[sajidclt]

Originally Posted by Anoopscv

Thanks to all the inputs. If I could start before 5AM, will take Mysore road else Kanakapura Road.

There is some road work going on between Thamarassery and Koduvally. I got held up for around 30 mins yesterday at about 7 PM. Since you would be passing that stretch around 12PM or earlier, you might have to wait much lesser.

Off topic, I happened to see a dead deer on the road after Meenangadi. It's the first time I am seeing a deer so far ahead.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by kala

But the route (1) I mentioned in my post is a much better option as of now in spite of the humongous speed breakers - It took me only about 3 or 4 minutes from the right turn at the signal to the SH81 junction whereas it used to take around 8 to 10 minutes to pass Chamarajnagar through the old route.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion Sir!
Tried this route while coming back from Tirur yesterday. I would also recommend anybody passing through chamarajnagar towards Gundlupet (and vice versa) to use this route instead of the regular one via the town/ksrtc bus stand. only a stretch of around 50-100 meters remain unfinished, rest is completely good.
Also saw the pure veg restaurant (don't remember the name) you suggested in one of the earlier posts. Did not stop there, but looked OK from outside for a possible breakfast break.

Regarding those speed breakers you mentioned in the route, after taking on the 75 speed breakers inside the forest stretch, I didn't even remember passing those 2 in this stretch!! It seemed so mechanical!
The newly tarred section of the Mudumalai-Gudalur forest stretch has speed breakers literally every 200 meters.

[Rajeevraj]

Returned from calicut today. Started at 6.15 and took the Mysore route. Hit Nice road at 1.45 with a 1 hour break. Road conditions good throughout. Nangangud Mysore work is still in progress. In December this stretch was a lot of deviations with some parts of completed 4 lane sections. Now it is mostly completed 4 lane sections with some deviations. A new bridge at nangangud is nearing completion. As is one near that industrial area. Took the newly opened right ring of the Mysore ring road. Took 1 hr 20 min from Gundlepet to Columbia Asia signal. This included a 10 min block in the construction zone. Once the work completes, this should reduce to 1hr at steady 80kmph speeds.

Mysore Bangalore was smooth. Most of the humps seem gone now and even the barricades were there only in 2-3 places. Columbia Asia to nice jn took 2 hrs with slow progress through mandya and ramanagara. So overall flow seems much smoother without humps and barricades.

Stopped for breakfast at Hotel Wilton just before bathery town on the left side. Relatively new place. Owned by the guys who owned jubilee in bathery(apparently they sold that). Decent place with clean restrooms. Had the dosa items, the aapams also looked good. Coffee was average. Good place to stop since it is just outside the town and parking is not a hassle.

[Sandy28]

I will be driving from Kerala to Bangalore in the 1st week of May. Have done the Salem route as well as the Nilambur-Bandipur routes before. But havent done the Wayanad route; so am interested in trying this route this time.
Broadly the route will be Perumpilav-Edapal-Kutipuram-Kottakal-Tirurangadi-Calicut airport - Areacode-Thamarasery-Kalpeta-Mananthavady-Nagarhole National Park-Hampapura-Mysore-Mandya (or Kanakpura???)-Bangalore.


1) Any recent updates on this route?
2) If we start early from Kerala (my place is near Perumpilav) say by 5 am, can we reach Bangalore by late evening including a detour to Thirunelli temple?
3) Hows the road condition; esp thru the forest area? Since it is summer, the forest must be pretty dry right now?
4) Are there good eateries enroute or do we need to carry food? Suggestions of good eateries for lunch?
5) Are there good petrol bunks?

Thanks

[kala]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

I will be driving from Kerala to Bangalore in the 1st week of May. Have done the Salem route as well as the Nilambur-Bandipur routes before. But havent done the Wayanad route; so am interested in trying this route this time.
Broadly the route will be Perumpilav-Edapal-Kutipuram-Kottakal-Tirurangadi-Calicut airport - Areacode-Thamarasery-Kalpeta-Mananthavady-Nagarhole National Park-Hampapura-Mysore-Mandya (or Kanakpura???)-Bangalore.

1) Any recent updates on this route?
2) If we start early from Kerala (my place is near Perumpilav) say by 5 am, can we reach Bangalore by late evening including a detour to Thirunelli temple?
3) Hows the road condition; esp thru the forest area? Since it is summer, the forest must be pretty dry right now?
4) Are there good eateries enroute or do we need to carry food? Suggestions of good eateries for lunch?
5) Are there good petrol bunks?

If you're planning on visiting Thirunelli temple on the way, I'd suggest taking the Kutta-Nagarahole-Hunsur-Mysore route from Thirunelli rather than backtracking till Kattikkulam and taking the the Kabini route via Hampapura. Road conditions would be more or less similar (except for having to drive through forest roads for a longer distance - about 35-40 kms instead of 25), and should take you less time since the overall distance is lower.

Yes - forests would be rather dry at this time of the year, especially as pre-monsoon showers have been scanty this year.

Eateries shouldn't be much of a problem - you should find decent restaurants around Calicut, Thamarassery, Kalpetta and Mananthavady (only if you don't take the bypass and go into town). Not many good eateries in Thirunelli though, except for a strictly average vegetarian restaurant right outside the temple (you might be here around lunch time - so that might be a problem). Further along you do have decent places in Hunsur, Mysore, and all along the Mysore-Bangalore highway.

Should take you about 5 to 6 hours to get to Thirunelli from Perumbilavu. (2 hrs to Ramanattukara, 2 hours from there to Kalpetta and a further 1.5 hours to Thirunelli). Thirunelli-Bangalore should be doable in about 5 to 6 hours via Hunsur, so if you can get out from Thirunelli at around 2 PM, you should be in Bangalore by 8 PM. (Assuming you aren't travelling on a Sunday afternoon when the Mysore Bangalore highway would be packed and all your time estimates can go haywire)

Road conditions should be generally good most of the way except for the forest roads in Nagarahole which is generally patchy and the Mananthavady-Kattikkulam stretch which is reportedly patchy.

Sorry, no specific suggestions about good petrol bunks on the way. The HP bunk at Kalpetta is the one I use usually in Wayanad, but beware that petrol prices are the highest in the state in Wayanad - so it might be cheaper to fill up somewhere around Calicut.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

Broadly the route will be Perumpilav-Edapal-Kutipuram-Kottakal-Tirurangadi-Calicut airport - Areacode-Thamarasery-Kalpeta-Mananthavady-Nagarhole National Park-Hampapura-Mysore-Mandya (or Kanakpura???)-Bangalore.


1) Any recent updates on this route?
2) If we start early from Kerala (my place is near Perumpilav) say by 5 am, can we reach Bangalore by late evening including a detour to Thirunelli temple?
3) Hows the road condition; esp thru the forest area? Since it is summer, the forest must be pretty dry right now?
4) Are there good eateries enroute or do we need to carry food? Suggestions of good eateries for lunch?
5) Are there good petrol bunks?

Thanks

Apart from Kalpetta-Manathavady-Mysore, I did all the other sections last week. Few inputs.

You don't touch Tirurangadi in the route you mentioned, also with a 5am start I think it will be better to stick to the NH and go via Ramanatukara-Calicut Byepass- Thamarassery as opposed to going via Areacode.

With a 5am start from Perumpilav, you should cross the Calicut Bypass by 7.30-8 am. There are several restaurants on the Bypass for a breakfast stop if needed.

Kalpetta is roughly 2 hours from Calicut and then ~1hr 30min to Thirunelly. If I am not mistaken, the temple closes at 12. Assuming you will be taking some breaks, reaching Thirunelly before 12 with a 5am start seems a little tight.

I assume Thirunelli would have a decent place for lunch, if not, as far as I know there is no good place till Mysore. So that needs to be factored in. From Thirunelli, I think it will take ~6 hours of driving time to Bangalore. With the Hunsur-Mysore route, does not make sense to deviate to Kanakpura road and would be better to stick on to Mysore Road.

If you decide against the Thrunelli plan, then stick to Kalpetta-Bathery-Gundlepet-Mysore-Bangalore. Road conditions are great. Details in the post above yours. You can stop for lunch at Mysore or at one of the many eateries on Bangalore Mysore Road (if you prefer to take the Mysore Byepass and are ok for a slightly late lunch) and be home by evening.

Lot of petrol bunks till Bathery. Fill up if needed at or before Bathery. Forest is very dry.

Hope this helps.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I assume Thirunelli would have a decent place for lunch, if not, as far as I
know there is no good place till Mysore.

If you are willing to backtrack a bit, Kattikulam has this place: http://www.holidayhillhotel.com/

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

If you decide against the Thrunelli plan, then stick to Kalpetta-Bathery-Gundlepet-Mysore-Bangalore.

If he ditches the Tirunelli plan, he should simply take the Nilambur-Gudalur-Gundlupet route. :-)

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Lot of petrol bunks till Bathery. Fill up if needed at or before Bathery.

I often fill at the bunk just outside Kalpetta (BPCL, I think). In KL there usually is a bunk every few kilometres, what with the geography being small towns separated by only that much. Once out of KL I try to make it till the Shell at Mysore in the Mananthavady road. BM Road of course, has several pumps.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by kala

If you're planning on visiting Thirunelli temple on the way, I'd suggest taking the Kutta-Nagarahole-Hunsur-Mysore route from Thirunelli rather than backtracking till Kattikkulam and taking the the Kabini route via Hampapura. Road conditions would be more or less similar (except for having to drive through forest roads for a longer distance - about 35-40 kms instead of 25), and should take you less time since the overall distance is lower.

so if you can get out from Thirunelli at around 2 PM, you should be in Bangalore by 8 PM. (Assuming you aren't travelling on a Sunday afternoon when the Mysore Bangalore highway would be packed and all your time estimates can go haywire)

Road conditions should be generally good most of the way except for the forest roads in Nagarahole which is generally patchy and the Mananthavady-Kattikkulam stretch which is reportedly patchy.

Thanks Kala. My main reason for looking at this route is to try a new route since I have done the Salem and Nilambur routes many times. While Tirunelli temple is not a must, I thought of visiting it since it is on the same route. How bad (patchy) would the Kutta-Nagarhole-Hunsur road be? My only concern is that I will be driving in my petrol Verna with my wife and 2 small kids. So would it be safe to drive through this route? Driving thru forest roads is not an issue as long as the road is good/decent.

My trip will be either on Saturday or Sunday... not yet decided. If it is on Sunday, will taking the the Mysore-Kanakpura-Bangalore route instead of the Mysore-Mandya-Bangalore route help?

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Kalpetta is roughly 2 hours from Calicut and then ~1hr 30min to Thirunelly. If I am not mistaken, the temple closes at 12. Assuming you will be taking some breaks, reaching Thirunelly before 12 with a 5am start seems a little tight.

If you decide against the Thrunelli plan, then stick to Kalpetta-Bathery-Gundlepet-Mysore-Bangalore. Road conditions are great. Details in the post above yours.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Rajeevraj. Broadly, the route option looks to be boiling down to Kalpetta-Thirunelli-Kuta-Hunsur route or Kalpetta-Gundlupet-Mysore route. Since I have done the Nilambur route in the past, my preference is slightly skewed towards the Thirunelli route. The only concern is as mentioned above about the safety of driving thru the forest with family.

Considering the probability of not reaching Thirunelli by noon, would it be worthwhile to consider dropping Thirunelli and taking Mananthwady-Antharasante-Hampapura route? Any update on the road condition?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

How bad (patchy) would the Kutta-Nagarhole-Hunsur road be? My only concern is that I will be driving in my petrol Verna with my wife and 2 small kids. So would it be safe to drive through this route? Driving thru forest roads is not an issue as long as the road is good/decent.

My trip will be either on Saturday or Sunday... not yet decided. If it is on Sunday, will taking the the Mysore-Kanakpura-Bangalore route instead of the Mysore-Mandya-Bangalore route help?

Broadly, the route option looks to be boiling down to Kalpetta-Thirunelli-Kuta-Hunsur route or Kalpetta-Gundlupet-Mysore route. Since I have done the Nilambur route in the past, my preference is slightly skewed towards the Thirunelli route. The only concern is as mentioned above about the safety of driving thru the forest with family.

Considering the probability of not reaching Thirunelli by noon, would it be worthwhile to consider dropping Thirunelli and taking Mananthwady-Antharasante-Hampapura route? Any update on the road condition?

I would recommend you to take a call once you reach Kalpetta. Since Thirunelli is ~1.5 hrs from Kalpetta, you will have a clear idea if you can get to Thirunelli in time. If it does not seem feasible, continue to Bangalore on the Bathery-Gundlepet route. If you leave the decision till you reach Mananthavady, then you are stuck with the Kutta-Hunsur or bavalli-mysore route.

Suggesting the Bathery-Gundlepet route for a few reasons.

• Roads are great.
• There is slightly more traffic in the Forest area on this route. So you will not feel totally isolated.
• Better options for breaks at in the Kalpetta-Bathery stretch and even Gundlepet.
• Depending on when you arrive at Gundlepet, you can divert to the Chamrajnagar-Kanakpura route to Bangalore.

Of course, if your intention is to do a longer forest stretch and a higher chance of wildlife spottings, then the Kutta-Nagarhole-Hunsur route would be the better choice. Roads maybe a little patchy inside the forest, but perfectly fine for any car to handle. The Hampapura route should also be good (little narrow inside the forest) with very little traffic almost till Mysore.

Drive through the forest during day time is perfectly safe. Don't stop inside the forest area and try to click pictures or make any noise even if you spot wild life (especially elephants).

[kala]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

How bad (patchy) would the Kutta-Nagarhole-Hunsur road be? My only concern is that I will be driving in my petrol Verna with my wife and 2 small kids. So would it be safe to drive through this route? Driving thru forest roads is not an issue as long as the road is good/decent.

Nothing to be really concerned about regarding the ability of the car to negotiate that road or the safety aspect. It's just that the road is a little bit rather narrow and not too smooth with speed breakers off and on and the odd pothole here and there. And as long as you follow the rules of forest driving like no stopping, and driving slow and allowing right of way to wildlife there shouldn't be any safety issues either. That route would probably have a slightly higher traffic density compared to the one via Bavali-Kabini.

My trip will be either on Saturday or Sunday... not yet decided. If it is on Sunday, will taking the the Mysore-Kanakpura-Bangalore route instead of the Mysore-Mandya-Bangalore route help?

If it's Sunday afternoon, it would probaby be worth it trying the SH33 route via Bannur-Malavalli-Kanakapura. I haven't driven on the Mysore-Bannur section of that road after they resurfaced the road, but from what I've heard the road is good except for a 2-3 kms stretch around Bannur town. From Bannur to Malavalli is super-smooth, and NH209 from there on is also very good. You might still run into some traffic between Kanakapura and Bangalore, but nothing compared to the madness on SH17.

Considering the probability of not reaching Thirunelli by noon, would it be worthwhile to consider dropping Thirunelli and taking Mananthwady-Antharasante-Hampapura route? Any update on the road condition?

With a 5 AM start I think you should be able to reach Thirunelli by about 11 AM. The more trafficky section of that route is the NH17 between Perumbilavu and Ramanattukara, and since traffic would be less in those early hours, doing that stretch (about 85kms) in under 2 hours should be possible I would think. That makes it a total of about 5.5 hours driving time to Thirunelli - allows you a half an hour break for breakfast somewhere on the way.

As Rajeev mentioned, the Mananthavady-Antharasanthe-Mysore road is in excellent condition as well except for the forest stretch that is rather narrow with plenty of speed breakers. But if you're dropping the Thirunelli plan, I would also recommend the Sulthan Batheri-Gundlupet route over this route, because that also gives you the option of avoiding Mysore altogether and going via Chamarajnagar-Kollegal-Malavalli-Kanakapura - A much saner option if you're travelling on a Sunday afternoon.

[i20ian]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

I will be driving from Kerala to Bangalore in the 1st week of May. Have done the Salem route as well as the Nilambur-Bandipur routes before. But havent done the Wayanad route; so am interested in trying this route this time.
Broadly the route will be Perumpilav-Edapal-Kutipuram-Kottakal-Tirurangadi-Calicut airport - Areacode-Thamarasery-Kalpeta-Mananthavady-Nagarhole National Park-Hampapura-Mysore-Mandya (or Kanakpura???)-Bangalore.

I've been through the kalpetta-panamaram-kattikulam-tholpetty-kutta-nagarhole-hunsur-srirangapatna-mandya-blore route a couple of days back. Like many of our fellow bhpians have mentioned, the roads are good at most of the stretches. From Kalpetta upto panamaram, the roads are fairly wide and in good condition. The panamaram kattikulam stretch is OK, with a few potholes here and there. The road is narrow at certain stretches. Will certainly slow you down. Kattikulam tholpetty road is again wide and good. There is a Thalassery restaurant newly opened at Tholpetty near the safari reception office (opened on 17th april). Looks like a good stopover for tea and a light snack. Kutta is a very small town and remember that you wont get any shops after kutta until you reach Hunsur. There is a tricky right turn almost like a U turn from kutta to nagarhole route which you are most likely to miss and get confused. So watch out for it. That turn is right next to Kutta bus station. There is a small milestone with nagarhole 10kms written in kannada.. Once you enter there a check post will greet you and you have to stop and get your name, vehicle number entered. Again roads are decent inside the forest. Very narrow though and hardly a car can pass through. The traffic is a bit scarce and you will go through 34kms of forest roads. If you stick to the basic rules of forest driving, safety is not at all an issue. try to cross this stretch early as there is traffic ban after 6pm. Forests are dry in certain stretches and greenery is also available. There are a few tribal settlements on the way. I've seen elephants, bisons, deer and lots of langurs on the way. Quite an enjoyable ride through the forest. Once you cross nagarhole, you will pass through a lot of dry villages and farm lands till you reach Hunsur. Hunsur is a small town and I couldnt find any decent hotels there. From Hunsur, you can hit the SH to Mysore. I thought of completely avoiding Mysore and took the KRS road towards Srirangapatna. The road is patchy at certain stretches and again can eat away considerable amount of time. Think its better to stick on to the main SH. From there its the usual BM road. Since I was travelling on a Sunday evening, traffic was heavy. Took me around 9.5 hrs to reach bangalore from Calicut through this route with a few stops in between.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I would recommend you to take a call once you reach Kalpetta. Since Thirunelli is ~1.5 hrs from Kalpetta, you will have a clear idea if you can get to Thirunelli in time. If it does not seem feasible, continue to Bangalore on the Bathery-Gundlepet route. If you leave the decision till you reach Mananthavady, then you are stuck with the Kutta-Hunsur or bavalli-mysore route.

Thanks Rajeev. Thats a good suggestion. Since the temple is closed from 12 noon to 5 pm (as mentioned on the temple website) a lot will depend on what time I reach Kalpetta.

Originally Posted by kala

As Rajeev mentioned, the Mananthavady-Antharasanthe-Mysore road is in excellent condition as well except for the forest stretch that is rather narrow with plenty of speed breakers. But if you're dropping the Thirunelli plan, I would also recommend the Sulthan Batheri-Gundlupet route over this route, because that also gives you the option of avoiding Mysore altogether and going via Chamarajnagar-Kollegal-Malavalli-Kanakapura - A much saner option if you're travelling on a Sunday afternoon.

Thanks Kala. That eliminates the Antharasanthe-Mysore route. So now the final call is between Kutta-Nagarhole route or the Sulthan Batheri-Gundlupet route. As Rajeev mentioned, will take a call at Kalpetta.

Originally Posted by i20ian

I've been through the kalpetta-panamaram-kattikulam-tholpetty-kutta-nagarhole-hunsur-srirangapatna-mandya-blore route a couple of days back. Like many of our fellow bhpians have mentioned, the roads are good at most of the stretches.

Thanks i20ian. That was a very detailed information... and also very assuring that the drive thru the forest is safe and enjoyable. Your description just adds to my temptation to take this route even if I drop Thirunelli

[binand]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

That eliminates the Antharasanthe-Mysore route. So now the final call is between Kutta-Nagarhole route or the Sulthan Batheri-Gundlupet route. As Rajeev mentioned, will take a call at Kalpetta.

Three points:

1. You don't have to eliminate the Mananthavady-Antharasanthe-Mysore route just because you are wary of the traffic on BM Road. You can take the Mysore-Bannur-Malavally route and join NH 209 to approach Bangalore via Kala's "saner option". This route has been recently re-tarred and is in excellent condition (except for a couple of km either side of Bannur town).

2. You could do the above if you have to take the Mananthavady-Kutta-Hunsur-Mysore route too.

3. If you can decide much early, you needn't come anywhere near Wayanad. You could take the Nilambur-Gudalur-Gundlupet route and proceed either via the regular NH 212-NH 275 (BM Road) or NH 209 (Kanakapura). This will reduce maybe about 80-100 km in your overall distance.

Originally Posted by Sandy28

also very assuring that the drive thru the forest is safe and enjoyable.

The forest is very enjoyable via all four routes. It is the best part of the journey to Calicut and the reason I prefer going via Nilambur even if I am going to Kochi. :-)

[kala]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Also saw the pure veg restaurant (don't remember the name) you suggested in one of the earlier posts. Did not stop there, but looked OK from outside for a possible breakfast break.

Tried out this restaurant (Bhagya) in Chamarajanagar during my trip last weekend. Very ordinary place- not worth recommending. I think the Mayura Rajdhani food is better, and as for cleanliness nothing much to choose between the two - both seem equally bad.

[revv_maniac]

Hello,

i am going to drive down to Calicut from bangalore on friday, we are a group of 6 guys in 2 cars. we would like to pit stop for the friday night in wayanad, we will be taking the gudalur route to calicut. kindly suggest me some places to take a break in and around wayanad or around gudalur. some picturesque resort or eco resort types in the hills over looking a valley or small river or something away from the busy life.

thanks in advance, suggestions in route are also welcome.