[NPV]

Originally Posted by searacer932

Okay,will take the Bhavani - Satyamangalam route. Any idea on the food options beyond Bhavani? I have noted Nijaguna in Chamrajnagar and Gundlupet and also CCD in Gundlupet.

-At Salem once you get onto the NH47 in about 2-3km there is A2B inside KPN Plaza, campus has a Bharat Petroleum pump also.
-About 20km later there is Sree Saravana Bhavan at Vaigundam NHAI amenity complex.
-At Sathyamangal there is hotel Rama Vilas opposite the police station.
-At Gundlupet next to Nijaguna there is De Shell Restaurant in the hotel Misty Rock campus. Both these are almost opposite the CCD.

[StudioAbraham]

Just completed my Chennai - Wayanad - Chennai drive. Here is a quick summary for the benefit of those who might want to drive down this route in the near future. I prefer sticking to manageable speeds and avoid unnecessary overtaking as much as I can, so my travel times are probably much slower that average.

Left Chennai (Egattur on OMR) at 6.10 pm on 11th August. Took the route via Kelembakkam>Vandalur>Sriperumbudur to reach NH 48/ Chennai - Bangalore highway. It wasn't a pleasant drive at all, narrow roads from Karasangal to Sriperumbudur were narrow and at some stretches the head light glare was terrible. This stretch is best covered during the day. I thought the roads were very bumpy & patchy even on the highway until I reached Vellore. I arrived at my hotel in Electronics city only at about 1.15 am. Taking away the 45-minute break for dinner at Ambur, the total drive time was about 6.15 hours+. Last time I traveled to Bangalore, I took only about 4.5/ 5 hours to reach Electronics city, I am guessing it was the traffic congestion before entering NH 48 & the long queues in the toll gates that added the extra hour of driving.

Since I was traveling with my family, the plan was to spend the night in Sahar Pavilion, Electronics city. This hotel is a 3 km diversion from the Nice road entrance on Hosur road. The stay at Sahar Pavillion was disappointing, to say the least, details of which appear on my review in TripAdvisor. I wanted to get at least a 6-hour sleep and I didn't have a time pressure, so I took it a little easy in the morning. I left Electronics city only at about 8.30 am. I missed the service lane entrance to Nice road and ended up spending an hour extra just to take the U-turn in Hosur road, to enter Nice road. The traffic congestion on NH275/ Bangalore -Msysore road was terrible - guess the long weekend effect. There was also a huge traffic pile up just before wonder-la park - thanks to a truck breakdown. These two factors added at least a 1.45 hours to the drive.

I was supposed to take the route via Hunsur to Manathavady, but between a patchy 3G connection and my wife's navigation (oops, I hope she doesn't read this review ), I ended up taking the route via Kabini. While I've been to Orange county in Kabini before, I've never driven beyond that area and I didn't expect the place to be so beautiful. So no complaints. Pictures couldn't do justice to what the eyes saw.




After a couple of short breaks, I reached Banasura Hill Resort around 3.30 pm. There was a constant drizzle once I entered the Wayanad district. The road from the main road to Banasura Hill resort is very steep and in bad condition but you can't expect something else when you want to stay in a jungle villa. It surely adds to the experience. A couple pictures of the log hut we stayed in the property.




So a total driving time of about 13 hours put together and the distance was about 650km. I also made a mistake and took a wrong turn near Kabini which added about 10kms extra. Watch out for the road that takes you to Orange County instead of Manathavady. The distance between Mysore & Wayanad is best covered during daylight. 80% of the roads were ok but there are a lot of killer bumps along the stretch.

On my way back, I wanted to avoid the Bangalore - Mysore route at any cost. I canceled my booking at Sahar Pavillion and booked myself in CJ Pallazio in Salem. The 2k difference in the room tariff was also a motivation to take this route. I left Banasura Hill resort at 1.30 pm on 14th August via Sulthan Bathery > Gudlupete>Terakanambi> Chamraja nagar>Sathyamangalam>Bhavani>Salem. The drive was certainly better the onward route via Kabini, the road quality was much better & the number of killer speed breakers were lesser. The stretch from Banasura to Sulthan Bathery was equally charming as the stretch near Kabini. The orchids on both sides of the road as you get closer to Gundlupete is a treat to watch.




The distance between Terakanambi has some bad patches where the road is nothing but gravel & mud. There is some road work happening and hopefully, they will complete it soon. The roads get better after Chamarajnagar right turn towards Sathyamangalam. The road gets better with every km towards Sathyamangalam. Driving through Punajanur>Hasanur>Dhimbam>Sathyamangalam is always a treat. I remember taking this route when I drove down to Bandipur from Chennai. It's best done during daylight. We even managed to catch the sun setting as we drove down from Dhimbam.





I was keen to cover the ghats section before sunset so didn't have the luxury to stop by and capture the sunset in Dhimbam. It was about 6.30 pm by the time we crossed Sathyamangalam, and the distance up to Bhavani was unforgiving to the eyes. The road passes through many villages and the head light glare makes you go nuts. With so many pedestrians and bikes on the dark roads with no reflectors, you got to take the foot off the pedal. Once you cross Bhavani, you hit NH 544 and it's a smooth ride until Salem. CJ Pallazio was a 4km diversion from the road to Chennai but the place was a treat. We reached Salem at 8.40 with just one short break in between. Total drive time from Banasura hill resort to CJ Pallazio in Salem was about 6.5 hours and was much smoother than the Electronics city - Banasura drive.

We left Salem at about 9.45 am. Took at 45-minute break near after Villupuram at an A2B outleft. I took the usual Chengulpet - Thiruporur - OMR route to reach home at Egattur by around 3.00 pm. This is a stretch I wouldn't take in the night as well. The segment drive time was about 4.5 / 4.45 hours. Total drive time was about 11.5 hours / 12 hours. Total distance was about 650 Kms again.

In summary, the next time I drive from Chennai to the Kabini/Wayanad belt I will stick to the route via Salem for 4 reasons :

1. The average quality of roads and percentage of distance in smooth 4 lane roads are much higher.
2. The drive between Sathyamangalam & Chamraja Nagar is very scenic
3. The traffic congestion seemed a lot lesser than the Bangalore -Mysore section.
4. Marginal increase in distance is set off by a better driving experience and lesser drive time.

Ps:

a) All pictures were shot by my wife while I had both my hands on the wheel.
b) It is not a perfect comparison given that my return journey had 50% more day time driving than the onward drive

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by StudioAbraham

Left Chennai (Egattur on OMR) at 6.10 pm on 11th August. Took the route via Kelembakkam>Vandalur>Sriperumbudur to reach NH 48/ Chennai - Bangalore highway. It wasn't a pleasant drive at all, narrow roads from Karasangal to Sriperumbudur were narrow and at some stretches the head light glare was terrible.

Do you mean the Mudichur-Manimangalam-Sriperumbudur route? This is the quickest and shortest way to reach Chennai-Bangalore highway if you stay south of Sholingnallur.

Bangalore -Msysore road was terrible - guess the long weekend effect. There was also a huge traffic pile up just before wonder-la park - thanks to a truck breakdown. These two factors added at least a 1.45 hours to the drive.

Kanakapura route is supposed to be less congested than the traditional Bangalore-Mysore highway.

I was supposed to take the route via Hunsur to Manathavady, but between a patchy 3G connection and my wife's navigation (oops, I hope she doesn't read this review ), I ended up taking the route via Kabini.

I suggest that you also have an offline map such as 'Here WeGo'.Will help in situations such as the above. GMap, with 2G/3G connection, along with 'Here WeGo' should help in majority of the scenarios.

[rock18]

I too travelled to Waynad last weekend along with my friend's family. Started from Tambaram by 1AM, 13th and reached the Coffee county resorts by 7PM next day. 18hrs of journey with lot of breaks since we were travelling with kids.
Bangalore to mysore stretch was the worst with lots of traffic.
Return journey was through Chamaraj nagar-Sathyamangalam-bhavani-Salem-Krishnagiri.
It was a decent route. Only drawback is that there are no proper food joints in between.
This is the longest duration i have driven solo..
Overall had a good time.

Cars: Celerio AMT and Tata Zest revotron.
Total distance travelled: 640kms +680kms.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rock18

I
It was a decent route. Only drawback is that there are no proper food joints in between.

Chamarajanagar has a decent place. But you need to know before hand to find the place. But once past you dont fine any till you hit the 4-lane (NH47). Then you find many.

[StudioAbraham]

Originally Posted by searacer932

Do you mean the Mudichur-Manimangalam-Sriperumbudur route? This is the quickest and shortest way to reach Chennai-Bangalore highway if you stay south of Sholingnallur.

Kanakapura route is supposed to be less congested than the traditional Bangalore-Mysore highway.

I suggest that you also have an offline map such as 'Here WeGo'.Will help in situations such as the above. GMap, with 2G/3G connection, along with 'Here WeGo' should help in majority of the scenarios.

That is correct but I came via Vandalur > Padapai route. I live closer to Siruseri so I guess the kelambakkam>vandalur road would be easier to approach if not shorter.

Yes, next time I drive in that part of the town I am going to be taking that route.

Thanks for that tip. I am going to install those apps right away!

[mikemba]

Hello People,

Have anyone taken the below route to Waynad in the recent past.

Route - OMR (South Chennai) - Ulundurpet (via GST) -Erode- Bhavani - Sathyamangalam - Chamrajnagar - Gundlupet - Sulthan Bathery

Would like to know the route safety and/or any other tips.

Regards

Michael.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by mikemba

Route - OMR (South Chennai) - Ulundurpet (via GST) -Erode- Bhavani - Sathyamangalam - Chamrajnagar - Gundlupet - Sulthan Bathery

Erode can be avoided.

I think Chennai-Ulundurpet-Salem-Get on to NH47 and go upto Bhavani-Get off NH 47 towards Gobichettypalalam-Sathy-Chamarajanagar-Terakanambi-Gundlupet-Muthanga-Sulthan Bathery is better. Roads are good on this route.
Dhimbam ghats between Sathy and Chamarajanagar is best done during the day, sometimes truck breakdowns can affect progress on this section.

*Gmaps is suggesting going via Bangalore but I think that is an overkill since roads are good on the route above.

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by mikemba

Have anyone taken the below route to Waynad in the recent past.
Route - OMR (South Chennai) - Ulundurpet (via GST) -Erode- Bhavani - Sathyamangalam - Chamrajnagar - Gundlupet - Sulthan Bathery

Originally Posted by NPV

Erode can be avoided.
I think Chennai-Ulundurpet-Salem-Get on to NH47 and go upto Bhavani-Get off NH 47 towards Gobichettypalalam-Sathy-Chamarajanagar-Terakanambi-Gundlupet-Muthanga-Sulthan Bathery is better. Roads are good on this route.

Agree with the route suggested by NPV. That's the best option from OMR. By the way from which part of OMR you will be starting? If you are starting south of Sholinganallur then I suggest that you take the Kelambakkam - Thiruporur - Chengelpet route to connect to GST. This route is better as during peak hours GST will be crowded till Chengelpet. If you are starting during non-peak hours then you can take the Vandalur-Kelambakkam route to hit GST. Also please update us on the road condition after your trip.

[Johnnny]

Hi Guys - Am planning a trip from Chennai to Wayanad via bangalore/mysore by end of this month and would be staying at Club Mahindra resort but then honestly am yet to finalise the exact route. Experts can anyone suggest preferable route?

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by Johnnny

Hi Guys - Am planning a trip from Chennai to Wayanad via bangalore/mysore by end of this month and would be staying at Club Mahindra resort but then honestly am yet to finalise the exact route. Experts can anyone suggest preferable route?

I did Bangalore - Wayanad ~1.5 months ago. Route followed was Bangalore - Mysore - Gundlupete - Bandipore national park - Sulthan Bathery.
You will find good roads for the most part. A lot of it after Mysore is undivided. The national park is gone in the blink of an eye. Beware of speed guns at various points, they catch anything with a non-KL plate and >60kmph.

On the way back Sulthan Bathery - Nagarahole national park - Mysore - Bangalore.
Terrible roads for the first 30kms or so. The national park is a great drive, though didn't spot any wild animals near the highway, barring a couple of pachyderms which looked tied down by forest officials.

I'd choose the Bandipore national park route, it's just faster.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Johnnny

Hi Guys - Am planning a trip from Chennai to Wayanad via bangalore/mysore

Chennai - Vellore - Krishnagiri - Hosur - Bangalore (NICE road Hosur road entry - Mysore road exit) - Bidadi - Mysore - Gudalupet - S Bathery - Kalpetta bye-pass - Club Mahindra.

[Ramsagar]

Been to Waynad last weekend : 28th April till 1st May.
Route To & Fro : Bangalore->Mysore->Nanjangud->Begur->Muthanga->SultanBathery->Century Village Resort. Courtesy : Google maps.

Started early morning at 4:30AM from my home. Reached Waynad - Century Hill Resort by 12PM. The resort was very good. Nice Linen & good food served.
Spotted Elephants & Deer's on BOTH ways.
Visited Banasura Dam in the evening: Less water but a place not to be missed.

Day 2:
Pookode lake: Good to be there. Nice place.
Chembera peak : Was closed(Most of locals doesn't have clear info.)
Lakkidi view point : Was good hardly few kms drive from Pookode lake and called it a day.

Day 3:
Kuruva Island: Heard about standing in queue from 5AM in morning to collect the tickets for gaining entry into Island. Only 200 tickets will be issued per day. We opted for Bamboo rafting which was not that exciting either.
Edakkal caves : Thought of covering on the way to SultanBathery.

NOTE: Edakkal caves will be closed on EVERY MONDAY

Was not interested visiting any of waterfalls being summer.
All in all, it is always worth visiting Kerala only post Monsoon's. Had planned this trip, since being vacation for children and both us need a break from our routine life.

My Vento had reached 130K kms during this trip.

[WheelWake]

Hi guys,

I am not able to decide on the optimum route from Mumbai to wayanad. Can someone please help?

There are several route options like via tumkur/Mysore OR via Hassan.

If possible I will like to cover halebidu/belur and nagarhole enroute but not sure on the road quality.

[SoumenD]

Any updates on the road conditions to Wayanad from Bangalore electronic city? We are 5 people travelling in a Jazz CVT. Have a resort booked in kalpetta for 4 days. Suggestions on places to visit please?

Will be accompanied by parents so can't trekk too much. Looking forward to a relaxed gateway accompanied by some good food and sight seeing.

Thanks in advance