[ampere]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Thanks for the inputs. Will decide the return route after reaching Bekal but will not go the Mangalore way. Return I plan to do one shot on sunday, so will get tiring by evening.

I was hoping mid march may not be as bad as peak heat season. Mentally prepped for some warm weather but Bangalore has us spoiled

With the expressway up it's faster to go via Mysore-Madikeri any day compared to Mangalore-Hassan. Also imagine the state of Shiradi.

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Exactly the set of inputs that I was looking for. Planning a Bekal trip this weekend.

Did you complete the trip? How was the route? I have a trip planned next weekend, hence looking for advice on the route and latest conditions..

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by 4WheelPilot

Did you complete the trip? How was the route? I have a trip planned next weekend, hence looking for advice on the route and latest conditions..

I did travel to Bekal on fri and stayed at Taj. Got back to BLR on sun evening. Route I took was BLR-Mysore-Kushalnagar-Madikeri-Sullia-Jalsoor-Mulleria-Cherkala-Chattanchal-Bekal . Traced back the same route on return as well. Be careful with googlemaps as it does show some shorter route which lead to very narrow roads inside Kerala. I took one while going to Bekal.

Overall mysore road is a breeze now. Road from Mysore till Madikeri is normal SH, not too wide or narrow. From Madikeri till Jalsoor is again decent smooth SH but does get narrow in bends and ghats. From Jalsoor you enter towards Kerala where it gets very narrow in sections but surface is fairly smooth. Just be careful on bends since there is just enough space for 2 vehicles in parallel and infamous state buses do ply. I went to Bekal with night stay in Mysore, on return left Bekal around 11 30am and reached Whitefield by 7 30pm with about 45mins of stops. Made up for time on mysore road

[Comrade]

I recently did Hyderabad -> Bengaluru -> Mysuru -> Madikeri -> Bekal (Taj). Took Sullia - Jalsoor - Mulleria - Chengala - Bekal for the onward journey. After Jalsoor, there are roadworks at many places almost till Bekal.

Based on local recommendation, took Bekal - Poinachi - Bandadka - Sullia road for return journey. This road seems to be freshly upgraded and is definitely better option now compared to Chengala-Jalsoor. This road is two-lane undivided highway with lane markings and night-time reflectors throughout Kerala. The road condition is also very good in Karnataka forest section with zero potholes.

Both ways, it was 4:00 am to 7:00 pm single-day drives with breaks for breakfast, lunch, evening coffee etc.

[Oppanna]

Originally Posted by Comrade

Bandadka - Sullia road for return journey

Attaching the picture for viewing pleasure. This road passes through reserve forrest for kms. This was a single lane walking path in the 90's and then in 2000's was a 4*4 terrain with only Jeeps traversing this section. Later it was a proper kacha road and developed to this condition in the last 5 years.

My grand parents house is just 100 meters from the Karnataka - Kerala Border and this stretch is an elephant corridor.

[VWguy]

Hello,

I'm currently in Waynad and would be leaving for Kabini tomorrow morning. Google Maps is suggesting me 2 routes (image below).

I need your advice on which one would be more scenic and whether there are any time restrictions? My preference is beautiful journey over time taken.

Regards,
VWguy

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by VWguy

I need your advice on which one would be more scenic and whether there are any time restrictions? My preference is beautiful journey over time taken.

The shorter route via Mananthavady has some really bad road sections. That route is scenic for sure, and it goes through thick forests. But at some sections the roads are very bad and it is suitable only for those jungle safaris.

On the other hand, the longer route via Gundlupet is much smoother. It is also quite scenic, and goes through Bandipur National Park. This route sees a lot of traffic on weekends. But on weekdays, it should be a breeze.

Since you are driving on a weekday, I would suggest the longer route via Gundlupet which is both scenic and has smoother roads.

Regarding time restrictions, this road via Gundlupet is closed from 9pm to 6am (Bandipur National Park sections of this road have these timing restrictions, and there are gates at the entry and exit of Bandipur National Park where they enforce these timings). But from 6am to 9pm, there are no other restrictions. Ideally, best to this route in the early morning just after it opens. Bandipur National Park is amazing in the morning and a morning drive through that is one of the best driving experiences!

[Cooltronics]

Anyone who has recently been to Bangalore Bekal and can recommend the road conditions ?
We shortlisted 2 options - first one is the most spoken about on the forum but the latest feedback shows option 2 as being better with re-surfaced roads

Option 1: Bengaluru -> Mysuru -> Madikeri -> Sullia -> Jalsoor -> Mulleria -> Chengala -> Bekal (Taj).

Option 2: Bengaluru -> Mysuru -> Madikeri -> Sullia -> Bandadka --> Poinachi -->Bekal (Taj)

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by Cooltronics

Option 1: Bengaluru -> Mysuru -> Madikeri -> Sullia -> Jalsoor -> Mulleria -> Chengala -> Bekal (Taj).

Option 2: Bengaluru -> Mysuru -> Madikeri -> Sullia -> Bandadka --> Poinachi -->Bekal (Taj)

I frequent these routes and both are equally good though Option 2 can be preferred due to slightly better road quality and less traffic.

[Cooltronics]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

I frequent these routes, and both are equally good though Option 2 can be preferred due to slightly better road quality and less traffic.

Thank you so much for your guidance. We completed the trip and the roads were flawless. Not a single pothole encountered at any point on this stretch and as you mentioned, there was hardly any traffic albeit Kushalnagar/Coorg part which was expected