[RajeshK]

Shortest route will be Hunsur - Madikeri - Bhagamandala - Panathur - Kanhangad - Bekal. After Bhagamandalam till you reach Kerala border, it is thick and nice forest section and you will find very less traffic. Roads are ok though I don't have any recent update. Though it is dense forest, I see wildlife only in the forest dept hoardings. Beyond Madikeri, till you reach Kanhangad expect only basic eateries.

Another option is Madikeri - Sullya - Cherkala - Bekal. Recently one of our member vnambiar travelled via this route. Updates are -> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3096110

Third option could be Hunsur - Periyapatna - Virajpet - Sreekantapuram - Thalipparamba - Nileswaram - Kanhangad - Bekal as suggested by ampere. You will get bad roads only for 3-4kms just after you take the turn at Periyapatna and this is very much doable in any car.

Gokulam Resorts @ Nileswaram is a good place you can stay/dine. They could arrange boating also.

Originally Posted by ampere

Since you plan to start very early, I hope you would skip stopping on Mysore road. Hunsur bypass has Cafe Coorg, right at the start of the bypass. Somewhere between Hunsur and Periyapatna (about 20km from Cafe Coorg) you also have a Coffee Day. But beyond Virajpet I dont know of any break points.

You can also check with member @kala. He frequents those locations esp. around Taliparamaba (as per what I could gather from his posts)

I won't suggest Coorg Cafe any more.
There are many good hotels once you touch NH17. Bamboo Fresh @ Thalipparamba is just at the juntion where the road touches NH-17.

Thanks
Rajesh

[ampere]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

Shortest route will be Hunsur - Madikeri - Bhagamandala - Panathur - Kanhangad - Bekal. After Bhagamandalam till you reach Kerala border, it is thick and nice forest section and you will find very less traffic. Roads are ok though I don't have any recent update. Though it is dense forest, I see wildlife only in the forest dept hoardings. Beyond Madikeri, till you reach Kanhangad expect only basic eateries.

I wanted to suggest the Panathur option. But I have no idea how safe or easy it is drive for a family and what are the options for breaks. Hence suggested the route via Iritty/Thalipparamba.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by ampere

I wanted to suggest the Panathur option. But I have no idea how safe or easy it is drive for a family and what are the options for breaks. Hence suggested the route via Iritty/Thalipparamba.

There is no safety issues. I travelled in this route many times with family untill the Virajpet - Iritty road got repaired. We can avoid this route in the early days of south-west monsoon as there could be trees/branches falling down in the wind.

Thanks
Rajesh

[gopalnayak]

I took the following route two weeks back:
Bangalore-Hassan-Sakhleshpur-Uppinangadi-Kalladka-Vittal-Perla-Cherkala-Chattanchal-Kalnad-Bekal

Drive time was about 7 hours.

Road condition was good all through except for a stretch of about two kilometres just before Perla.

[madhav]

Thanks for the inputs guys...

When I try a Bangalore to Bekal search on Google Maps, I get the following route

Bangalore - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Gundya - Subramanya - Bellare - Sulya - Bekal.

Distance is exactly the same as the Iritty option suggested by Ampere. Anything wrong with this?

Between NH48 and the Hunsur - Iritty option, which is better?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by madhav

Between NH48 and the Hunsur - Iritty option, which is better?

I think Iritty is better as roads are in a better condition. And I also think you get more options for break. Don't know how much you get on the other routes.

[Thunderbird]

Originally Posted by madhav

Guys, I'm planning a trip from Bangalore to Bekal on 2nd May.

Madhav,

I would vote for the Sulya route i.e. Bangalore - Madikeri - Sulya - Cherkala - Bekal because I have always felt that this is the quickest. Barring few stretches between Madikeri and Sulya, the roads are in excellent condition.

The Ghat roads through Madikeri - Bhagamandala - Panathur - Kanghangad - Bekal may make the journey slow and tiring. The Hassan route will lead you through Mangalore and Kasaragod which has pretty dense traffic throughout the day.

If you are taking the Madikeri - Sulya route, you can stop for breakfast at Hotel East End. It's just before you reach Madikeri town ( on the right-side; beside HP petrol pump). The service is not so great but, food is good and the rest rooms are clean. I think the restaurant opens by 8 AM.

Regarding options to stay - Gokulam Resorts is a good place to stay. But you need to drive down south (around 14 kms) after arriving at Bekal.

There are couple of options nearby which you could try:

+ Taj by Vivanta and Lalith (prices are on the higher side).
+ Nirvana at Bekal. ( see http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Revi...al_Kerala.html )

Please remember that April and May can be very hot and humid at Bekal. So I would advice you to visit the fort in the evening. Entry to the fort stops at 05:30 PM and the authorities ask visitors to vacate the fort by 6 PM.

I hope this info has been useful. Safe trip and enjoy your visit.

[JohnnyBoss]

I had travelled to Bekal from Madikkeri in April 2012 and barring the 30 km stretch between Bhagamandala and Panathur (Karike) was good. Very good from Panathur onwards.

It doesn't mean that 30 km stretch between Bhagamandala and Panathur was bad, but not upto the other sectors. It is a very lonely stretch but fun to drive.

I'd definitely recommend this route, if the road conditions are same or improved since then.

[kala]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBoss

I had travelled to Bekal from Madikkeri in April 2012 and barring the 30 km stretch between Bhagamandala and Panathur (Karike) was good. Very good from Panathur onwards.

It doesn't mean that 30 km stretch between Bhagamandala and Panathur was bad, but not upto the other sectors. It is a very lonely stretch but fun to drive.

I'd definitely recommend this route, if the road conditions are same or improved since then.

Conditions of the Bhagamandala-Panathur section were more or less the same even in Feb 2013 when I travelled that section last. Narrow roads and tarmac conditions not too good - but no deep potholes, and easily negotiable by a sedan. And the lovely sight of the dense forest around you compensates for the poor surface quality of the road. Sparse traffic, Was almost deserted the first time I went that way a few years back, but one sees some traffic there these days.

Even though you run the risk of some fallen tree branches blocking the road, driving through that forest stretch is a real treat in the monsoon because every small stream around you seem to turn into a lovely waterfall and you see so many of them - more or less one for every turn in the road - some of them being quite spectacular.

[madhav]

I think the options are down to Irrity or Madikeri. I'm going to leave the choice to the better half. It is better to have her decide else I'll never hear the end of it if something goes wrong.

Thunderbird, we've made booking at Taj Vivanta. The online pictures and various reviews have set very high expectations... hope it lives up to all the hype.

Thanks to everyone for pitching in with valuable inputs. I shall update this thread with the route info after I return.

Enjoy May Day!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by madhav

Thunderbird, we've made booking at Taj Vivanta. The online pictures and various reviews have set very high expectations... hope it lives up to all the hype.

Here you have some details on Taj Bekal

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...iri-bekal.html

[madhav]

Guys, am back from the trip and it was fantastic!!

The route picked by the better half was Bangalore-Madikeri-Sulya-Cherkala-Bekal. Good roads except the Jalsoor - Sulya where work is going on. Kerala stretch was good. It was an absolute pleasure working the Palio through the twisty roads.

I left at 5 am on and reached the hotel at Bekal at 12:30 pm with a 1 hour breakfast halt. However, return took longer; I left Bekal at 12 noon and reached my place at AECS layout at 8:30PM!!! Lost a lot of time slowing down on Mysore road with weekend return traffic and of course, on our infamous Bannerghatta road!!!

Overall, a fantastic trip and for anyone planning a trip Bekal, please stay at Taj (if the price is not prohibitive) The villa's are out of the world and the staff really take care of you. Beach at the resort is not safe, but with a private pool at your disposal, you don't miss the beach so much.

Thanks again to everyone who helped with the direction!

[Deep Blue]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

Bamboo Fresh @ Thalipparamba is just at the juntion where the road touches NH-17.

Thanks
Rajesh

Bamboo Fresh is closed now. Don't know what happened. It was good while it lasted.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by Deep Blue

Bamboo Fresh is closed now. Don't know what happened. It was good while it lasted.

It is temporary for renovation.

[akj123]

Originally Posted by madhav

Guys, am back from the trip and it was fantastic!!

The route picked by the better half was Bangalore-Madikeri-Sulya-Cherkala-Bekal. Good roads except the Jalsoor - Sulya where work is going on. Kerala stretch was good. It was an absolute pleasure working the Palio through the twisty roads.

Madhav,

I am planning B'lore - Bekal for first week of June and looking for route suggestions. Since i expect monsoons to come in by then, would prefer routes which don't have much (or any) ghat section, and also, not a desolate route.

Can you suggest if the above route is suitable, or should I look at alternatives ? I was thinking of going through Mangalore as that is main highway, but there will be a ghat section there.

Thanks in advance for suggestions!