[magiceye]

Hi guys,
Planning to go to Mangalore from Mumbai in the 2nd week of Jan. Have read horror stories of NH17 so please suggest best alternative route. After a couple of nights in Vittal (about 30kms from Mangalore) plan to go to Coorg and after a couple of nights there go to Hassan visit Belur Halebid and then onwards to Bangalore. Bangalore to Mumbai on Nh4. Appreciate any inputs re route/road conditions. Thank you all so much.

[saildrive]

Hi Magiceye

Have reached Mangalore - Kundapur (Mumbai - Panvel - NH4 - Kumta - Sirsi - Honnavar - Kundapur) on 24th started on 23rd. The drive till Belgaum was a dream - one that you will see and witness abroad but after you hit honnavar there are craters more deeper than those on the moon. I have never seen these kind of roads anywhere and used to curse the BMC for our roads back home. Imagine this is the NH17 going to Kerala, wonder how cars really make it?

Anyways now i am going to leave on 2nd morning and am planning to head from Kundapur - Vandse - Murudeshwar and then NH4, but am still unsure if there is a connect there so that I can skip the NH17 - am sweating already thinking about NH17, I would like you to please checkif there is an alternate so that you can bypass the Honnavar - Kundapur belt as you will have a torrid time getting through.

Hope our friends will be able to guyide us if they have more inputs on bypassing the crater filled belt and reach safely.

Look forward to get more inputs from you guys....

[ravibhat]

Best route is still nh17 because even other routes are bad as well.

I have travelled in NH17 few days back right now in Ankola.

NH17 is better now but still road is not smooth very very bumby ride with broken surface. Although less potholes now, NH17 is like village road no one call it national highway. When asked with concered people here they told me central governmenet has sanctioned for new layer for entire stretch of nh17 hopefully in few months they will do it.

Alternate routes:

1. Mangalore -> Kundapur -> Kumta -> Sirsi -> Haveri -> hubli -> belgaum -> pune. here instead of haveri you can go via mundgod but roads are in bad state :(

2. Mangalore -> Kundapur -> Kumta -> Sirsi -> Yellapur -> Haliyaal -> belgaum -> pune.

and vice versa.

Regards,

Ravi.

[Ferrariwell]

Hi all I’ll be doing Mumbai to manipal tomorrow can anyone suggest the best route I should follow ? I have done this trip once before but had my uncle to guide the way so a few certain parts maybe familiar. Google maps suggests this route (marked in blue)

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by Ferrariwell

I’ll be doing Mumbai to manipal tomorrow can anyone suggest the best route I should follow ?

by 'best' if you mean a route without much trouble driving, then this is the best option :

Originally Posted by ravibhat

Best route is still nh17 because even other routes are bad as well.

2. Mangalore -> Kundapur -> Kumta -> Sirsi -> Yellapur -> Haliyaal -> belgaum -> pune

Bear in mind that NH17 is undergoing expansion between Ankola and Udupi (some stretches are not yet complete)

A lot depends on the time of travel - leave Mumbai early and cross Pune before 8 - otherwise, it'll be chaotic from end of expressway till Katraj tunnel.

You will have plenty of traffic near Kolhapur (guess the sugarcane season must be underway and there will be quite a good amount of cane being transported).

You will have to turn left when you are nearing the Hubli end of the Hubli-Dharwad by-pass, to go beneath the road to get on to Yellapur - Ankola route (i.e. Karwar Road).

To go to Manipal, you can take the left at Karavalli Hotel junction (there will be signal on the high-way and it is one of the entry points to Udupi).

[rahulraxx]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

by 'best' if you mean a route without much trouble driving, then this is the best option :

You will have to turn left when you are nearing the Hubli end of the Hubli-Dharwad by-pass, to go beneath the road to get on to Yellapur - Ankola route (i.e. Karwar Road).

I'll be driving from Pune to Mangalore next week. As per google maps, I see that I need to take a left from Kittur to go to Halliyal. Any idea if this road is good enough or should I drive up to Dharwad and then turn left to go beneath the road to Yallapur ?

Also would appreciate if folks can share a list of some good hotels on the way for lunch/snacks etc. Since I'll be leaving from pune around 5 am, I might be somewhere between Yallapur and Ankola around lunch time.

Thanks.

[vrprabhu]

The only highway which I am aware of (to reach Yellapur via Haliyal) is to take the Alnavar route. If you intend to take that route, you can reach Haliyal from Belgaum itself via Khanapur.

Going to Kittur and then towards Haliyal may be slightly longer.

There is one more route from Dharwad to Haliyal via Dandeli - but I haven't tried it.

If time and comfort is primary, suggest you go right up to Hubli and take the Karwar road from there to reach Ankola i.e. via Kalahatgi (this can be easily accessed from the Hubli bye-pass itself). I usually prefer this route, as it is highway till Hubli and the two laned road from Hubli to Ankola is really a delight, especially after crossing Yellapur.

If you reach Ankola by noon, the best place to have lunch is Kamat's at Ankola.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

If time and comfort is primary, suggest you go right up to Hubli and take the Karwar road from there to reach Ankola i.e. via Kalahatgi (this can be easily accessed from the Hubli bye-pass itself). I usually prefer this route, as it is highway till Hubli and the two laned road from Hubli to Ankola is really a delight, especially after crossing Yellapur.

Makes perfect sense, especially for those driving down to Udupi/Mangalore from Mumbai/Pune.

The Hubli - Kalhatgi - Yellapura - Ankola is the most preferred route - Conditions remain good (when compared to others), is wider, can be faster too.

From what I also understand and have learnt while driving to Bangalore from Pune at nights is that most Bus operators with services terminating at Udupi or Mangalore also take this route.

[vivek95]

Hello everyone. I had recently driven my VW Polo from Udupi to Belgaum via Kumta--Ankola--Hubli and some road updates on the same here. It was an all night drive having started from Parkala, Udupi at 8 pm.

1. NH17 Udupi -- Kundapur --> Excellent 4 lane with one toll on the way. Basically Mangalore--Kundapur is fully done up except for a flyover right at the start of Kundapur town.

2. Passing Maravanthe beach stretch-- I couldn't enjoy this beautiful stretch with a sea on one side and river on another, since I crossed at night. I am not really sure if 4 laning has affected its charm.

3. NH17 Kundapur--Kumta--Ankola --> 4 laning work is in progress with lot of diversions some of which are well marked and many others very poorly. Extreme extreme caution is advised at night else you may end up driving on wrong/opposite carriageway. About 60% of the work is done. The 1 km long bridge over Sharavati river just before Honnavar town is an all new one. Remember how pothole ridden it used to be earlier ?! I think the old bridge is still there. Will confirm it with google earth, sorry, I didn't pay much attention here.

4. NH63 Ankola -- Yellapur--Hubli --> Mostly a smooth stretch well marked with reflectors but interspersed with huge potholes especially on curves in the ghat. Mind you these are really deadly, hence extreme caution is advised.

5 Hubli--Belgaum -- You know this, excellent NH4 as always.

So to conclude, the 4 laning ( in process ) on NH17 has definitely improved timings and once the entire stretch is fully completed, it will be even more significantly faster. I did Udupi to Ankola in 3 hours non stop at a normal driving speed of 60 to 110 kmph.

[SanjayDalal]

Hello All.
A friend of mine is shifting residence from Mumbai to Mangaluru next month, end of August.
He will be driving down in his Honda City 1st Gen which will be fully serviced in a couple of days. The car has 115,000 on the odometer and he had bought the car new and used it for past 17 years. (Without any major mechanical issues). Tyres are Michellins 2-3yrs old. And Battery will replaced before departure.

All his possessions will going by truck, and the car will be lighted loaded, three persons on board, with just water, snacks and couple of changes of clothing. He intends to overnight at one place, which is not yet decided.

He will be getting the necessary e-passes and also covid testing done before departure.

Advice is requested from BHPians regarding road conditions ( yes, most people are in lockdown for past few months, so we may not get latest road conditions)

And very important point: He needs good references for garages along the way.

Any good hotels enroute for a night halt? He feels he can drive all the way to Belgaum
leaving Mumbai at 4.00am, and reaching by evening. He is the sole driver.

He will be driving : Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur- Belgaum -Hubli -Murudeshwar-Uddipi-Mangalore .

Thanks all in advance.

[jkrishnakj]

Hi Sanjay -
Hubli - Kalghati - Yellapur - Ankola is in good condition. Just did the Bangalore- Hubli - Karwar drive and good roads all throughout except those places on the highway with diversions. Hubli - Ankola is really good. I am sure Ankola - Murudeshwar - Udupi- Mangalore will be in excellent condition , because the 4 laning is done in most places.

Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum will be good for sure. I did read some status on the Bangalore - Mumbai highway thread.

So, all in all , it should be a good drive.

[Sunroof]

Hello everyone.

I am planning a drive down to Mangalore from Mumbai. Had a few queries with regards to the route:

1) I am well versed with the route till Belgaum, not sure of the route after that. Google Maps used to show an option via Alnavar, Haliyal. This route doesn't show up now. Instead, it shows a route via Kalghatgi. Wanted an overall sense of the road condition.

2) Will be driving this distance for the first time, so intend to halt at Hubli at the end of Day 1 and start by 5 AM on day 2. Need a few recommendations for good breakfast places between Yellapur and Kumta.

Hope to have a few responses that will help firm up my plans. Thanks in advance.

[explorer09]

My recommendation is to ignore the shortcuts that Google Maps will throw up. Stick to the main roads and you will do fine. On my most recent Mumbai-Udupi drive, I took the turn from Dharwad ( Ramya Residency Hotel is the landmark ). But if you are going all the way to Hubli ( for the halt ), then you just need to hit the Kalghatgi-Yellapur-Ankola road from there.

For breakfast, I would recommend Yellapur since there aren't any decent places till Ankola-Kumta. Shree Krishna Rasoi at Yellapur was where I stopped and it was quite good.

[Sunroof]

Originally Posted by explorer09

My recommendation is to ignore the shortcuts that Google Maps will throw up.

Thanks for the help. I reached Mangalore yesterday and post the halt at Hubli took the Hubli - Kalghatgi - Yellapur road.

Originally Posted by Sunroof

I am planning a drive down to Mangalore from Mumbai. Had a few queries with regards to the route:

Hi, drove down this route on 25th Mar with a halt at Hubli. Left at 4.30 AM. There was for some reason a major jam on the Mum-Pune expressway on the ghats. Maps suggested the exit at Khopoli as the expressway was an 1hr+ slower. Followed Google maps but had a bit of difficulty navigating the steep and curvy old Lonavla Khandala ghats. This was compounded all the more as there were hardly any small vehicles and only trucks coming in from the opposite side owning the roads and with their headlights in my eyes.

Caught the expressway at Lonavala second exit and it seemed most of the traffic was stuck at the ghats. The road was a breeze and took my first halt at Abhiruchi Pure Veg after Khambatki Ghat. The restaurant wasn't too crowded and the food was good. Roads thereon were smooth except for a patch before Kolhapur where lane was closed which caused a small 10 min delay. Enter Karnataka and the roads were awesome.

Halted at Hubli and then proceeded towards Mangalore the next day at 5.30AM. Roads between Hubli - Kalghatgi are a mixed bag with work underway. Driving through Yellapur forest / ghat for the first time can be a bit daunting but did it pretty well. Maps then showed a left turn through Mirjan-Ramnagar route which was narrow and through villages. Heaved a sigh of relief when it joined NH 66 at Gokarna. Was able to drive faster and the roads were good. Halted for breakfast at Pandurang International, Kumta which was decent. Reached Mangalore at 12.45PM.

Planning to return to Mumbai in a couple of weeks. The route it shows is via Alnavar and Haliyal but am not too keen to drive through narrow roads with truck traffic. The route suggested by fellow BHPian explorer09 seems better and I think I would stick to that. Anymore suggestions are welcome.

TIA.

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by explorer09

My recommendation is to ignore the shortcuts that Google Maps will throw up. Stick to the main roads and you will do fine. On my most recent Mumbai-Udupi drive, I took the turn from Dharwad ( Ramya Residency Hotel is the landmark ). But if you are going all the way to Hubli ( for the halt ), then you just need to hit the Kalghatgi-Yellapur-Ankola road from there.

I took this route the above mentioned route yesterday, 10th Jan while travelling from Mumbai to Udupi. After taking left from Ramya Residency, the road condition is pathetic for 10 to 15kms until a right turn comes and that road takes you directly to Yellapur.. Road construction is on. I was crawling at 10-15kmph.

I am heading back to Mumbai tomorrow. And I am dreading that 10-15km stretch. Is there an alternate route I can take to avoid exiting through Ramya Residency?

Google maps is showing Yellapur - Haliyal - Alnavar - Kittur - Hubli - Belgaum - Mumbai.

Can anyone suggest if the above route is in good condition or if there is an alternate route?