Mumbai-Bangalore-Nilgiri's

samrat25 · 5th July 2008, 23:37

hi team-bhpins
i want to take a long drive from mumbai to Bangalore and then to NILGIRIS. the places i want to cover are : Bangalore, Mysore, coorg, coonoor, ooty, kabini/nagarhole. i'll be travelling with my wife and son(six year old).i have 15 days to spare.guys, any good ideas regarding routes,stays,stop-overs,do's and don'ts?

chitbhanu · 6th July 2008, 03:10

Hi Samrat - You can search within this site itself and will get few posts with relevant information on route from Mumbai to Bangalore. I did a quick search and found 2 useful posts, URLs are below for your reference:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...-roadtrip.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...re-mumbai.html

Regarding the routes / plan from Bangalore onwards, you can take SH17 (Mysore road) and head straight to Mysore. This is a scenic and beautiful highway, you will enjoy the drive and cover it in 2.5 -3 hours. You can spend a day or two in Mysore. The program thereafter would primarily depend on your route preference.My suggestion is - choose just 1 stopover destination between Kabini / Bandipur / KGudi / Masinagudi, these are the various places around Mysore for wildlife viewing and a trip to any one should be good enough. If you are keen to visit Ooty, then i would suggest a 1 day stay at Kabini (Jungle lodges resort - advance booking will be needed) or any good resort in Masinagudi. "Wilds at Northernhay" in Masinagudi is a decent resort in a coffee plantation at Masinagudi. From Masinagudi you can go further, take the ghats and reach Ooty. Dont know much about Ooty however you can again search the posts for information.

You have also asked about Coorg. This is a hill station around ~250 KMs away from Mysore. If you plan to go there, you will have to come back, cross Mysore and go towards Hunsur. In between you can visit Ranganthittu bird sanctuary. From Hunsur Coorg is another 200 odd KMs. Coorg is primarily a coffee plantation paradise so you can stay at any of the 'home stays' in the plantations. I had once stayed in one such place called "Allath Cad" - nice place.

If you have some more time with you and are keen to explore bit of Kerala, i would recommend a visit to Munnar. Its arguably the most beautiful hill station in South India. However its in a different direction, you will have to come back to Bangalore and then travel on NH7 for some ~500KMs towards Salem - Dindigul...

Check T-BHP archives and you will get loads of info, supplement that with some search on Google / Wikimapia and you will be ready for your travel. I suggest that you plan your travel after August to avoid Monsoon woes (particularly since you are travelling with family)

Hope the above information suffices, let me know if you need any more info.

samrat25 · 6th July 2008, 14:05

thanks chitbhanu! that was really prompt.well, my real intention of this particular trip is driving pleasure first; and sightseeing ,in that order.also i want to check the prowess and handling ability of my newly acquired SX4.i kept reading about bad road patches between hubli and davangeree. are they really that bad to be considered;as i'm the only one who's going to drive and have my wife and a six years old devil with me.

chitbhanu · 6th July 2008, 16:51

I have never travelled on the Hubli - Davangere route, lets wait for "hvkumar" to share his inputs, he is pretty well acquainted with most of the routes. You may also want to PM him.

hrag · 6th July 2008, 19:39

Roads upto Haveri are great. Watch out towards the end of the Haveri bypass as the 4 laning ends abruptly. From this point, roads are pathetic until some 10 km after Ranebennur town. Double roads again but the next fork is an unmarked Harihar bypass (keep right at the fork). Harihar & Davangere bypasses were OK when I did this route last month but not sure after the rains. Chitradurga bypass is not complete yet - expect to jostle with tractors etc. Chitradurga to Tumkur is great and tolled. Tumkur bypass is incomplete and unmarked (from BLR). From here to BLR, roads are good but expect lots of traffic. There was also some road work happening between Peenya and the turn off to the Ring Road towards Hebbal.

Please do this only in the daytime if you have never done this route before. Good speeds are possible but please be prepared for emergency braking where the good roads end.

I have done Bangalore to Haveri in April 2007 - I couldn't spot too many improvements.

Edit: please see bunnypunia's travelogue with pictures - you can see how the Haveri bypass ends abruptly.

samrat25 · 6th July 2008, 19:46

nice of you hrag. points noated. so it dosen't seem as bad as i had imagined.anyways thanks a lot

akroy · 6th July 2008, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by samrat25

thanks chitbhanu! that was really prompt.well, my real intention of this particular trip is driving pleasure first; and sightseeing ,in that order.also i want to check the prowess and handling ability of my newly acquired SX4.i kept reading about bad road patches between hubli and davangeree. are they really that bad to be considered;as i'm the only one who's going to drive and have my wife and a six years old devil with me.

Samrat, Dont worry of the route from Bom - Blr, they are fully motorable. Only Haveri - Chitradurga is slow because of diversions/bad roads but it is not that bad that it will render un motorable/dangerous.

If you are a fast driver, Bom - Blr can be a 14hr journey with strategic breaks. You can read my Goa travelogue to know about the stretch, it is more or less the same as that time.

Now for travel from Blr to Ooty and other places, pls read my ooty, coonor travelogues, I have mentioned the routes, in any case I have PMed you my cell number. In any problems pls call me up.

Abhi

K.D.Kumar · 7th July 2008, 19:58

Hi, In November '08 I plan to drive down to Coimbatore. I will be visiting the following locations. Panjim, Neeleshwaram, Kalpetta, Nilambur, Coimbatore, Bekal, Panjim, Ganapthiphule, Mumbai. Planning to be back in Mumbai around 28th November. I have a Maruti Baleno which is two years old. Plans to leave Mumbai on 14th/15th Nov and be back in Mumbai on 28th/29th Nov.

I need information on the following:
1. Condition of the Road between Kalpetta/Gudular/Oooty/Coimbatore. How many kms between point to point? How will be the road after monsoon. Otherwise I need to take Kalpeta/Gundalpet/Sathyamangam/Coimbatore. How is this road & kms?
2. Condition of th road between Nilambur/Gudular/Oooty/Coimbatore. How many kms between point to point? I was advised not to take this route i.e. Nilambur to Gudular. Some of the folks advised not to take this route. Instead Nilambur/Palakkad/Coimbatore is the better choice.
3. Where can I get a good map covering the above?

Opinion/feedback please

Rgds-K.D. Kumar

Note from Team-BHP Support : Thread merged. Please use the search feature before creating a new thread on a topic that might already exist. Please continue your discussion in an existing thread. This will keep all the relevant information in one place and make it easier for readers in the future.

Please go through Announcements and then post in appropriate section.

5th July 2008, 23:37	#1
samrat25 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 30 Thanked: 0 Times	Mumbai-Bangalore-Nilgiri's hi team-bhpins i want to take a long drive from mumbai to Bangalore and then to NILGIRIS. the places i want to cover are : Bangalore, Mysore, coorg, coonoor, ooty, kabini/nagarhole. i'll be travelling with my wife and son(six year old).i have 15 days to spare.guys, any good ideas regarding routes,stays,stop-overs,do's and don'ts?
	() Thanks

6th July 2008, 03:10	#2
chitbhanu BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 36 Thanked: Once	Hi Samrat - You can search within this site itself and will get few posts with relevant information on route from Mumbai to Bangalore. I did a quick search and found 2 useful posts, URLs are below for your reference: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...-roadtrip.html http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...re-mumbai.html Regarding the routes / plan from Bangalore onwards, you can take SH17 (Mysore road) and head straight to Mysore. This is a scenic and beautiful highway, you will enjoy the drive and cover it in 2.5 -3 hours. You can spend a day or two in Mysore. The program thereafter would primarily depend on your route preference.My suggestion is - choose just 1 stopover destination between Kabini / Bandipur / KGudi / Masinagudi, these are the various places around Mysore for wildlife viewing and a trip to any one should be good enough. If you are keen to visit Ooty, then i would suggest a 1 day stay at Kabini (Jungle lodges resort - advance booking will be needed) or any good resort in Masinagudi. "Wilds at Northernhay" in Masinagudi is a decent resort in a coffee plantation at Masinagudi. From Masinagudi you can go further, take the ghats and reach Ooty. Dont know much about Ooty however you can again search the posts for information. You have also asked about Coorg. This is a hill station around ~250 KMs away from Mysore. If you plan to go there, you will have to come back, cross Mysore and go towards Hunsur. In between you can visit Ranganthittu bird sanctuary. From Hunsur Coorg is another 200 odd KMs. Coorg is primarily a coffee plantation paradise so you can stay at any of the 'home stays' in the plantations. I had once stayed in one such place called "Allath Cad" - nice place. If you have some more time with you and are keen to explore bit of Kerala, i would recommend a visit to Munnar. Its arguably the most beautiful hill station in South India. However its in a different direction, you will have to come back to Bangalore and then travel on NH7 for some ~500KMs towards Salem - Dindigul... Check T-BHP archives and you will get loads of info, supplement that with some search on Google / Wikimapia and you will be ready for your travel. I suggest that you plan your travel after August to avoid Monsoon woes (particularly since you are travelling with family) Hope the above information suffices, let me know if you need any more info.
	() Thanks

6th July 2008, 14:05	#3
samrat25 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 30 Thanked: 0 Times	thanks chitbhanu! that was really prompt.well, my real intention of this particular trip is driving pleasure first; and sightseeing ,in that order.also i want to check the prowess and handling ability of my newly acquired SX4.i kept reading about bad road patches between hubli and davangeree. are they really that bad to be considered;as i'm the only one who's going to drive and have my wife and a six years old devil with me.
	() Thanks

6th July 2008, 16:51	#4
chitbhanu BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 36 Thanked: Once	I have never travelled on the Hubli - Davangere route, lets wait for "hvkumar" to share his inputs, he is pretty well acquainted with most of the routes. You may also want to PM him.
	() Thanks

6th July 2008, 19:39	#5
hrag BANNED Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bangalore / Madras Posts: 1,982 Thanked: 31 Times	Roads upto Haveri are great. Watch out towards the end of the Haveri bypass as the 4 laning ends abruptly. From this point, roads are pathetic until some 10 km after Ranebennur town. Double roads again but the next fork is an unmarked Harihar bypass (keep right at the fork). Harihar & Davangere bypasses were OK when I did this route last month but not sure after the rains. Chitradurga bypass is not complete yet - expect to jostle with tractors etc. Chitradurga to Tumkur is great and tolled. Tumkur bypass is incomplete and unmarked (from BLR). From here to BLR, roads are good but expect lots of traffic. There was also some road work happening between Peenya and the turn off to the Ring Road towards Hebbal. Please do this only in the daytime if you have never done this route before. Good speeds are possible but please be prepared for emergency braking where the good roads end. I have done Bangalore to Haveri in April 2007 - I couldn't spot too many improvements. Edit: please see bunnypunia's travelogue with pictures - you can see how the Haveri bypass ends abruptly. Last edited by hrag : 6th July 2008 at 19:40.
	() Thanks

6th July 2008, 19:46	#6
samrat25 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 30 Thanked: 0 Times	nice of you hrag. points noated. so it dosen't seem as bad as i had imagined.anyways thanks a lot
	() Thanks

7th July 2008, 19:58	#8
K.D.Kumar Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1 Thanked: 0 Times	Info required Hi, In November '08 I plan to drive down to Coimbatore. I will be visiting the following locations. Panjim, Neeleshwaram, Kalpetta, Nilambur, Coimbatore, Bekal, Panjim, Ganapthiphule, Mumbai. Planning to be back in Mumbai around 28th November. I have a Maruti Baleno which is two years old. Plans to leave Mumbai on 14th/15th Nov and be back in Mumbai on 28th/29th Nov. I need information on the following: 1. Condition of the Road between Kalpetta/Gudular/Oooty/Coimbatore. How many kms between point to point? How will be the road after monsoon. Otherwise I need to take Kalpeta/Gundalpet/Sathyamangam/Coimbatore. How is this road & kms? 2. Condition of th road between Nilambur/Gudular/Oooty/Coimbatore. How many kms between point to point? I was advised not to take this route i.e. Nilambur to Gudular. Some of the folks advised not to take this route. Instead Nilambur/Palakkad/Coimbatore is the better choice. 3. Where can I get a good map covering the above? Opinion/feedback please Rgds-K.D. Kumar Note from Team-BHP Support : Thread merged. Please use the search feature before creating a new thread on a topic that might already exist. Please continue your discussion in an existing thread. This will keep all the relevant information in one place and make it easier for readers in the future. Please go through Announcements and then post in appropriate section. Last edited by Jaggu : 7th July 2008 at 20:30.
	() Thanks