[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

I'm planning to visit Jog on 24th-25th December and maps suggest the following routes.
Which of the following is a better route in terms of travel time and food options.

The blue one selected in your map screenshot (via Ranebennur) is a much better option. I have driven that a couple of times recently and it has mostly good roads (with some bad batches here and there). On the other hand, the road from Chitradurga to Shimoga had a lot of very bad patches when I drove there last year. So unless someone confirms that that road is fixed very recently, I would not advise taking Chitradurga to Shimoga road.

P.S. In fact, the best option is neither of the two roads you showed. The least bad road (in terms of road surface) is a route from Ranebennur to Sagara, and then from Sagara to Jog Falls. So drive all the way to Ranebennur, then turn left and drive to Sagara. That road surface is all good. The only negative on this route is that you have to drive through a narrow town lane (for about 1km) when you enter Sagara. Apart from that, it is all fine.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

I'm planning to visit Jog on 24th-25th December

I would recommend BLR - Chitradurga - Shimoga - Jog if your plan is to exit BLR early morning and then get to Sagara quickly. Food stops are limited once you get onto the Durga - Shimoga road. Hence your best bet is to plan for breakfast at Shimoga, that way you will be covering a large part of your distance before traffic.

I drove this route in Oct and with a 4 am start from JAS toll, I was able to reach Shimoga by 7.45 am. Very relaxed driving after Tumkur with the car on cruise mode at 95-98 kmph for most of the Tumkur - Shimoga stretch.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

So unless someone confirms that that road is fixed very recently, I would not advise taking Chitradurga to Shimoga road.

C'Durga - Shimoga is now very easy drive with only 2 small bad stretches, both near the narrow bridge crossing after Holehonnur. Early morning hours, zero traffic, it was absolute bliss to drive.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ampere

Apart from Ranebennur, another is : Harihar bypass, Malebennur, Honnali, Shikaripur, Anandpuram, Sagar, Jog. It was good sometime back. But I have not been on these roads for some time. So would be good to get some recent feedback on the same.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

P.S. In fact, the best option is neither of the two roads you showed. The least bad road (in terms of road surface) is a route from Ranebennur to Sagara, and then from Sagara to Jog Falls. So drive all the way to Ranebennur, then turn left and drive to Sagara. That road surface is all good. The only negative on this route is that you have to drive through a narrow town lane (for about 1km) when you enter Sagara. Apart from that, it is all fine.

Thats why the previous suggestion. People usually stay at Sagar. They would target Sagar rather than heading to Jog unless they plan to actually stay in Jog.

Except for the bad roads around Malebennur I actually liked the Honnali-Shikaripur option. Some rough sections yes, but this was more peaceful overall. But food options after you exit the the 4/6 lane highway are extremely limited. That way is the Chitradurga-Shimoga option is good (as @procrj mentions) you have additional options to break on the way.

[aithalsandy]

I would suggest Durga-Shimoga-Sagar. Roads and food option are ok on this. Also, check stay option at JLR in Jog.

[ankan.m.blr]

I plan to visit Jog falls on 27-July and stay the night at the Sharavathi JLR. What is the best route to Jog now, especially as it is raining heavily in that region?

Option 1 : Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Shivamogga - Sagara - Jog
Option 2 : Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Ranebennur - Shikaripur - Anandapura - Sagara - Jog
Option 3 : Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Ranebennur - Hirekerur - Shikarikoppa - Siddapur- Jog

Please suggest a route based on good road conditions.

[starter]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

I plan to visit Jog falls on 27-July and stay the night at the Sharavathi JLR. What is the best route to Jog now, especially as it is raining heavily in that region?

Option 1 : Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Shivamogga - Sagara - Jog
Option 2 : Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Ranebennur - Shikaripur - Anandapura - Sagara - Jog
Option 3 : Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Ranebennur - Hirekerur - Shikarikoppa - Siddapur- Jog

Please suggest a route based on good road conditions.

I regularly take this route Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Ranebennur - Hirekerur - Shiralakoppa - Sagara - Jog.
There is a stretch of about 5 - 8 kms of road between Shiralakoppa & Sagara that is not very good. Otherwise, you should have good roads all through out.

[androdev]

Planning to head to Jungle Lodges Sharavathi Adventure camp. We will be doing this in two segments with an overnight halt, so there is no rush to cut down travel time. Which is the least adventurous low-ground-clearance-friendly route to this from Bangalore? Please share multiple via points - "Ranebennur to Sagara" is not specific enough as there seem to be multiple routes.

Also is there any benefit in going with the Jungle lodges organised Jog Falls trip compared to a regular private visit? They wake us up very early for this and I'm not an early morning person :-( unless this offers any exclusive benefit compared to a regular private visit.

[starter]

Originally Posted by androdev

Planning to head to Jungle Lodges Sharavathi Adventure camp. We will be doing this in two segments with an overnight halt, so there is no rush to cut down travel time. Which is the least adventurous low-ground-clearance-friendly route to this from Bangalore? Please share multiple via points - "Ranebennur to Sagara" is not specific enough as there seem to be multiple routes.

Sure. Once you are close to Ranebennur, you should find a slight deviation on the highway to Magod. You should get off the highway and take that Magod Road. That should get you to Halageri. From Halageri, you would continue to Hirekerur and then to Shiralakoppa. From Shiralakoppa towards Sagar is where you would encounter a stretch of broken roads for about 5 kms. Otherwise, you should have good roads all the way. I am on my way to my house tomorrow early morning. Will update again if there is any change in the road conditions due to rains in the last weeks.

Also is there any benefit in going with the Jungle lodges organised Jog Falls trip compared to a regular private visit? They wake us up very early for this and I'm not an early morning person :-( unless this offers any exclusive benefit compared to a regular private visit.

As far as I know, Jungle lodges organised jog falls trip would also take you to the view of falls from the IB side which is very good.
If you are happy with the standard fare view - you can go at any time.

Cheers...

[dass]

Has anyone done a day trip to Jog recently from Bangalore? Wondering if this is worth doing if Jog is the only point of interest. What timings & route work out best?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by starter

Sure. Once you are close to Ranebennur, you should find a slight deviation on the highway to Magod. You should get off the highway and take that Magod Road. That should get you to Halageri. From Halageri, you would continue to Hirekerur and then to Shiralakoppa. From Shiralakoppa towards Sagar is where you would encounter a stretch of broken roads for about 5 kms. Otherwise, you should have good roads all the way. I am on my way to my house tomorrow early morning. Will update again if there is any change in the road conditions due to rains in the last weeks.

Thank you so much @starter. I may end up taking Chitradurga > Shimoga > Sagar route because of better overnight stay options in Shimoga. My initial plan was to stay in Apoorva resort near Davanagere and take the Ranebennur > Shiralakoppa > Sagar but I want to keep the journey time to minimum on day#2 so Shimoga would be a better option to halt.

As far as I know, Jungle lodges organised jog falls trip would also take you to the view of falls from the IB side which is very good.
If you are happy with the standard fare view - you can go at any time.
Cheers...

This is good to know. Thank you.

[ankan.m.blr]

I visited Jog Falls last weekend from Bangalore. I took Bangalore- Chitradurga - Shimoga - Sagar - Jog both ways. The road is in good shape throughout. There is only a bad patch of around 500 mts before and after the railway crossing between Chitradurga and Channagiri.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

I visited Jog Falls last weekend from Bangalore. I took Bangalore- Chitradurga - Shimoga - Sagar - Jog both ways. The road is in good shape throughout. There is only a bad patch of around 500 mts before and after the railway crossing between Chitradurga and Channagiri.

Great. how is water flow in Joga? Hope the dam is opened and sufficient flows to have great view. If you can, please share some pics. Thank you.

-Ravi

[androdev]

I took the Chitradurga > Shimoga > Sagar > Jog. Excellent roads. Highly recommended. Only downside is the need to pass through Shimoga town. Also make sure you take the left turn further ahead in Chitradurga to avoid going through the town.

On return trip, I took Sagara > Shiralakoppa > Ranebennur and I very much regretted my decision. Some 30 mins of very badly patched up road just before reaching Shiralakoppa. This route has few rumble strips and unexpected digging up across the road and animal (cows etc.) traffic. The roads are generally narrower compared to Shimoga option. In Shiralakoppa, police are stationed with a speed camera - no idea what they were trying to do. The traffic is very sparse and more scenic route but still doesn't make it a better route IMHO.

Originally Posted by starter

As far as I know, Jungle lodges organised jog falls trip would also take you to the view of falls from the IB side which is very good.
If you are happy with the standard fare view - you can go at any time.

Thank you. I took the JL organised trip and they took us to the IB side of the view. This was a very good experience. No crowds and the surroundings are very clean.

The public viewing side of the jog falls is in a very sad state - very dirty and a lot of construction work happening. From the looks of it, they are planning a huge construction to make it a fancy tourist spot. I couldn't see the view as it was super cloudy for a long time.

Originally Posted by ravib

Great. how is water flow in Joga? Hope the dam is opened and sufficient flows to have great view. If you can, please share some pics. Thank you.

-Ravi

The falls are very nice. I saw the falls early morning yesterday (Thursday). I heard they opened the dam gates later and the view must be even better. However the view depends on the weather as clouds/fog can completely cover the view with nothing to see.

[starter]

Originally Posted by androdev

On return trip, I took Sagara > Shiralakoppa > Ranebennur and I very much regretted my decision. Some 30 mins of very badly patched up road just before reaching Shiralakoppa. This route has few rumble strips and unexpected digging up across the road and animal (cows etc.) traffic. The roads are generally narrower compared to Shimoga option. In Shiralakoppa, police are stationed with a speed camera - no idea what they were trying to do. The traffic is very sparse and more scenic route but still doesn't make it a better route IMHO.

Hey androdev,
The rains in the past days have made the section of roads before Shiralakoppa worse.
Sorry that you had to go through them in your S. Henceforth, maybe it is better to take the Chitradurga - Shimoga route.
Glad that you liked the jog falls. I had been there on Wednesday evening and the entire falls were covered with clouds.
Cheers

[androdev]

Originally Posted by starter

Hey androdev,
The rains in the past days have made the section of roads before Shiralakoppa worse.
Sorry that you had to go through them in your S. Henceforth, maybe it is better to take the Chitradurga - Shimoga route.

No worries @starter. I have good appetite and tolerance for bad roads, like all of us who enjoy driving. Very much part of the package. I wanted to check this route even though I was happy with the Shimoga route because narrow roads with sparse traffic can be more enjoyable - unfortunately this route has rumble strips in few places and even the NH road approaching the Ranebennur has speed humps.

Glad that you liked the jog falls. I had been there on Wednesday evening and the entire falls were covered with clouds.
Cheers

I was lucky due to the IB side view point which was a bit clear. The public side (Mayura hotel) view point was fully covered with clouds so that part of my visit was disappointment. Overall it was a great trip - except for the late evening traffic mess of Bangalore one is always welcomed with at the end of the holiday trip :-)