[smsrini]

Team,

Which is a better route to shimoga from Bangalore ?

Option 1 via Tumkur-chitradurga-holehonnur or bhadravati-shimoga
Option 2 via Hassan-chikamagalur-shimoga? How is the road condition after chikamagalur?

Any suggested eating options on these routes?

Thanks
Srinivas

[LonelyPlanet]

Any COCO pumps on the way to Shimoga. I am travelling this weekend and would like to fill up diesel at proven places

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by smsrini

Team,

Which is a better route to shimoga from Bangalore ?

Option 1 via Tumkur-chitradurga-holehonnur or bhadravati-shimoga
Option 2 via Hassan-chikamagalur-shimoga? How is the road condition after chikamagalur?

Any suggested eating options on these routes?

Thanks
Srinivas

We took the route via arisekere and could reach in 5 hrs. This is the shortest route
Roads are very good upto Shivamogga. And upto agumbe and Karwar.

[NPV]

Took the Bangalore-Chitraduraga-Shimoga route on Saturday last week.
Started from home near Indiranagar at 5:15am, thought it was late by at least an hour and expected to encounter lot of traffic while getting out of the city and beyond as it was the holiday weekend. But I was pleasantly surprised and my apprehensions proved wrong

Took St. John's Church Road-Nandidurga Road-Mekhri circle-IISC-Yeshwanthpur-Tumkur Road route and absolutely no traffic jams anywhere, even crossing the toll plazas was quick.

We reached Chitradurga around 8am, missed Hotel Aishwarya Fort (probably had to get on to the service road somewhere) and realised when I reached the lake. Took left here and proceeded straight to reach the NH13 where we turned right. Right after the turn there was a small darshini type place called Hotel Athithi where we had breakfast, was simple and decent. No rest rooms though! We took 30 minutes for this break and resumed at 8:30am.

Road was excellent till here. From here, NH13 was very good (no potholes, all patched well, not butter smooth, but no reason to complain!) till Channagiri.

From here, took the Holehonnur road which was fine too but for the odd patch but nothing bad. We reached Shimoga at 10am where we asked a cop for directions to Tirthahalli road. Turned left here, at the next circle turned right and finally turned left again to join the Tirthahalli road by 10:10am (just 10 minutes to bypass Shimoga town).

@Kimified, @Ampere, @Addyhemmige, @suchit23 - Thanks again for all the help.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by NPV

From here, took the Holehonnur road which was fine too but for the odd patch but nothing bad. We reached Shimoga at 10am where we asked a cop for directions to Tirthahalli road. Turned left here, at the next circle turned right and finally turned left again to join the Tirthahalli road by 10:10am (just 10 minutes to bypass Shimoga town).

Shimoga has a good bypass for NH13. And NH13 is one of the best stretches post Shimoga. A belter or a road. Truly a carpet.

[Santoshbhat]

Did Bangalore - Shimoga- Bangalore last Saturday. Had to visit some factories in Machenhally Indl Area. Took the Chitradurga route for the first time. Left BLR at 6:45 AM and reached Shimoga by 11:30. Roads are excellent throughout and this is a much better option than the two lane BH road. I made the mistake of turning towards Bhadravati from Changiri. This stretch of 35 kms is a horrible road and contains patches with huge potholes and broken roads. Patchwork is in progress, but the quality is poor and will not last long even after completion.

For the return journey I went upto Shimoga from Machenhally and reached Chanagiri via Shimoga and not Bhadravathi. Phew! that was much better. Reached home in 4 hrs flat. Driving on four lane is quite stress free especially after twilight.

THis route adds about 30 Kms when compared to Arisikere route. Chitradruga -Shimoga is about 100 kms. Roads are good and traffic is sparse. Highly recommended route.

[suhasd75]

Route via Chitradurga seems absolutely to-do to me! Can you please give specifics on this Shimoga-CtG-BLR route please? I am on a sabbatical starting next week

[ampere]

Originally Posted by suhasd75

Route via Chitradurga seems absolutely to-do to me! Can you please give specifics on this Shimoga-CtG-BLR route please? I am on a sabbatical starting next week

- Drive on NH4.
- Once you hit Chitradurga keep driving on the NH4.
- The road takes a massive curve. You then see a board/exit for Bellary/Bijapur (NH13)
- Go past, till you see a lake on your left. Another point (as I can see in Google) is SJM Institute of Technology on your right.
- Go past the lake and then get off 4-lane at this point (on to your left) and go on the road adjacent to the lake.
- Take the road till dead-end where it hits NH13.
- Drive on this road all the way till Shimoga.

Link to Chitradurga bypass option : Route Link

[suhasd75]

Thanks very much Ampere. I will try this sometime next week. Probably on my return leg.

Originally Posted by ampere

- Drive on NH4.
- Once you hit Chitradurga keep driving on the NH4.
- The road takes a massive curve. You then see a board/exit for Bellary/Bijapur (NH13)
- Go past, till you see a lake on your left. Another point (as I can see in Google) is SJM Institute of Technology on your right.
- Go past the lake and then get off 4-lane at this point (on to your left) and go on the road adjacent to the lake.
- Take the road till dead-end where it hits NH13.
- Drive on this road all the way till Shimoga.

Link to Chitradurga bypass option : Route Link

[rockyb4u]

Am not sure if people heard of a place called Narasipura near Shimoga. I heard there is a man by the name Subbaiah Narayana Murthy called as Medicine Man who provides medicine for cancer and miraculously cures lot of people. You could try google his name. Am planning to visit over this Weekend.

For Shiomga, Map is suggesting the route HSR>Nice Road>Nellamangala> Channarayanapatna> Arsikere>Kadur>Tarikere>Shimoga. Could anyone suggest if this route is good or better to take the route people are talking about i.e., HSR>Nice Road>Nellamangala>Tumkur>Hiriyur>Chitradurga>Holal kere>Channagiri>Shimoga

I will be starting at around 3PM from Bangalore on Saturday. My plan is to be in Narasipura early Sunday after resting in Shimoga for the night.

If anyone have details about this Medicine Man, please share. I will anyway be posting the details post my visit.

[suhasd75]

Rockyb4u,

I suggest you take BLR-Nelamangala-Tumkur-Gubbi-Tiptur-Arsikere-Kadur-Birur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Anandapuram (your nearest accessible place to the Narsipura doctor).

I have done all possible routes and the above is by far the best in terms of road condition and utility from Bangalore. You can stay at Hombuja Residency at Anandapuram and their staff is very helpful. The place is ~45km from Shimoga.

[rockyb4u]

Thank you Suhas. I have taken the Chitradurga Route last week and stayed at Hombuja Hotel. You are right, the staff are very helpful. It took me exactly 6 hrs to reach the hotel with very minimal breaks.

I guess I will keep visiting Narasipura quite often going forward (The crowd at the place and the feedback from people over there gave me the trust) and will try the route you mentioned.

If anyone planning to visit this place Narasipura, I suggest you quite early. I was there by 2 AM in the night and there was long queue already and I ended up getting the medicine only at 11.30 AM.

Thanks,

Originally Posted by suhasd75

Rockyb4u,

I suggest you take BLR-Nelamangala-Tumkur-Gubbi-Tiptur-Arsikere-Kadur-Birur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Anandapuram (your nearest accessible place to the Narsipura doctor).

I have done all possible routes and the above is by far the best in terms of road condition and utility from Bangalore. You can stay at Hombuja Residency at Anandapuram and their staff is very helpful. The place is ~45km from Shimoga.

[Secretariat]

Did Bangalore - Shimoga - Thirthahalli - Shimoga - Bangalore over the last two days. Went via Chitradurga and returned via Arsikere. My summary of the two routes :

The Chitradurga route is the easier drive. not just because of the dual carriageway upto Chitradurga, but also because of the absence of the numerous speedbreakers and rumblers and the not so twisty nature of the road. It is also, therefore, the more "boring" drive. Road from Chitradurga to Shimoga is fine (110 kms of good two lane single carriageway). The turn off at Chitradurga is exactly as Ampere has so helpfully described, except that the "lake" is now more of a "pond" ! No food options between Chitradurga and Shimoga, so "fill up" at either of the Kamats - Dobbaspet or after Tumkur.

The Arsikere - Tarikere - Shimoga route is shorter by about 30 kms and with good roads. Most is it is single carriageway (Bhadravati - Shimoga is dual carriageway). But it is a twisty road , with two wheeler traffic and numerous rumblers . Other than Bhadravati, there are no town by passes and so we have to wade through Tarikere, Arsikere and Tumkur, to name only three. So the time taken will probably be just a tad more. Two Coffee Days were spotted - in the Bangalore - Shimoga direction, one 50- 60 kms after Tumkur, and the other 3-4 kms after Arsikere .

Nelamangala tollgate to Shimoga is about four to four and a half hours drive, either route. Nelamangala to wherever in Bangalore you are starting from is a lottery of course. I set a new course record on my outbound drive - two and half hours from Marathahalli to Nelamangala (all please applaud) .

Shimoga to Thirthahalli is a beautiful road, but with so many bends that it requires careful driving, especially when the traffic coming opposite invariably believes that they must be displacing Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes cockpit. The Shimoga bypass is effective, whichever route you come from, but of course, there are no sign boards - I ended up getting into Shimoga because my GPS told me to do so ! The road to Thirthahalli has a beautiful ambiance to drive through though. Zero food options.

[linuxmanju]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

therefore, the more "boring" drive. Road from Chitradurga to Shimoga is fine (110 kms of good two lane single carriageway).

Exactly my thoughts, Bangalore to Chitradurga Road is a carpet but gets boring unless two or three cars travel together. Moreover not a road which I would recommend if you are travelling in night, as a small thing like a puncture could leave you in the middle of nowhere as there are not too many shops/villages/cities around.

The Arsikere - Tarikere - Shimoga route is shorter by about 30 kms and with good roads. Most is it is single carriageway (Bhadravati - Shimoga is dual carriageway).

A safe bet, and involving to drive.

Shimoga to Thirthahalli is a beautiful road, but with so many bends that it requires careful driving, especially when the traffic coming opposite invariably believes that they must be displacing Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes cockpit. Zero food options.

Yup, green either side of the road with reservoir back water in some stretches. Give your AC a well deserved break and roll down the window for the air in its purest form. As far as food is concerned, you should have explored few village side hotels in and around Mandagadde for authentic Malnad flavors, trust me you would have made the trip more memorable.

Nelamangala tollgate to Shimoga is about four to four and a half hours drive, either route. Nelamangala to wherever in Bangalore you are starting from is a lottery of course. I set a new course record on my outbound drive - two and half hours from Marathahalli to Nelamangala (all please applaud) .

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

Shimoga to Thirthahalli is a beautiful road, but with so many bends that it requires careful driving, especially when the traffic coming opposite invariably believes that they must be displacing Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes cockpit.

Yes, its one of the most beautiful stretches to drive through. Especially the section where you get into the forest part of the road that goes along the river. Here is something what I captured on that section.

Originally Posted by linuxmanju

Exactly my thoughts, Bangalore to Chitradurga Road is a carpet but gets boring unless two or three cars travel together. Moreover not a road which I would recommend if you are travelling in night, as a small thing like a puncture could leave you in the middle of nowhere as there are not too many shops/villages/cities around.

Yes, the Chitradurga-Shimoga is very dry. But one can have a respite if one is wiling to be a bit more adventurous.

Drive on 206 till Tarikere. Exit the road here to the SH to Hiriyur. The road is bad at many places. But apart from the thrill of driving on country roads, what is the reward ?

This... The beautiful Vani Vilas Sagar.