[windsurfer]

Hi,

I am travelling with my wife to Bangalore this weekend. We are planning to head to some place (less than 250 KM) from bangalore along with some friends. I will reaching Bangalore (travelling by Raj national express) by 8AM. Planning to start from Bangalore by 10-11AM. Return journey from Bangalore would be by Bus (Raj express) at 7.30 PM. I would be driving a i10 (good idea?) .

My first choice was BR Hills. Jungle lodges resort is full. Is there any other place to stay there? How is road conditions to BR hills? This seems to be a very good place with Safaris, trekking etc..

My questions
1. Is this trip possible?
2. What are my other alternatives? (Similar to BR hills, else any hills stations)
3. I need road conditions and approx travel time.
4. Any other info that i should be aware of?

Cheers

[windsurfer]

I am surprised that there has not been single response to my post with so many guys from Bangalore.
Well, BR Hills plan is now dropped. Still looking for alternatives.

[dadu]

Nandi hills - Nothing much to do, can be covered in a single day

Yercaud - Small hill town, good for 2-3 days

Yelagiri - Team-BHP meet

[kaushik_s]

Sorry for a late reply and I hope you'll see this post on time.
I've been to BR hills 3 years back so this info may be little dated. That time Kanakapura road was a dream to drive but I guess current condition in few sections are not good. Other option is to go via Mysore-Chamrajnagar-K.Gudi Camp and I think it's better. The road inside the forest was not so good but I managed to do it on a Zen that time. Don't know what the current condition is.
Accommodation option : There is one Forest Rest House, an IB and another Guest house( i think this belongs to the temple authority). But please do prior inquiries as most of these places will be booked by govt. officials. You can talk to Chamrajnagar Forest Deptt office regarding the booking of the FRH. I've no idea if any other lodging facilities are available there.
I hope you are thinking of a overnight stay kind of journey as going there and coming back on the same day can be hectic and they don't allow traffic movement after 6PM inside the forest range.
Yes, it's a very good place for Safari and trekking. Have a look at this site for trekking options : Mystery Trails - Home page of the Eco trek programme initiative of Chamarajanagar Forest Department

Regards,
Kaushik

Another route can be Bangalore-Maddur-Malavalli-Kolegal-Yellandur-Chamrajnagar-BR Hills, But I'm not sure of the road conditions from Maddur to Malavalli. Also from Kollegal, instead of going to Chamrajnagar, you can directly go to the other entrance which directly goes to the Biligiri Rangana Temple. And the FRH/IB and Guest house is situated near the temple only. From Chamrajnagar side it's the K.Gudi entrance.

[windsurfer]

Still not decided. But most probable place looks like - Chikmagalur. I will post my experience when I am back. Thanks.

[kvish]

Bringing back an old thread to life :-)
Am travelling tomorrow to BR Hills. Planning to take Yellandur-kolegal-Malavalli-Kanakpura-Bangalore route on the way back. What is the latest condition of this road? Should I just stick to the Chamrajnagar-Mysore route (which I plan to take on my way to BR Hills) instead?

[anupkma]

What is the condition of the road via Mysore and ChamarajaNagar? Is it doable on a Honda City(IDSI engine- not the new Vtec)? Any advices?

Head the road upto ChamarajaNagar is OK, but then it is bad. Not sure how bad. Is it only pot holes? or potholes with nasty climbs?

[anupkma]

I did this trip during Nov 13-15. Based on the feedback from NilanjanRay and Kvish we had decided to take the Bangalore-Mysore-Nanjangud-ChamarajNagar-K Gudi Route.

But then on the morning of the trip (13th Nov), decided to try out Bangalore-Kanakpura-Malavalli-Kollegal-ChamarajNagar-K Gudi path

The road till Kollegal was good, with hardly any traffic compared to the hustle and bustle of the Mysore highway. From Kollegal, the road turned bad as it was being dug up and relaid as part of the NH-209 renovation work. We reached Yelandur and stopped at a bakery to buy something. The bakery guy suggested going to BR Hills from yelandur and then to K Gudi. We tried out that it proved to be very good. The road was narrow , but well laid and there was hardly any soul in sight.

So after starting out at around 6.45 am from Bangalore we reached K Gudi at around 12.30 (with several stops for breakfast, tea and for observing nature)

On the return leg we took another route- After passing BR hills turning and the forest check post, there is a route which directly goes to Kollegal without going via Yelandur. This is not a great route to drive (but better than the current Yelandur-Kollegal stretch and more scenic with lot of fertile green land). Took that and reached Kollegal. Then the drive back to Bangalore and home...

[shishir_bn]

Originally Posted by anupkma

I did this trip during Nov 13-15. Based on the feedback from NilanjanRay and Kvish we had decided ................
..................... Took that and reached Kollegal. Then the drive back to Bangalore and home...

by the way the info was great. Where are the pic

[gypsyFreak]

going to br hills now... anybody know if the temple is open in afternoon.

[java.bullet]

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

going to br hills now... anybody know if the temple is open in afternoon.

I am planning to visit BR hills this week end.
How did your trip go? Which road did you take, any suggestions?

[anupkma]

Except for around 10-15 kms from Kollegal to Yellandur the road is good. No hustle and bustle of going via Mysore road.

But if you are going with kids etc and is looking for places to eat in the morning, taking Mysore road might be a better option

[anandbhat]

Hello friends,
During this Diwali long weekend, I'm planning to go to BR Hills, have got the reservation in jungle resort.
Any tips on road condition will be of great help.
Currently thinking of following route, any suggestions welcome.
5th Nov, start early morning from bangalore through:
Mysore -> Nanjanagud -> Chamarajanagar -> BR Hills

On 7th late morning, return fro BR Hills through:
Yelandur -> Kollegal -> Malavalli -> Halagaru -> Kanakpura -> Bangalore

Specifically choosing the return route is to avoid Mysore- Bnagalore traffic on a sunday that to after long weekend.
Any specific things to look at in BR Hills?

[sanju.iitm]

Hi,

I had been to JLR KGudi in the last year during November 2009. In case you reside near to Mysore Road then I suggest you to take the route Maddur-Malavalli -Kollegal -Yellandur-BRT-KGudi JLR. I stay near Outer Ring Road (KS Town) and I took this route in both ways.

I would say the route is excellent,some road relaying was going in the last year b/w Kollegal and Yellandur. I think the road is ready by now. The advantage in this route is:Excellent road till maddur(you can have your b'fast before turning left to malavalli),maddur to Malavalli is also quite good (just some unmarked speed breakers in b/w near villages),malavalli to Kollegal is again very good. I think the route via Mys and C'mnagar will add few kms and I heard road condition b/w nanjangud-c'mnagar is not that good.

If you start early morning (say 5.30am-6am)then you have lot of time to stop in b/w to take photos and to feel the place. As you cross Bellandur,say you travel for 10-15kms then you will get the BRT Forest Gate where you need to enter your vehicle details and you are required to maintain certain speed limits from now onwards (It's worth reducing the speed since you will enjoy the beautiful scenery of BR Hills). From this gate the BRTemple(BRT) is ~20kms and the route is just amazing. If you are lucky you can spot some wildlife. You can visit the temple,also the view point and spend some time there before leaving to KGudi.

From BRT-KGudi it's a single lane road almost nil traffic and here there is lot of chance to see the wildlife again. We were lucky to spot a Wild Tusker during our trip last year.

JLR KGudi is an excellent place and you will surely enjoy your stay. Do share your exp and do let me know incase you need any other info.

Thanks for reading this long post

[anupkma]

I took this route when I traveled in Nov 2009. Except for a small stretch between Kollegal and Yelandur it was pretty good

Advantages

1. Less traffic
2. Peaceful drive

Disadvantages

1. No good hotels if you are having breakfast on the way. We had a from a small place in Kanakpura- not bad

Mysore- Chamrajnagar- K gudi is the other route which is the usual one people take. I personally hate it due to the traffic on the Mysore road.

One more thing to note is that in the first route B R hills come first and then K gudi. K Gudi is where the Jungle lodge is. In the second route it is the other way