[The_Road_Rover]

Hi all,

I drove from Bengaluru to Gokarna last weekend. Find the details below.

Route :
Bengaluru Haveri Sirsi Kumta Gokarna

Date :
Bangalore to Gokarna on 9th December 2022
Gokarna to Bengaluru on 12th December 2022

Car details :
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga petrol

Road conditions :
Bangalore to Haveri : Awesome
Haveri to Sirsi : Very bad, under construction, bumpy and painful
Sirsi to Kumta : Pathetic and distressing. Don't go in this road unless you must have to.
Kumta to Gokarna : Good



I must say driving to Gokarna from Bengaluru via Sirsi is not going to be a pleasant experience as of today. Please look for some alternative route. And let me know if you know any.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by The_Road_Rover

I must say driving to Gokarna from Bengaluru via Sirsi is not going to be a pleasant experience as of today. Please look for some alternative route. And let me know if you know any.

For the same time, it's much more pleasant to drive via Hubli-Yellapur-Ankola. At an additional 60-80 km you get peace of mind for the same time taken.

But yes that last section to Ankola needs to watched. Many in Goa thread have complained of tyre burst thanks to un-detected potholes. But I am guessing that's a problem which is more likely to be fixed in the near future than these interior roads.

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by The_Road_Rover

I must say driving to Gokarna from Bengaluru via Sirsi is not going to be a pleasant experience as of today. Please look for some alternative route. And let me know if you know any.

The other option is via Bangalore - Chitradurga - Shimoga - Jog - Honnavara and Gokarna.
The roads are in good condition last time I drove here.

[The_Road_Rover]

Originally Posted by ampere

For the same time, it's much more pleasant to drive via Hubli-Yellapur-Ankola. At an additional 60-80 km you get peace of mind for the same time taken.

Just thinking out loud. We can skip Hubli and reach Yellapura via Mundagod. For this one has to exit NH48 at Bankapur. But I am not sure about the road condition between Bankapur Mundagod and Yellapura.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by The_Road_Rover

Just thinking out loud. We can skip Hubli and reach Yellapura via Mundagod. For this one has to exit NH48 at Bankapur. But I am not sure about the road condition between Bankapur Mundagod and Yellapura.

Bankapura Mungod is really narrow, especially Mungod to Yellapura and hence recommending this for a first timer may not really be worth it unless one wants to experiment.

The road beyond Bankapura to Hubli is fast and now with the new bypass cutting across Bangalore Hubli highway, the access to Kalhatgi road is also faster. Hubli Kalhatgi Yellapura road was good a month before. It was the Yellapura Ankola section that was in bad shape.

With all of the above factors, ideal would be to consider taking the Hubli Kalhatgi Yellapura road instead of Mungod Bankapura. If you are an adventurous driver and won't mind a bit of exploration, Mungod one is for you.

[guyfrmblr]

I was in Sagar-Sirsi area last week. While most of the roads in this area were in great condition, I made the mistake of taking the Sirsi-Kumta road which is under construction to visit Gokarna. The road conditions were so horrible that we dropped the Gokarna plan and instead visited Manjuguni. Has anyone taken the Siddapura - Kumta road recently? Or is there any better alternative to reach Kumta from Sirsi? I have another upcoming visit to this area. If there are no other alternatives, I will take the Jog Falls - Honnavar - Kumta route.

[Abhiram]

Hi,
I’ll be travelling to Gokarna for this long weekend.
I’m really bad with directions and routes.
So should i key in Bangalore - Jog - Honnavar - Gokarna into google maps?

[insaneani]

Originally Posted by Abhiram

Hi,
I’ll be travelling to Gokarna for this long weekend.
I’m really bad with directions and routes.
So should i key in Bangalore - Jog - Honnavar - Gokarna into google maps?

Hi Abhiram, in your case I'd strongly suggest you take the Hubli bypass - Kalahatgi - Yellapur - Ankola - Gokarna route.

Yes, this is a tad longer route, but very easy to follow on Google maps. Until Hubli bypass, it is a four-lane highway. Yellapur onwards there is a ghat section of about 60KM which is easily manageable even for beginners.

Make sure to have offline Google Maps of this section downloaded on your phone before you leave. The forest and ghat areas have zero to no reception.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bang...86!3e0!5m1!1e4

[kiran_aithal]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Has anyone taken the Siddapura - Kumta road recently?

Travelled on this road in Oct/Nov last year. (In comparison to Sirsi - Kumta road, this is the best version of Autobhan ) ... This is very much motorable with some streaches really good. However, there is hardly any traffic until you reach Doddamane.

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

If there are no other alternatives, I will take the Jog Falls - Honnavar - Kumta route.

This would be the best alternative.

[Bailey]

Originally Posted by insaneani

Hi Abhiram, in your case I'd strongly suggest you take the Hubli bypass - Kalahatgi - Yellapur - Ankola - Gokarna route.

Would suggest you take the following bypass to the Karwar road as quoted by Dr.AD rather than go all the way to the Hubli Byepass

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Also, there is a new bypass around Hubli, from NH48 to join the Karwar road bypassing the town and the toll plazza. Google Maps will show you this road once you reach very close to Hubli (before that, Google Maps will keep telling you the shortcuts to Kalaghatagi, but best to ignore those). Take this new bypass and it is a easy and safe access to Karwar road.

[Abhiram]

Originally Posted by Bailey

Would suggest you take the following bypass to the Karwar road as quoted by Dr.AD rather than go all the way to the Hubli Byepass

Thank you everyone. Currently in Gokarna. Took the above byepass before hubli to Karwar road. Took us around 9.5 hours and no problems with roads anywhere other than a couple of very small stretches.

Final route taken - Bangalore - Davanagere - New byepass before Hubli to Hubli-Karwar road - Yellapura - Ankola - Gokarna.

[insaneani]

Originally Posted by Bailey

Would suggest you take the following bypass to the Karwar road as quoted by Dr.AD rather than go all the way to the Hubli Byepass

Thanks, Bailey. I didn't know about this. Will keep it in mind next time.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by insaneani

Thanks, Bailey. I didn't know about this. Will keep it in mind next time.

I think very soon one need not worry about taking this bypass. It would be the default exit for Ankola.

[raghu13uk]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Has anyone taken the Siddapura - Kumta road recently?

I was told this road too is dug up for converting it to concrete now (Dec22 onwards). So, I was advised not to go there.

Originally Posted by Abhiram

Final route taken - Bangalore - Davanagere - New byepass before Hubli to Hubli-Karwar road - Yellapura - Ankola - Gokarna.

How was the truck traffic in Yellapur-Ankola ghat?

[adityaprasoon]

I will be driving to Gokarna tomorrow morning from Bangalore. Hoping to leave by 3AM.
Planning to take the Bangalore - Hiriyur - Tarikere - Jog - Kumta - Gokarna route while going and Gokarna - Ankola - Hubli - Davanagere - Bangalore route while returning.

Any suggestions on places to eat along the way is appreciated. Will post on road conditions after returning.