[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Parth46

This is very concerning for me. My wife & I, along with our 2.5 yr old daughter are planning to visit the Linger resort/ Balur estate in Chikmaglur during 17-20 August. Bookings have been done and travel preparations are well underway.

Was just wondering about this forecast and if we should take any extra precautions, or even re-think our dates a little bit.

With a child that age, I would stay away from Chikkamagaluru for at least a month. Linger is in Mudigere, a taluk where all schools are officially closed today because of rains. But things could go either ways in the next few days. The resort folks would be the best guides here. Do talk to them.

The weather forecast for that particular place is this.

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

With a child that age, I would stay away from Chikkamagaluru for at least a month. Linger is in Mudigere, a taluk where all schools are officially closed today because of rains. But things could go either ways in the next few days. The resort folks would be the best guides here. Do talk to them.

Thanks for your feedback. I've reached out to them separately, let's see what inputs they come back with.

EDIT : Spoke to the caretaker at the property. He mentioned that although they've been receiving heavier than usual rain last few days, per the forecasts it is expected to reduce a bit in the next 2-3 days.

He also confirmed that they're well equipped to handle these things, and don't expect any issues/challenges for guests who're scheduled to visit.

Confused now!

[ThilakNex]

For anyone planning for the Chikmagalur trip here is the video which gives the better insight of road condition to reach Baba Budangiri from Chikmagalur Town.

http://youtu.be/1OSiSVFdkoc

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

For anyone planning for the Chikmagalur trip here is the video which gives the better insight of road condition to reach Baba Budangiri from Chikmagalur Town.

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

We got a chance to visit Baba Budangiri hills of Chikmagalur, Karnataka 2 weeks ago...

Things have gone downhill (pun intended) since then. There have been multiple cases of landslides, tree falls and broken electricity poles. Daily commute for the locals themselves has turned out to be a nightmare, not to speak of the frustrated tourists stuck (for instance) next to a large mound of earth on road and waiting hopelessly for help.

Many visitors might have completed a trip without as much as a hitch, but that doesn't mean the roads are safe. Each day is different and unpredictable. With eyes and ears glued to the happenings around me, specially on the touristy routes, I would entreat all travellers to postpone their visits until the rains recede.

[ThilakNex]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Many visitors might have completed a trip without as much as a hitch, but that doesn't mean the roads are safe. Each day is different and unpredictable. With eyes and ears glued to the happenings around me, especially on the tourist routes, I would entreat all travellers to postpone their visits until the rains recede.

Thanks a lot for the update on the current scenario. Its the ultimate need at the moment for the tourists and the travelers to be responsible towards self and others. Everyone visiting Chikmagalur or Coorg to enjoy the weekend from cities far away should take extra precaution not to spoil the day of natives.
Drive safe and responsibly.

[dailydriver]

Update:

From the 3-4 days, there were talks of banning tourist movement on the Giri routes because of loose, unstable road shoulders and minor landslides. A law enforcement official was heard mumbling that they have better and far important tasks than rushing to the rescue of careless tourists who pay no heed to good counsel and end up endangering their lives!

A report in today's Prajavani (local page: 3A) confirms the ban.





Meanwhile, the Charmadi is choc a bloc with traffic. In spite of restrictions, many Volvos were seen trying to negotiate the curves and in the process, blocking other vehicles. With Sampaje, Shiradi (closed till 25/08) and even Kuduremukha (minor mudslide and blockage), routes unavailable for travel, cancellation of trains and soaring airfares (₹18,000/-), Mangaluru suddenly appears far far from the rest of Karnataka.

Edit: Quoting an excellent piece of sound advice from another thread:

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Postponing the trip was the right thing to do. The district administration will already be struggling to cope with the relief works. Last thing they would want is the burden of tourists at the moment.

All tourists should stay away from any of the rain affected areas. Unless you have to travel on an emergency ie you have a home and family in these areas, it is right to stay away.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Update:

From the 3-4 days, there were talks of banning tourist movement on the Giri routes because of loose, unstable road shoulders and minor landslides. A law enforcement official was heard mumbling that they have better and far important tasks than rushing to the rescue of careless tourists who pay no heed to good counsel and end up endangering their lives!

Thanks for the detailed updates dailydriver; should be helpful for those who want to head out on the weekend. In a way I agree with the administration that they might be overburdened with tourists and it the right time now to temporarily stop the tourist activities. At least their bandwidth can go towards helping out locals whose routine is more important than someone on a leisure trip.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

From the 3-4 days, there were talks of banning tourist movement on the Giri routes because of loose, unstable road shoulders and minor landslides.

Honestly, this is the best weekend Chikmagalur can ever ask for despite the deluge.

Weekends and Chikmagalur has become completely unbearable since the last 2 years and will only get worse in future.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Honestly, this is the best weekend Chikmagalur can ever ask for despite the deluge.

My thoughts exactly!

To be frank, I wanted to utilise today's holiday to drive onto a few places that are too crowded on weekends. A call to an acquaintance revealed that all tourist vehicles are being sent back from the Kaimara check post but mine being a locally registered car, I could come if I wished. A few more enquiries later, I decided not to venture there in the best interests of self as well as the society .

Weekends and Chikmagalur has become completely unbearable since the last 2 years and will only get worse in future.

Every time I see a post in the Bangalore Traffic thread, I invariably end up wondering what will happen to Chikkamagaluru in the coming days. Even now, on a typical Saturday afternoon, from Town Canteen to Sringar Circle - a distance of hardly a kilometre - sets me back by 10 minutes. I have given up all hopes of finding a parking space or even a decent plate of food on IG/RG/MG roads during weekends.

Which leads me to the question "What is/should be the cost of development"?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Heard about Kurinji bloom in some parts of Chikmagalur? Anyone has the details?

Already did a run to Kodai hearing the news, so don't have the budget/house permissions to go south till Kolukkumalai.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Heard about Kurinji bloom in some parts of Chikmagalur?

nothing in and around devaramane. Was there today. Saw a post on Instagram with some blooms at Ettina Bhuja. Not sure about mullayanagiri.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Heard about Kurinji bloom in some parts of Chikmagalur? Anyone has the details?

Originally Posted by procrj

Saw a post on Instagram with some blooms at Ettina Bhuja. Not sure about mullayanagiri.

Neelkurinji was supposed to envelop the areas in and around Chikkamagaluru this year, the last full bloom being seen in the year 2006. However, with changing climate, the decade plus interval of its arrival has seen a marked change. For instance, I was informed of an area around Attigundi being engulfed in the flowers four years ago. Out I went in search of them, with my wife in tow. After asking around for a while we did spot them, spread over small hillocks. It was indeed a sight to behold, although not as attractive and photogenic as they appear on the internet.

This year, they were supposed to cover the entire hill range by now. But last heard/seen (as of last Sunday at least), there were hardly any signs around Chikkamagaluru. Can't comment on the Mudigere, Sakaleshapura surroundings as I haven't been there recently.

Locals say that the flowers have moved away towards Kodagu, Kerala and Tamil Nadu this time and are unlikely to bless us with their complete splendour in the remaining part of 2018. These are however unsubstantiated claims, so a little difficult to trust them in full.

Nevertheless, if anyone comes across credible news of sightings, do post here. While most of you might have to draw up plans for a date with nature's beauty, I may have to take just an extended lunch break for the same; and I am game for it .

Unofficial Advisory: Starting from the 27-28/10 weekend and extending till the middle of December 2018, if you are planning to book your stay in the vicinity of Mullayanagiri-Bababudangiri ranges, do confirm from your hosts about possible restrictions on entry of tourist vehicles beyond the Kaimara check post. A series of religious celebrations are slated to happen during this period and the District administration may issue some guidelines - as it does every year.

[HighwayHopper]

I am from Hyderabad and will be visiting Bangalore on an official work. My family will join me on Nov 2nd and i am planning for the below locations in over 3-4 days. Can someone please let me know the 1) current road conditions 2) Is it safe to travel with family 3) any thing i should be aware of.

Bangalore-Shravanabelagola-Kukke Subrahmanya-Dharmasthala-Udupi-Sringeri-Hornadu-Chikmagalur-Halebeedu-Hyderabad

I read somewhere that few stretches are naxal infected. Is it safe to do this with family ?

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by HighwayHopper

I am from Hyderabad...I read somewhere that few stretches are naxal infected. Is it safe to do this with family ?

Reading the quoted parts in isolation and also in between those lines, I can understand the source of your apprehension. But rest assured that travelling to/through the areas mentioned by you is as safe as it can anywhere be. Naxal infected/infested aren't words that one would associate with these places now - not at least in connection with traveller safety. Please proceed without worry.

So far as roads are concerned, Bengaluru-Shravanabelagula-Hassan leg anyway offers you the best of roads. For the stretch after Hassan and until Udupi, discussions in the other thread where you have posted this question should give you enough information. Sringeri-Horanadu-Chikkamagaluru-Belur-Halebeedu are good, but not exceedingly so. Rains have spoiled the surfaces a little, but again, not to the extent of calling them bad. So, no worries on this front too.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Neelkurinji

May be its time someone calls the bluff regarding this. In the run up to the Dasara weekend, there was a lot of hype created by media about the supposed blooming of Neelkurinji flowers in the Chandrarona mountain ranges. Like many local residents, I too was taken aback reading this because there were hardly any sightings that we knew of! This is not to say that I am completely cognizant of the happenings around me. But I do try to keep abreast of the news; this time however, there was actually NO news on the ground.

Plus, as it happens every time, when tourists descended on Chikkamagaluru, I was spending the holidays in the state capital and hence I was cautious in responding to Neelkurinji related queries posted earlier on this thread.

From yesterday morning, I have been listening to a number of acquaintances and friends complaining that they couldn't even have a short/single glimpse of the flower anywhere in the tourist circuit and that they felt cheated. Of course, as in case of a forest safari, no one can guarantee confirmed sightings of any natural phenomena. While I was putting forth this argument to them, a different side of the story emerged from friends back home. Chikkamagaluru was choc a bloc with traffic and there was hardly any vacancy in the hotels, home stays or resorts; the reason being an extended weekend and the lure of Kurinji!

Further probing revealed that the Kurinji was actually a well planned and masterfully executed trap aimed at drawing and capturing unsuspecting tourists. With Kodagu and Kerala still recovering from spate, this was seen as a golden opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Let me clarify that I am in no way opposed to tourism. In fact, I see it as a legitimate chance for a lot of unemployed youth to make a mark in their lives. However, what irks me is this business of snaring people in the name of nature's beauty when there is actually none.

Currently, the town sees a HUGE influx of students from neighbouring states who have become the lifeline for a number of newly sprung up hospitality operators. 5-6 bus loads of teenagers visit every weekend. Since these buses cannot go up the slopes, people are tightly packed in old, ramshackle jeeps and taken around. What worries me is the absence of rest rooms and more importantly of adequate safety measures and security at the tourist hotspots.

The powers that be - the civil administration and the police department - have sadly closed their eyes to the festering wound that the place has become over the years. The roads leading into the town and the ones inside are a disgrace and hardly deserve the name. Its shameful to see people struggling to get a plate of decent food in crowded eateries which at times seem to forget the meanings of the words - honesty and cleanliness.

Unless the stakeholders join hands to bring some sense and order into the business of tourism, we will all end up in an unending maze.