[ninjatalli]

Hey folks,
So I recently got to understand that I'll probably be spending the last two weeks of December in Mangalore. I'll have a bike handy (and a car at times) and loads of free time; courtesy my work environment going on holiday mode during the Christmas - New Year period.

So here's an attempt to try and make use of this time doing what I love best to do - travel around the nearby areas of West Karnataka. And hence this thread to get inputs from bhpians who have lived and/or traveled around those areas to get inputs and options to go around.

Why that particular area you ask?
1. North Kerala - Well, my alma mater, REC/NIT Calicut is just a shoe's throw away down south in coconut-land. Been there several times (apart from the 4 years) so kinda not too thrilled to plan that side (except maybe a one-day trip at most), plus have explored north KL for a decent bit in the past.
2. Coorg - I have done a few times (Chikmagalur side, Bhadra wildlife santuary), plus I'm sure the Bangalore crowd will be thronging the area during this period for same/similar reasons.

I'm briefly aware of the few options in Dakshina Kannada but very limited information
- Jog falls (obviously); although IIRC December is probably not the greatest time to visit the place
- Sharavati Valley
- West coast stretches like Kodi Bengare
- The west-end side of Coorg

I'm sure there are a host of other awesome options that can be considered for multiple one-two day bike trip with the return point being Mangalore over the two week period (planning such trip limitations given the current pandemic at hand). I'm also open to making halts midway someplace if the distance and time assures a worthwhile trip/destination.

---------------------------------------------

So bhpians, do what you are best at doing - give advice

What do you get out of this, you ask? Well - a nice picturesque travelogue - I can promise you that!


P.s. A die-hard foodie here so please don't miss out the must-have food outlets

[libranof1987]

There's quite a few places you can visit in that region; I'm sure the local BHPians will pour in with suggestions. Here's some ex-Mangalore:

1) Kapu/Kaup beach: beach with a lighthouse. 30 kms
2) Manipal: student town, 60 kms.
3) Bekal fort: a lovely fort by the shore, 70kms
4) Murdeshwar: 100 kms, will be a temple tour. You get to drive through Maravanthe.

Then there's all the hill stations across KA, TN, KL.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

I'm briefly aware of the few options in Dakshina Kannada but very limited information
- Jog falls (obviously); although IIRC December is probably not the greatest time to visit the place
- Sharavati Valley
- West coast stretches like Kodi Bengare
- The west-end side of Coorg

None of these places are in current Dakshina Kannada...

If you like Kodi Bengare kind of places, try something different.

Check this map. You can see NH66 marked in yellow. But you also see a thin road along the sea, which exists all along the coast, mostly. Get to that road and keep riding, instead of the 4-lane NH66.

[gischethans]

Check out Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala, Moodabidri, Karkala, Agumbe areas. In addition to temples and ancient Jain monuments, you will get to drive through lots of green stretches and come across lesser-known places involving water bodies which are not frequented by tourists.

[am1m]

You will be in biking heaven! I spent four years there in college and got my first bike there- every weekend was out somewhere on a bike! As far as destinations go, you'll have beaches, ghats, forests, winding roads, coastal highways, rivers, bridges...

Just off the top of my head- Agumbe and Thirthahalli, Kaup beach, Marvanthe, Seetha Nadi, Moodabidri town, Udupi town.

[papr23]

You've got some lovely places to go around on a motorbike/bicycle. I used to love riding in chilly weather early in the mornings when I was in Manipal.
Beware of the private buses on the narrow roads. They fly!
There are numerous waterfalls around. Some of the falls that are accessible with an easy hike are Koodlu falls, Hanuman Gundi falls, Sirimane falls.

[guyfrmblr]

If you get access to a car and if you want to try an early morning departure and late evening arrival with a long scenic drive through the beautiful Dakshina Kannada roads, you can try this: Mangalore - Mani - Savanoor - Bisile Ghat - Mallalli Falls - Madikeri - Sullia - Puttur - Mangalore. I usually do this stretch on most of the visits to my grandparents place in Dakshina Kannada.

1. Mangalore - Bisile ghat entrance (through Savanoor)

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/gazZj24R9oPCEQbT9
Time: Approximately 2.5 hours
Road conditions: Mangalore to Mani has some bad stretches but Mani - Puttur - Savanoor -Bisile ghat entrance near Subramanya is great.
Points of interest: Kukke Subramanya

2. Bisile ghat - Mallalli falls

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/QPQfX1oYhbuQdSkK7
Time: Approximately 2 hours
Road conditions: 2 km of stretch in Bisile ghat is unpaved but easily manageable even in low GC cars.
Points of interest: Numerous scenic points in Bisile ghat and Mallalli falls

3. Mallalli falls - Madikeri - Mani - Mangalore

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/ucTGLGN6RmjApbs47
Time taken: Approximately 5 hours
Road conditions: Mallalli Falls - Madikeri - Sullia - Mani is great. Mani - Mangalore is not so great.
Points of interest:
- Abbimatta Falls: https://goo.gl/maps/FSz8yBY8t16HMEv88
- Makkala Gudi Betta: https://goo.gl/maps/6ZVGqhh3Z4hbDA7T7

If this is too cumbersome to do within a day for you, you can plan to halt at Madikeri at night and travel back to Mangalore next day (or you can return to Mangalore through Bisile ghat from Mallalli falls). These are not very famous places (except Mallalli falls) but you can experience true Dakshina Kannada and a small part of interior Coorg too. Also download the offline maps of the entire area as there are a lots of places without network coverage.

[Lambydude]

Tourist spots in Kerala are currently closed. So no point travelling to Bekal or any other beaches in north Kerala. However, there are many good seaside resorts, cottages etc open and with the local population avoiding such places you get a really good deal as well. A friend of mine recently did a week long work from resort as well. You can avoid the 2 week quarantine in Kerala by returning within a week.

[highway_star]

Some of the places that I like around that area:

1. Sita falls

2. Hanuman Gundi falls

3. Marvante beach

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Tourist spots in Kerala are currently closed. So no point travelling to Bekal or any other beaches in north Kerala. However, there are many good seaside resorts, cottages etc open and with the local population avoiding such places you get a really good deal as well. A friend of mine recently did a week long work from resort as well. You can avoid the 2 week quarantine in Kerala by returning within a week.

Could u kindly elaborate please? Am I allowed to transit through Kerala by road? I will be spending less than 7 days in the state. Road trip planned third/fourth week of November. Staying everywhere with friends except for one day.
I have a booking at a resort in third week of November (for a day), will I be allowed to travel to/from it?

[gauravanekar]

Few years back I had experienced Kayaking near mulki, it was indeed one of the most memorable experiences of my life. You should definitely try. A person called Sushant used to run a small kayak renting and trip guiding business, but not sure whether he is still into it.
We had started well after sunrise after a healthy breakfast, slowly kayaked upstream the river, stopped for lunch on the river beach beside the home of a rural family, he had an arrangement with them for lunch and dinner. After lunch we kayaked further upstream and then returned to the house by dusk. Slept in a tent in front of host’s house. Next day morning started back to mulky.

Please do try

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Could u kindly elaborate please? Am I allowed to transit through Kerala by road? I will be spending less than 7 days in the state. Road trip planned third/fourth week of November. Staying everywhere with friends except for one day.
I have a booking at a resort in third week of November (for a day), will I be allowed to travel to/from it?

The plan as you have mentioned sounds a bit tricky. Let me elaborate - Kerala still has mandatory quarantine for travellers from outside the state. If you are visiting and leaving within 7 days then no need for quarantine. Even if you are staying for more than 7 days, you can get a covid test done on 7th day or later and if negative you can end your quarantine.
However, while entering the state you still have to show your registration on Kerala Covid Jagratha website. It's not a pass but a registration to track when you entered the state and where you will be staying.

Now, normally travellers will be giving one address as their destination and the health authorities from that place will be responsible to monitor you (if required). But since you are staying at multiple places, it brings in a complexity.

All I can say is if your friends' places are in cities, then less likely you will be tracked. If it falls in villlages/panchayats then there is a higher chance you maybe be tracked. Talk to your friends about this and they should be able to give a clearer picture. After all, the risk is on them

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

There's quite a few places you can visit in that region

Originally Posted by Samurai

But you also see a thin road along the sea, which exists all along the coast, mostly. Get to that road and keep riding, instead of the 4-lane NH66.

Originally Posted by gischethans

Check out Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala, Moodabidri, Karkala, Agumbe areas.

Originally Posted by am1m

Just off the top of my head- Agumbe and Thirthahalli, Kaup beach, Marvanthe, Seetha Nadi, Moodabidri town, Udupi town.

Originally Posted by papr23

Some of the falls that are accessible with an easy hike are Koodlu falls, Hanuman Gundi falls, Sirimane falls.

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

you can try this: Mangalore - Mani - Savanoor - Bisile Ghat - Mallalli Falls - Madikeri - Sullia - Puttur - Mangalore.

Originally Posted by highway_star

Some of the places that I like around that area

Thank you folks for your valuable suggestions! Albeit the plan had to be shortened to ~3 days but I was able to do several of your suggestions and save more for another trip later this year (hopefully).

Thread is up if you are interested.

[ninjatalli]

So for those who helped/contributed on the phase 1 travel early this year, thanks a lot! The trip experiences are documented at this thread (Trails of a Biker : Ride across Udupi and Chikkamagaluru on an Enfield Classic 350).

Now comes phase 2 and the plans are as lucid as the first one But I do have a general idea of the route I'm taking and I'd love any options/feedback/locations I need to add to my kitty for the next few days

Day 1 (21st July): Bangalore to Jog falls view point. Night stay at KSTDC hotel at Jog falls

Day 2, 3, 4: Move from Jog falls and drive across Sharavati valley wildlife sanctuary, Mookambika wildlife sanctuary, Thirthahalli, Agumbe, Kudremukh wildlife sanctuary and come down the ghats to end at Mangalore.

Day 5: Head back to Bangalore after a day's stay at Mangalore.

Open to any suggestions for the above rough plan!


P.s. This time the vehicle is a S-Cross and not an Enfield!

[FURY_44]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

So for those who helped/contributed on the phase 1 travel early this year, thanks a lot! The trip experiences are documented at this thread (Trails of a Biker : Ride across Udupi and Chikkamagaluru on an Enfield Classic 350).

Now comes phase 2 and the plans are as lucid as the first one But I do have a general idea of the route I'm taking and I'd love any options/feedback/locations I need to add to my kitty for the next few days

Day 1 (21st July): Bangalore to Jog falls view point. Night stay at KSTDC hotel at Jog falls

Day 2, 3, 4: Move from Jog falls and drive across Sharavati valley wildlife sanctuary, Mookambika wildlife sanctuary, Thirthahalli, Agumbe, Kudremukh wildlife sanctuary and come down the ghats to end at Mangalore.

Day 5: Head back to Bangalore after a day's stay at Mangalore.

Open to any suggestions for the above rough plan!


P.s. This time the vehicle is a S-Cross and not an Enfield!

Hello Ninjatalli,

The below route map was covered over 3 days last weekend on my bike, completely drenched throughout, not regretting one bit though. Good that you have decided to go by car.

https://goo.gl/maps/Kryqtvw8Scmd5pJf9