[pratyush6]

Hi Guys,

Have planned a short trip to Virajpet this Sunday. Stay has been booked at Club Mahindra. Bookings are from Sunday 5th and we check out on the 8th July.

I would start near the Hockey Stadium, Shantinagar around 5:30am. Recommendations for the better routes right now? As the group has 2 couples, needs to be a safe route with food options.

And I absolutely dread the Bangalore Mysore stretch. Not sure how good or bad it is. NH209 (Kanakpura highway) has very little food options. Stuck between the two.

What are your suggestions for the route?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

What are your suggestions for the route?

I am afraid, the Mysore road is the best option since its south Coorg. Start early to beat the traffic. Mysore with humps I think would still better compared to Kanakpura road.

[shyamomfs]

I agree, Bangalore-mysore-hunsur-gonikoppa-virajpet is the best route. Try to reach Mysore before traffic begins, and enjoy the rest of the trip!
To go to Club mahindra, you need to cross Virajpet on to Madikeri road. Left turn about 4 kms from Virajpet, but after that the road is not as good.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

...
I would start near the Hockey Stadium, Shantinagar around 5:30am. Recommendations for the better routes right now? As the group has 2 couples, needs to be a safe route with food options.

And I absolutely dread the Bangalore Mysore stretch. Not sure how good or bad it is. NH209 (Kanakpura highway) has very little food options. Stuck between the two.

As @ampere has suggested take the Mysore Road but start early, actually that kind of negates the food options bit since most of the places enroute would not be open till about 7am.
But there is hope An excellent restaurant called Kalyani on the Mysore Outer Ring Road. Look up these posts by ampere for more details:
Link 1 - details
Link 2 - map

This way you're quickly out of Bangalore-Mysore Road and get a good place for breakfast.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

And I absolutely dread the Bangalore Mysore stretch. Not sure how good or bad it is. NH209 (Kanakpura highway) has very little food options. Stuck between the two.

What are your suggestions for the route?

Mysore Road is not too bad now since most of the humps have been replaced by collapsible barriers. Should be a smooth drive.

There is a Hotel Aloft, on the left just before the Columbia Asia Signal. They have a good restaurant and clean rest rooms. If you start by 5.30, you should be here by 8am.

[TheDoctor]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Mysore Road is not too bad now since most of the humps have been replaced by collapsible barriers. Should be a smooth drive.

Traveled on this stretch in May and my experience around the collapsible barriers was not so good. Had to be very careful around the barriers as drivers from either side would compete to cross the barriers first resulting in sudden braking all around. and this was during the journey both ways.

Happy if things are better now.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by TheDoctor

Traveled on this stretch in May and my experience around the collapsible barriers was not so good. Had to be very careful around the barriers as drivers from either side would compete to cross the barriers first resulting in sudden braking all around. and this was during the journey both ways.

Happy if things are better now.

Actually you are right. When traffic is on the higher side the barriers can be a pain. In such cases probably humps are better. That is the experience of several folks who have posted here.

For the specific question here, considering the plan is for a 5.30 am start, traffic should be on the lower side.

[kanishka_27]

Hi all - Planning a trip to Madikeri in August. Reading all the posts above and considering that we will not be able to leave Bangalore before 6-6.30 am, should I take the route via Chhannarayapatna or is the situation in terms of those collapsible barricades better now on the tried and tested Mysore Road?

The onward route that I intend to take:
https://goo.gl/maps/tNEHt

the return route:
https://goo.gl/maps/nXYmD

More or less the same route, only difference being the return route is via Kusalnagar as I will visit the Tibetan Monastery there on my way back.

How is the road condition overall from Chhannarayapatna towards Madikeri through the SH's? And how will the terrain (steepness) be during August (because of the monsoon) on SH27 (the route which goes to Madikeri via Somwarpet, bypassing Kusalnagar)?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by kanishka_27

Hi all - Planning a trip to Madikeri in August. Reading all the posts above and considering that we will not be able to leave Bangalore before 6-6.30 am, should I take the route via Chhannarayapatna or is the situation in terms of those collapsible barricades better now on the tried and tested Mysore Road?

Depends on the day you are planning to go and return. If it is weekday, then Mysore Road will be comfortable both ways. If you are going on a weekend morning and/or returning on a Sunday evening, then it can be pretty bad. If it happens to be a long weekend, it will be worse.

Based on google maps your route looks to be the best irrespective of the day and time. But other experts can provide more info

[NPV]

Originally Posted by kanishka_27

The onward route that I intend to take:
https://goo.gl/maps/tNEHt

the return route:
https://goo.gl/maps/nXYmD

More or less the same route, only difference being the return route is via Kusalnagar as I will visit the Tibetan Monastery there on my way back.

How is the road condition overall from Chhannarayapatna towards Madikeri through the SH's? And how will the terrain (steepness) be during August (because of the monsoon) on SH27 (the route which goes to Madikeri via Somwarpet, bypassing Kusalnagar)?

Bangalore-Nelamangala on NH4 Tumkur Road, then left onto NH 48 till Channarayapatna is superb.
From Channarayaptna to Somwarpet is also good, barring maybe a small stretch near Mallipatna. There was a bad 2 Km stretch at Holenarasipura but remember reading a post mentioning that is patched as well, that stretch can be avoided completely by taking the route from Channrayapatna via Agrahara and reaching Holenarasipura, look up @guyfromblr's post on the Bekal/Kabini thread.
Overall, this route should be fine but Somwarpet-Madikeri is twisty with less traffic. However, not many options for food/breaks after Channarayapatna.

Mysore Road is always a mixed bag with the speed bumps partially gone, others replaced by barricades but does have lots of food/break options and of course lots of traffic. If you can leave early, say by 5:30am you should able to stop for breakfast at Kalyani, a nice restaurant on the Mysore Ring Road enroute Hunsur and Madikeri. This way you'll escape Mysore Road crazy traffic and stop after crossing Mysore.

[kanishka_27]

Originally Posted by NPV

Overall, this route should be fine but Somwarpet-Madikeri is twisty with less traffic. However, not many options for food/breaks after Channarayapatna.

Thanks NPV. By twisty, do you mean it will be pretty steep with back to back Hairpins? A comparison will be very helpful in this regards - maybe with the 36 hairpin bends road of Ooty or maybe the Salem - Yercaud drive.

If not the SH27 route, how's the road condition of the route via Kusalnagar to Madikeri?

Thanks Rajeevraj. I actually intend to go on a Friday and come back on a Monday. Its the Onam weekend; however I don't think most of the offices here are off; so can't call it a full fledged long weekend.

[Landkruzer]

Originally Posted by kanishka_27

Thanks NPV. By twisty, do you mean it will be pretty steep with back to back Hairpins? A comparison will be very helpful in this regards - maybe with the 36 hairpin bends road of Ooty or maybe the Salem - Yercaud drive.

If not the SH27 route, how's the road condition of the route via Kusalnagar to Madikeri?

When you goto Yercaud you climb 3000 ft in just 20 kms from base to the top. Where as in the somwarpet route, you ascend/descend just about 300 ft. No hairpin bends in this route and it will be very scenic. You can go via somwarpet route and return via kushalnagar route.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by kanishka_27

Thanks NPV. By twisty, do you mean it will be pretty steep with back to back Hairpins? A comparison will be very helpful in this regards - maybe with the 36 hairpin bends road of Ooty or maybe the Salem - Yercaud drive.

Nope, not one like the 36 hairpin bend route which is steep and has hair pin bends. Not like the Salem-Yercaud one as well
Unlike, these roads, the Somwarpet-Madikeri one has lot of curves (hence twisty) and few straight stretches, maybe a comparison with Batlagundu-Kodaikanal may be a better fit but road is not as wide as that one. But again, the ascend is not that that much as Kodai road!

Unless someone traveling in your car has severe motion sickness or your car is bumpy for the rear bench passengers, there is nothing to worry or avoid this route. It passes through some beautiful countryside with lot of greenery, trees and estates on both sides

[rockyb4u]

Advice please.

I am planning to visit either Coorg or Wayanad from North Bangalore. Could someone tell me which is better destination. For me the route is of utmost importance considering it is monsoons.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by rockyb4u

Advice please.

I am planning to visit either Coorg or Wayanad from North Bangalore. Could someone tell me which is better destination. For me the route is of utmost importance considering it is monsoons.

Both are good destinations. Both are districts not any one particular place.
And hence there are different routes to go to places in different parts of those districts.
Usual tourist places in wayanad include Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, Vythiri, Mananthavady.
In Coorg, some places of visit are Madikeri, Virajpet, Kushalnagar, Baghamandala, Talakaveri.
Look these up and decide where you'd like to go and then we can suggest routes.
Monsoons are a great time to drive to these places but now it is almost ending so I don't think there will be too much rain.