[PVS]

Just completed a week long road trip from Hyderabad, covering Hassan, Horanadu Sringeri, Agumbe, Mallandur, Bagmane, Mulliyangiri, Chikkamagalur, Ujire, Udupi, Malpe, Manipal, Chitradurga, Bellary and finally back to Hyderabad. Trip was done with family (Self, wife and two kids aged 10 and 5 years respectively) in a Wagon R, till Chitradurga. Wagon R had a problem, so we left it a Chitradurga and continued the journey in a cab till Bellary, and bus till Hyderabad. Route Taken:

Hyderabad to Hassan - https://goo.gl/maps/8HBVuPzp7V22 –
Till Devanahalli, butter smooth route – no problems. From Devanahalli till Gudemaranahalli we took the Bangalore by-pass. NH 648 from Devanahalli to Dabaspete is in the process of getting 4-laned, so expect slower speeds.
SH 3 from Dabaspete till its intersection with NH75 at Gudemaranahalli is also fine, there are culverts under construction en-route, so expect slower average speeds. NH 75 till Hassan was fine, but for those irritating speed breakers that keep cropping up at regular intervals, near village intersections. Stopped over for duel and Coffee at Belur cross – CCD is a good stop-over option. There is a short two lane section from the start of Chennarayanapatna bye-pass, till the intersection with SH 7, so slower speeds are advised.

Hassan to Horanadu – Via Belur road, NH 73 and SH 106 - https://goo.gl/maps/5cejF1fchnC2

Nice two lane roads till Belur town, roads thru Belur town and till a few Kms outside Belur town are in shambles, and need urgent repairs, so slow progress is advised. Rest of the route is OK. Steep descent on approach to Horanadu village, so please exercise caution.

Horanadu to Sringeri - https://goo.gl/maps/NRKtRU88k582 via Shantigrama - twisty roads, tarmac condition OK.

Sringeri to Agumbe and back via SH27 - https://goo.gl/maps/yo9hDQ6qzSz Amazing twisty roads, smooth two lane roads. Also checked out Jogi Gundi falls near Agumbe – bad roads to the falls, but the falls are worth a visit.

Sringeri to Beanstalk Bagmane Homestay - https://goo.gl/maps/wDSdYHDeAH92 SH 27 till Bettadamalali junction is OK.
Route from Bettadamalali via Avati village and Makodu till the junction with Chikkamagalur Mallandur road should be avoided, and the more direct route via Aldur, Vastare and Chikkamagalur town should be taken. The road condition via Avati is pathetic and full of steep ascents – the entire stretch though scenic and picturesque, is pretty desolate and you are pretty much on your own, should something happen to your vehicle, so avoid this section.
Bagmane to Mullayanagiri and back - https://goo.gl/maps/e2gzB5zDnmv - Nice roads and there is a gradual ascent after Chikkamagalur town. At one point you will be asked to pay Rs 30/- as eco – conservation charges at the entrance to Mullayanagiri – I paid Rs 30/- but was given Rs 20/- receipt so that means Rs 10/- straight to the pocket of the collector. Insist on a Rs 30/- receipt. Last few Kms to Mullayanagiri can be a tough drive, so drive carefully. The steps to the peak can be tiresome but it’s totally worth.
While coming back/going up, stop over for coffee at the picturesque Siri café on the outskirts of Chikkamagalur town. It’s a nice place, and has play facilities for kids too. Lunch at New Town Canteen is a must – the place has a quaint, canteen feel and seating options are limited, but the food on offer at lunch – Paratha Kurma, Veg Pulao and Maddur vada – is very tasty – down it with the hot Malnad Kashaya and Gulab Jamun.

Bagmane/Mallandur to Ujire – Sree Sadasiva Rudra temple via Aldur, Mudigere – Charmadi Ghats - https://goo.gl/maps/CHPvUhirfDG2 - Charmadi ghats are very scenic and twisty – need to watch out for KRSTC buses at the turns. Sadasiva Rudra temple (http://temple-of-secrets.blogspot.in...ple-surya.html) is a must visit for those who have unfulfilled wishes.

Ujire to Udupi via Karkala, Shirva - https://goo.gl/maps/imvt1ki9AfC2 - Good road condition. From Karkala till Belman, SH1 is amazing – very smooth tarmac, decent speeds possible – keep a lookout for local traffic. From Belman to Udupi on SH 67 roads are good, but a few Kms before joining NH 66, culvert works are in progress, so expect traffic back-ups. NH 66 to Udupi is fine.

Udupi to Chitradurga via Manipal, Hebri, Agumbe, Tirthahalli, Sakrebyle, Shimoga, Holehonnur and Channagiri - https://goo.gl/maps/qVot8bbPKVQ2 - Pathetic condition of roads in Manipal, especially near TC. End Point opens at 4 pm, so that was a disappointment for me. Watch out for the twisty and broken road surface up the steep inclines of the Agumbe ghat. Agumbe – Tirthahalli section is good. Near Tirthahalli town there are broken stretches of tarmac and bitumen, so go slow. If time permits check out the jungle camp at Sakrebyle. From Shimoga to Channagiri, it’s a slow progress, the road is wide, but due to unfinished work at the culverts, progress is slow. Post channagiri till Chitradurga, the roads are very good. Decent speeds are possible.

Chitradurga to Hyderabad via Bellary– Our ride, the wagon R had to be left behind at the Maruti service station due to a cooling fan breakdown issue. We hired a cab to get to Bellary and from there, took an overnight bus to Hyderabad. Chitradurga to Bellary via Challakere – SH 150A is a good road too – no issues.

Overall it was a good road trip, save for the last stretch where we had to switch to cab/bus. Chikkamagalur district is very neat and clean with multiple rest and refuel options for tourists. Clean toilets at almost all places, which is very heartening to note

[PVS]

went to Chitradurga again this weekend, to get the Wagon R which was now ready, with all of its issues fixed. While coming from Chitradurga, took the route via Challakere, Karikere, Donehalli, Setturu, Kalyanadurg( Ring Road, bye-passes the town) and onto Ananthapur and on NH44 to Hyderabad. https://goo.gl/maps/cHuMYt2kGwC2

Chitradurga to Challakere - nice road, route from Challakere till Setturu is a bit dicey with broken roads, and slow speeds, route directions are not clearly marked near Donehalli, so you would need to keep the maps with you. Kalyanadurg to Ananthapur road is also good.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by PVS

Chitradurga to Challakere - nice road, route from Challakere till Setturu is a bit dicey with broken roads, and slow speeds, route directions are not clearly marked near Donehalli, so you would need to keep the maps with you. Kalyanadurg to Ananthapur road is also good.

Nice update. So except for Challakere-Setturu looks like a neat option to cross this area of the country. Did you get into Anantpur for food or continued towards Kurnool?

[amitdan]

Had done Hyderabad Chikamaglur in June this year. Was updating another thread when I saw this, hence a quick update.

When I checked the directions before travel, I realized that the distance and the road condition might make it a 10 hr or more journey. Hence I decided to break it into a 2 day drive as I was driving with wife and young kids.

I stopped at Anantpur which is around 5 hr drive from Hyderabad (this stretch is the Blr highway and hence known to all and in excellent condition). I also wanted to stick to the known, reliable Blr highway as much as possible. I stopped at Anantpur as it was midway and there was new hotel which had opened there - Masineni grand. It was a new hotel in an otherwise small town and it was a pretty decent one for its location and price.

After stopping at Anantpur for the night I followed google maps and it took me another 7-8 hours from there to reach Chikamaglur. I was absolutely not happy with the route Google brought up, as it was through unknown locations and extremely poor roads/ paths. I had to continue on that route. The route took me through Kalyandurg and then Hiriyur with some weird reroutes in between. The road conditions were poor for large stretches and people on the way did not even know the directions to Chikamaglur.

I did more R&D at the hotel to chalk a better route and finally decided to head in the opposite direction towards Tumkur and then take the NH back to Anantapur. This route as again longer but much better roads throughout.

Stopping overnight was a really good decision as the location and directions to Chikamaglur turned out to be slightly convoluted and not really direct or optimal for a direct drive from Hyderabad, especially with family. There are other routes from Hyderabad, but, I am not confident of them as anything else apart from NH typically have typically given me bad experiences.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by amitdan

There are other routes from Hyderabad, but, I am not confident of them as anything else apart from NH typically have typically given me bad experiences.

From Bangalore the straight forward route to Chikmagalur is via Hassan (Bangalore-Mangalore Highway) and Belur.
Coming from Hyderabad you can bypass Bangalore by taking Devanahalli-Dabaspet NH 207 and then take the Mangalore highway via Nelamangala. Road conditions are very good almost all the way.
Can you share the route that Google maps navigated you through ?

[PVS]

Originally Posted by ampere

Nice update. So except for Challakere-Setturu looks like a neat option to cross this area of the country. Did you get into Anantpur for food or continued towards Kurnool?

We didn't get into Anantapur. We refueled at Anantapur, got onto the highway and stopped here for a quick snack at Blue Moon Highway Restaurant off the highway. This is a neat and clean place with clean toilets. We started off, and then halted at Jadcherla for dinner after a 3-hour drive. Post dinner,(20 minutes), we started again and we pulled into Gachibowli by around 12:10 am

Originally Posted by amitdan

Had done Hyderabad Chikamaglur in June this year. Was updating another thread when I saw this, hence a quick update.
When I checked the directions before travel, I realized that the distance and the road condition might make it a 10 hr or more journey. Hence I decided to break it into a 2 day drive as I was driving with wife and young kids.

The route that I took on 2nd Of October, has been mentioned in my post above and I too split the trip. Halted for the night at Hassan at around 09:00 pm, after having started from Hyderabad at around 07:50 am

Originally Posted by amitdan

After stopping at Anantpur for the night I followed google maps and it took me another 7-8 hours from there to reach Chikamaglur. I was absolutely not happy with the route Google brought up, as it was through unknown locations and extremely poor roads/ paths. I had to continue on that route. The route took me through Kalyandurg and then Hiriyur with some weird reroutes in between. The road conditions were poor for large stretches and people on the way did not even know the directions to Chikamaglur.

Yes, google maps shows the shortest route as Hyderabad - Anantapur - Kalyanadurg - Setturu-Donehalli- Karikere-Gopanahally-Hiriyur-Hosadurga-Kadur-Chikkamagalur. Though I havent been on this route completely, I did the route from Challakere to Ananthapur via Donehalli and Settur. There is a small section that is a problem in the Challakere to Setturu section, but apart from that the other roads should be in a good shape.

Originally Posted by amitdan

Stopping overnight was a really good decision as the location and directions to Chikamaglur turned out to be slightly convoluted and not really direct or optimal for a direct drive from Hyderabad, especially with family. There are other routes from Hyderabad, but, I am not confident of them as anything else apart from NH typically have typically given me bad experiences.

Well, if you target an early morning departure of say around 04:00 am from Hyderabad, and have two drivers(in my case, we had two drivers, self and wife), you could do the Chikkamagalur stretch at one go, if you take the faster route via Devanahalli and Hassan. Otherwise, having a break in between is a good thing to do, especially with kids.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Pacifier

Hi Guys,
We will be travelling tomorrow from Chikmagalur to Hyderabad. Google maps is showing fastest route via NH173 via Kadur, Hiriyur and joins the NH44 only after around 330kms which is half of the total distance shown ~657kms. Total travel I'm via this route is 11.5 hours.

Use this thread (where I responded your post to).

Primarily it should be : Hyd-Devanahalli-Doddaballapur-Nelamangala-Hassan-Belur-Chikkamagulur.

[Pacifier]

Thanks for the quick response. I will be taking this route only(i.e. via Hassan-Nelamangala-Doddaballapur-Hyd).
Decided to avoid the one via Kadur

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Pacifier

Thanks for the quick response. I will be taking this route only(i.e. via Hassan-Nelamangala-Doddaballapur-Hyd).
Decided to avoid the one via Kadur

Please note Devanahalli-Nelamangala may not that great due to road work. But I think it still may be the best option.

[John]

I'll be driving to Chikmagalur from Hyderabad mid-August. On my earlier trips I would do Hyd-Hebbal-Nelamangala-Hassan-Chikmagalur.
Looking to save some distance and time on this trip. Can anyone, from recent experience,suggest a good route?
Thanks.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by John

I'll be driving to Chikmagalur from Hyderabad mid-August. On my earlier trips I would do Hyd-Hebbal-Nelamangala-Hassan-Chikmagalur.
Looking to save some distance and time on this trip. Can anyone, from recent experience,suggest a good route?
Thanks.

Going via Devanahalli continues to be the easier option.Devanahalli-Dodballapur-NH48

https://goo.gl/maps/EPpHQdCgiSM2

[John]

Just returned from a Hyd-Chikmagalur--Hyd trip. Route was Hyd-Devanahalli-Doddballapur-Chikmagalur-Blr-Hyd. Except for some bad patches between Devanahalli and Nelamangala, the roads were excellent throughout.



Also, did a trip to Kudremukh from Chikmagalur, via Jayapura and returned via Kalasa. Light rains and mist all through Kudremukh made for an awesome drive.


Trip distance was 1880 km and actual driving time 32 hrs.

[dailydriver]

We are planning a drive to Hyderabad from Chikkamagaluru next month. GMaps has two options, one via Anantpur and the other passing through Ballari. When GMaps shows 11-12 hours, it would certainly be a 14-15 hours drive for me. Till date, the maximum distance i have driven in a day is around 350 km. Hence, a night halt is preferred - at a place where a little sight seeing/touristy stuff can also be done.

1. Which would be better in terms of good road surface (prefer toll roads with dividers), food - fuel pit stops and ease of entering into and traversing Hyderabad traffic to reach the destination in Moosapet?
2. Which place could be ideal for the night halt?

[strawhat]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

1. Which would be better in terms of good road surface (prefer toll roads with dividers), food - fuel pit stops and ease of entering into and traversing Hyderabad traffic to reach the destination in Moosapet?
2. Which place could be ideal for the night halt?

Since your preference is a well marked and divided highway, the easiest pick would be the route via. Anantapur. I am not aware of the road conditions, eateries etc. till Anantapur, so can't comment. But NH44 after Anantapur is a good enough reason for you to choose this route. Several restaurants to choose from after Anantapur. You can check this (Hyderabad to Bangalore : Route Queries) thread for more information. The distance till Anantapur from Chikmangalur is 295KM. You can break here for the night unless you want to stretch your day. In such case, you can either stop at Dronachalam (Dhone) or push all the way up to Kurnool.

To reach Moosapet, ORR is the best option. Here is the route. During non-peak hours, you can instead get off ORR at Gachibowli itself and proceed towards Moosapet via. Kondapur, Hafeezpet, Allwyn X Roads, Miyapur, Kukatpally.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

[*]Which would be better in terms of good road surface (prefer toll roads with dividers), food - fuel pit stops and ease of entering into and traversing Hyderabad traffic to reach the destination in Moosapet?

Since I can call you 'Regular' with Chikmagalur - Bangalore route including the alternate one via Kadur - Tumkur, It only means that you are half prepared there in terms of awareness about the route.

Now coming to the second part which is between Bangalore and Hyderabad-

In case you do this by traversing through Bangalore, you can time the drive such that you cross the Goreguntepalya - Hebbal section during non-peak hours OR try to take the alternate route that will directly help you reach Devahanalli which can be by doing Nelamangala - Doddaballapura - Devahanalli or Nelamangala - Chikkamadhure - Rajankunte - Chikkajala - Devanahalli.

These 2 options work in case you intend to cross Bangalore at peak hours and will definitely save time but if you intend to break your journey within Bangalore or are passing this later during non-peak hours, you may reconsider the decision.

I had referred about the second option on this post here.

Coming to the Hyderabad route from Bangalore, Last I drove was 2 weeks before on the way to Jabalpur:

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Drove from Bangalore to Jabalpur and back over the last weekend and specific updates are as below:

Bangalore – Hyderabad:

• Usual good to very good roads
  
• Quite a few speedbreakers at regular spots between Bangalore and Kurnool
  
• An Early start at 3:10 ensured we entered Hyderabad ORR at 09:30 with a tea break after Ananthapur and one for breakfast at Food Pyramid, Kothakota

So route conditions remain good to excellent all the way.

[*]Which place could be ideal for the night halt?

- If you manage to do Hyderabad to Anantapur in one shot, it makes an ideal location for a night halt. From here Hyderabad should easily take 4 hours or a little more to destination.

- Chikmagalur to Devanahalli will be around 270 Kms and from here Ananthapur will take another 150-160 Kms (and 2.5 Hours max).

- If you decide to halt at Ananthapur, that will be 450 Kms of driving on D1 leaving you another 380 for D2.

- If you intend to half before Ananthapur, areas around KIAL/Devahanalli will be the best choice to stop by but then, you can always halt at your home in Bangalore if so.

All these suggestions are based on the fact that you are looking for divided maximum divided roads (Nelamangala - Doddaballapura - Devanahalli detour is single carriageway).

The whole route are good to decent facilities to stop by for all your breaks unlike the detour via Bellary or Kalyandurg. In fact, I also had driven the Dabaspete - Madhugiri - Pavadagada - Kalyandurg - Ananthpur section 2 months before and had reported the road conditions to be extremely good all throughout that I would have easily suggested this right by deviation off Mangalore - Bangalore Corridor for Shivagange - Dabaspet - Madhugiri option to directly touch Ananthapur but the, all of this would be single carriageway and no facilities.

Have a look at few pics of this route on this post.