Team-BHP - Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty : Route Queries

Has anyone crossed the border on Bike with a pillion? E registration platform says only one person is allowed on a bike and there isn’t any public transportation available on the route either in case someone wanted to take a short ride in public transport, cross the border and join the group with two wheelers.

It doesn’t make sense to limit two wheelers to one passenger while multiple people are allowed in closer cars but there isn’t anything we can do about it.

itwasntme, the check post for crossing from Bandipur into Madumalai (Nilgiris) is Kakkanala in T.N. You need an e pass (e registration) which is auto generated. When i crossed over on the 16th, at around 1030 am it took me only 2/3 minutes to cross the border. The pass is checked and entry in the register made. Car number and no of passengers was not checked at all. It is a mere formality(at least on that day). No Temperature checks or covid checks. A Rs 30/- green fee was collected and a fine of Rs 100/- collected for a bubble wrapped(plastic which is banned in the Nilgiris) microwave.
The cops at the check post did a cursory glance in the boot of the car to check for cash (Elections in T.N). Was checked twice again before i reached Coonoor for cash. Only cursory checks which was being recorded by the E.C. observers.

rarkit, i saw more that 10 bikes between the check post and Ooty town on the shorter 36 hair pin ghat with pillions. So do check the site again.

Planning Ooty from the mysore Ringg road.

So I suppose we will do the gundlupete- Masinagudi-Kalhatty and Ooty road
We are 4 of us on a car, including elderly inlaws who are 65+.

Also , are speed brakers on the Forest section back - braking?

Asking as we have elderlies with back issues!
Will they be allowed past the Checkposts , considering they are elderly?:eek:

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rama Kumara (Post 5027189)

Planning Ooty from the mysore Ringg road.

I think e-registration is needed and you can do that online on the Tamil Nadu gov website.

I heard that Mysore ring road section between Columbia Asia hospital junction with Bangalore-Mysore road and the Nanjangud road has bad surface at several places. If you're traveling early morning, just drive through the city. I traveled last week of Feb on a Saturday morning around 8am and it was a breeze.

Decide if you want to take the Masinagudi-Kalhatty route (36 hair pin bends, more scenic) or the more gradual one via Gudalur. For the former, you need to turn left after you enter Mudumalai (Theppakadu checkpost).

Rama Kumara, there are a lot of speed breakers in both the forest sections of Karnataka(Bandipur) and T.N ( Madumalai). If your in laws have severe back issues then take the Gudalur road instead of the Kalhatty ghat.
The check post has no issue with the age of people crossing.
Vehicles are allowed on the Kalhatty ghat towards Ooty from Madumalai but not in the opposite direction. The check post on this route is Kakkanallah. Theppakadu is the village where the road forks out : one towards Gudalur and the other towards Masinagudi (36 hair pin road).
The Mysore ring road is in a very bad shape and is only getting worse.
Drive safe

Did Bengaluru-Bandipur-Madumalai bike trip this weekend.
Epass is very much needed. Thanks to this forum I filled all the right details. For bikes we used the car option and mentioned “bike” in comments.
We deliberately took Kanakapura-Malavalli-T. Narasipura path.
Bengaluru-Kanakapura has a lot of widening work going on. Will be frustrating in a car. After that it was great upto Malavalli. As I read here it’s good upto Mysuru.
The detour we took is awesome for bike touring. Onward we went via MareHalli Kere - awesome lake and road. This is good for cars too. On return we took Thigadahally-Malagalali-Shiramalli, which may not be fun in a car.

Bandipur Safari people should note as mentioned in many posts that tourist point is now 7km before the old spot, or 2km before the forest gate. It is before Pugmark by KSTDC. There is no food/drink service here, but good washrooms.

While our Safari was boring, we saw a leopard lounging on a rock 50m from the road inside Bandipur forest. There were a few tourist and forest dept vehicles too soaking in the majestic presence as the sun was setting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rama Kumara (Post 5027189)

No other option anyway until the fork that come after you enter Tamil Nadu. Speed breakers until then are short and abrupt. You will have to go dead slow to avoid discomfort.

We are planning to travel to Ooty during Ugadi. While looking at the route in google maps, I came across the route via NH44 via Dharmapuri and turning from Thoppur. Is this route a bad option? Can someone help with the road condition in this route? I have not seen anyone mentioning this route in this thread.

Is the recommended route the one via Bandipur and Gudalur? Any advantage for this compared to the above one?

Quote:

Originally Posted by aneeshtn (Post 5031535)

I came across the route via NH44 via Dharmapuri and turning from Thoppur. Is this route a bad option? Can someone help with the road condition in this route? I have not seen anyone mentioning this route in this thread.

Is the recommended route the one via Bandipur and Gudalur? Any advantage for this compared to the above one?

Yes, the recommended route is the one via Bandipur, and then either take the route via Kalhatty, which has 36 hair-pin bends (allowed only on the onward route while heading to Ooty), or take the route via Gudalur, which is more gentle (allowed both on the onward and return journey). The added advantage is that the route is very scenic, and you always have a chance of spotting some wildlife along the way while traversing through Bandipur and Mudumalai.
Only in case you are expected to cross this stretch between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., taking the other route makes sense, because this forest stretch through Bandipur and Mudumalai is closed during this time-frame. However, I am not aware of the road conditions of the alternate route.
Hope this helps. Cheers and happy driving!

Going to Coonoor from Bangalore on the 14th. Please advise which route to take based on present road conditions:
1) Bangalore - Kanakapura - Malavalli - Mysore OR Bangalore - Mandya - Mysore.
and
2) Bandipur - Kalhatty Ghat (36 hairpins road) - Ooty OR Bandipur - Gudalur - Ooty.
I have been doing the Kanakapura - Mysore - Gundlupete - Kalhatty Ghat - Ooty route on a regular basis but would like inputs after the monsoon have started.
Also inputs on restaurants on Bangalore - Mysore - Gundlupete route for breakfast.
Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydtraveller (Post 5148604)

Planing a Bangalore - Ooty trip on the 15th. Have an e pass to enter the Nilgiris from Burliar check point, so I have to go fro Hosur - Metupalyam side only.
Please suggest the best route from this side.
Thanks

If you want to stick to NH, go via Salem-Avinashi-Annur - Coonoor.

If you are OK with 2 lane roads and passing smaller towns, you can try Thoppur-Mettur-Sathyamangalam-Mettupalayam-Coonoor route.

I am not sure of the road conditions for option 2. I had travelled a couple of years back and they were good - like any other state highway in TN.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydtraveller (Post 5148604)

If you are going to Ooty, the normal route is through Mysore - Bandipur - Masinagudi or Gudalur and then to Ooty. You can get another E-Pass for Kakanallah checkpost. RT-PCR is mandatory for those without two dose vaccine, lots of vehicles are sent back to KA.

You can reach mysore through usual Bangalore mysore road if starting early morning or Malavalli route if traveling during peak hours.

From Mettupalayam you need to take the road through Burliyar, Conoor and reach Ooty. It is not crowded as usual, best time to enjoy Ooty.