiastic cutlets on this trip and I can help you with alternate accommodation options.

if I am around I will take you inside deep forests in my 4*4 where you can take a quick swim in the river or go trekking on unexplored paths or maybe we can do a night safari.

[Rohit_Quad]

Originally Posted by The Enthusiast

I do this route every other week as I have a vacation home right in the middle of Wayanad forests bordering Nagarahole.

Thanks for the information and for the wonderful options. I will definitely contact you if i need any further help. We are looking for trekking as well. I thought Tadi peak. But the last time i went there, i took a different route and my car wouldn't go up the road till west wind cottage (only jeeps were going up that road). Everybody were parking there, and going for the trek. But there was another road which came up from a different side, and many cars were coming up from that route. Any idea how to go that road? Or any other mild treks you know about?

[The Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Thanks for the information and for the wonderful options. I will definitely contact you if i need any further help. We are looking for trekking as well. I thought Tadi peak. But the last time i went there, i took a different route and my car wouldn't go up the road till west wind cottage (only jeeps were going up that road). Everybody were parking there, and going for the trek. But there was another road which came up from a different side, and many cars were coming up from that route. Any idea how to go that road? Or any other mild treks you know about?

It's raining cats and dogs in Coorg, so much that all schools and colleges were closed last week. I would advise precaution and also because it is leech infested during monsoon.

AFAIK the only route to Tadiandamol is via Nalknad palace which is where all vehicles are parked. There's a small road that goes 2km further to the view point but not all vehicles can go up there. The trek starts 0.2kms after the view point.

Alternate trek would be Brahmagiri hill but I am not sure if the forest department is allowing treks in this region currently due to heavy rain.

[Rohit_Quad]

Originally Posted by The Enthusiast

It's raining cats and dogs in Coorg, so much that all schools and colleges were closed last week. I would advise precaution and also because it is leech infested during monsoon.

AFAIK the only route to Tadiandamol is via Nalknad palace which is where all vehicles are parked. There's a small road that goes 2km further to the view point but not all vehicles can go up there. The trek starts 0.2kms after the view point.

Alternate trek would be Brahmagiri hill but I am not sure if the forest department is allowing treks in this region currently due to heavy rain.

Thanks for the heads up about the leaches, i totally forgot about them
I was thinking about a camping at the Tadi camping site. Do you think it is a doable idea, keeping in mind the rains and stuff. I am noting down all the suggestions and will plan an initial itinerary tomorrow. Journey dates have been finalized as of now. Leave HYD on 23rd morning and leave back to HYD on 1st morning. Prepping of car will happen post Ramzan.

[The Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Thanks for the heads up about the leaches, i totally forgot about them
I was thinking about a camping at the Tadi camping site. Do you think it is a doable idea, keeping in mind the rains and stuff. I am noting down all the suggestions and will plan an initial itinerary tomorrow. Journey dates have been finalized as of now. Leave HYD on 23rd morning and leave back to HYD on 1st morning. Prepping of car will happen post Ramzan.

You can definitely camp at Tadi provided you are the adventure kind and willing to dare the rain. Not to put you off but watch the video on TOI below.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/64584554.cms

There are plethora of options in Coorg and you may want to draw inspiration from the link below:

https://www.thrillophilia.com/cities/coorg/things-to-do

[Rohit_Quad]

Ok, Stage 1 hotels booking done and looks as follows

1. 23rd Morning HYD - Blore, stay near airport - Hotel Presidency
2. 24th morning start early and reach Waynad by noon, drive through Nagarhole Jungle - Pepper Green Wayanad Resort. Chill in resort for the night (depends !!!)
3. 25th - Jungle Safari and Brahmagiri Trek + Irrupu falls .
4. 26th - Safari + Kuruva Island and check out.

Stage 2 to follow. This will be in Coorg. From 27th to 29th.
Want to stay in a cofee plantation during the trek to Tadi peak atleast for a couple of days. Suggestions are welcome regarding stay + activities in coorg.
Kindly also suggest river rafting too.
I know i am asking for a lot of information (google is there, i know ), but i feel it is better to ask and be well informed, as i never went wrong going by our bhpians.

Thanks for the heads up about the rain situation, i will be prepared and actually don't mind the rains at all