[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

Guys,
I am planning a Kochi - Kollur drive during 23rd-25th of Jan. My plan is to start on 23rd early morning (around 4AM) from Kochi and drive all the way to Kollur. Is it possible to reach Kollur by 6 PM or so with an early start from Kochi or shall I break the journey somewhere in between?

I did Kochi - Kollur in March last Year. I started from Kochi quite late at around 0645 Hrs and heavy traffic all along traffic slowed us down and had to curtail the day at Udipi. If one is on pilgrimage, it is better to halt at Udipi, so that you can have darshan at the Sree Krishna Temple the next day morning and then leave leisurely to Kollur. The traffic block all through Mangalore bypass took whale of a time. Diversions in connection with the four-lane conversion work also consumed a lot of time up-till Udipi. This was my third trip and on both the earlier occasions I planned for the Udipi halt. I had returned in a single day starting late at even 0800 Hrs.
With a 0400 Hrs start it is quite possible to reach Kollur in a day depending on the day.

[DieselLover]

Is it possible to reach Udupi by around 6 PM if I start from Ekm at 4 AM or so? I don't want a very tiring journey. What about the staying options at Udupi? How long will it take from Udupi to Kollur temple?

[rajeev k]

Starting at 0400 Hrs is in line with a 1800 Hrs arrival at Udipi. Starting at 0500 hrs I could reach the outskirts of Mangalore by 1530 Hrs in 2011.
Kollur will be one and a half hour drive from Udipi.

I stayed at Hotel Swadeshi Heritage, which is good for a night's stay.
Ph. No.:0820 2529605 / 2529705
E-mail: udupi@hotelswadesh.com

But in 2012, After a 0630 Hr start I waited at Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple till late evening to get a glimpse of Muthappan, forcing me to halt for the day at Mangalore.

[DieselLover]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Starting at 0400 Hrs is in line with a 1800 Hrs arrival at Udipi. Starting at 0500 hrs I could reach the outskirts of Mangalore by 1530 Hrs in 2011.
Kollur will be one and a half hour drive from Udipi.

I stayed at Hotel Swadeshi Heritage, which is good for a night's stay.
Ph. No.:0820 2529605 / 2529705
E-mail: udupi@hotelswadesh.com

But in 2012, After a 0630 Hr start I waited at Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple till late evening to get a glimpse of Muthappan, forcing me to halt for the day at Mangalore.

Thanks Rajeev. Does this hotel have good parking facilities? I just looked up on yatra.com and it seems rooms are available during 23rd-25th. Very economical too. I would probably stay 2 nights and start the return journey on 25th morning.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

Thanks Rajeev. Does this hotel have good parking facilities? I just looked up on yatra.com and it seems rooms are available during 23rd-25th. Very economical too. I would probably stay 2 nights and start the return journey on 25th morning.

Staying in Udupi works better too. Simply because you have more choice of hotels and you can visit Udupi temple as well. If you start from Udupi for Kollur the next day at 8AM, you can be back in Udupi after the temple visit for a late lunch.

[DieselLover]

Originally Posted by ampere

Staying in Udupi works better too. Simply because you have more choice of hotels and you can visit Udupi temple as well. If you start from Udupi for Kollur the next day at 8AM, you can be back in Udupi after the temple visit for a late lunch.

Thanks Ampere. What is the temple timing at Kollur? If I visit Kudajadri also, would I be able to return to Udupi by evening?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

Thanks Ampere. What is the temple timing at Kollur? If I visit Kudajadri also, would I be able to return to Udupi by evening?

Don know the exact timings. But last to last year, I started from Udupi after breakfast at about 8AM. Its about 80km from Udupi to Kollur. I was there by 10. Had darshan and was done by 11:30. We started driving back and were in Udupi by 1:30/2PM.

Kodachadri would be difficult to cover I think the same day. If its a must, then I think you should stay in Kollur. I dont know whats the access from Kollur side. But its about 10km jeep ride from Nagara side. And its full day long affair to go and come back.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

Thanks Rajeev. Does this hotel have good parking facilities? I just looked up on yatra.com and it seems rooms are available during 23rd-25th. Very economical too. I would probably stay 2 nights and start the return journey on 25th morning.

The hotel is by the side of a road and you need to park in front of the hotel but is quite safe with security personnel in attendance. There is a mufti-cuisine restaurant too. Within walk-able distance there is a good vegetarian restaurant too.

Originally Posted by ampere

I started from Udupi after breakfast at about 8AM. Its about 80km from Udupi to Kollur. I was there by 10. Had darshan and was done by 11:30. We started driving back and were in Udupi by 1:30/2PM. Kodachadri would be difficult to cover I think the same day. If its a must, then I think you should stay in Kollur. I dont know whats the access from Kollur side. But its about 10km jeep ride from Nagara side. And its full day long affair to go and come back.

Rather than staying at Udipi for two days, I suggest you to stay at Kollur on the second day so that you can have darshan at noon, evening and the also next day morning before departing, which is advisable if you are going there for the first time.
If you like a bit of adventure you can go to Kudajadri Temple by shared taxi jeeps, the thrills of which is awesome.There is a temple there uphill reachable by an hour of trek. It takes only five to six hours' you will be taken back by the same Jeep guy.

[ampere]

As Rajeev said, if the plan is also to visit Kodachadri, then staying in Kollur definitely makes sense. But if its only to visit the temple then you have all the options possible. I preferred to return back to Udupi.

[S_U_N]

About NH17 and timings.
We started from Kumarakom around 7:15 AM and reached Puthanathani at around 1 PM for lunch. The target was to halt at Mahe and stay overnight. So, I was driving at moderate speeds. There was no hurry. We had less than 300 KM to cover.

When we reached Mahe around 4 PM, we we could not find any accommodation since it was year end.
So after spending a couple of hours hunting for a place and doing some shopping, we started to proceed further toward Udupi.

The route from Mahe towards Thallasery was extremely narrow and with bumper-to-bumper traffic.
After looking out for some stay options finally, we reached Kannur all exhausted around 8:30 PM and called it a day. The last two hours were really bad. Even Pune city traffic is a lot better.

The next day NH17 did not 'widen up', but I was fast right from the word 'go'. We started at around 8 AM and headed backwards to Muzhappilangad drive in beach. Spend 15 minutes there and left at 8:45. The road around Chemnad is like an off-roading track.





After we crossed over to Karnataka, the roads became broader. Luckily we did not get into much trouble bypassing Mangalore - had lunch around 1-1:30 PM and to finally reach Manipal around 3:30 PM




The roads throughout NH17 are quite narrow and the traffic is huge. On hindsight, it would have been better to start at 4 AM on both days.

[RajeshK]

I think the picture shown above is from Kanhangad - Kasargod stretch via Chandragiri (Bekal). If so please note this is not part of NH, and this is getting repaired under KSTP project. You could have taken the right turn before entering Kanhangad town. There was a sign board too (I hope it is still exists) pointing to Kasaragod.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

The roads throughout NH17 are quite narrow and the traffic is huge. On hindsight, it would have been better to start at 4 AM on both days.

The NH17 coastal drive through KL till Udupi is not at all fun. The fun begins only after you have crossed Kundapur. Till then its a pain. One is much better drive via plains along the 4-lane. A better option would drive via Coimbattore/Mysore and then head coast via Jog (NH206).

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

I think the picture shown above is from Kanhangad - Kasargod stretch via Chandragiri (Bekal). If so please note this is not part of NH, and this is getting repaired under KSTP project. You could have taken the right turn before entering Kanhangad town. There was a sign board too (I hope it is still exists) pointing to Kasaragod.

I don't exactly remember the location, but it was quite close to Kasargod/ Bekal. Somehow all the traffic was on this road, so I am not sure where the NH disappeared.

Originally Posted by ampere

The NH17 coastal drive through KL till Udupi is not at all fun. The fun begins only after you have crossed Kundapur. Till then its a pain. One is much better drive via plains along the 4-lane. A better option would drive via Coimbattore/Mysore and then head coast via Jog (NH206).

Perhaps for next time. But that road is almost twice the distance in terms of KM.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Perhaps for next time. But that road is almost twice the distance in terms of KM.

True but you also get more places to see in between. Then you plan your vacation accordingly .

[DieselLover]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

The hotel is by the side of a road and you need to park in front of the hotel but is quite safe with security personnel in attendance. There is a mufti-cuisine restaurant too. Within walk-able distance there is a good vegetarian restaurant too.



Rather than staying at Udipi for two days, I suggest you to stay at Kollur on the second day so that you can have darshan at noon, evening and the also next day morning before departing, which is advisable if you are going there for the first time.
If you like a bit of adventure you can go to Kudajadri Temple by shared taxi jeeps, the thrills of which is awesome.There is a temple there uphill reachable by an hour of trek. It takes only five to six hours' you will be taken back by the same Jeep guy.

Thanks Rajeev. Staying at Kollur on second day makes sense. I would probably get time to visit Kudajadri too. Any idea on accommodation options at Kollur?