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-   -   The art of travelling between Bangalore - Mangalore/Udupi (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/91125-art-travelling-between-bangalore-mangalore-udupi-23.html)

yes CIVIC wont like it at all:) saw a skoda suffering...its a torture!

In last 7 pictures, I feel the pictures do not do justice in showing condition of the road. It fails to highlight the depth of the craters. In actual they are much worse than what the appear in the pictures!!!

Lol, actually after this trip I am much more confident about the car's ability to handle bad roads. How you drive it on bad surface matters a lot.

But yes why torture a piece of beauty! I was particular about avoiding Shiradi ghats at all cost :)

yea agre...last year alone i did do about 6-7 trips to mlore and i went via shiradi..to and fro in my OHC:)

I'm just back doing the Bangalore <=> Mangalore trip and wanted to post an update as a quick reference.
On 20th Dec I took the Shiradi route to Mangalore.
The Ghat section has gone worse. Except for MUVs, one has to be very careful in cars, to pass through the craters without scraping the bottom.
Traffic can potentially pile up at a couple of bad patches where only one vehicle can pass through at a time.

I felt its not a good idea to go through the Shiradi on the way back to Bangalore, so I took the Madikeri route, drove through Jalsoor, Sullya, Madikeri, Kushalnagar Mysore, I must say the Madikeri stretch has improved a lot compared to what it was a year ago. but the drive is slow through the long narrow ghat roads until you reach Kushalnagar.

Guys, I made a biggest mistake by taking the Shiradi route on my way to Udupi on the 24th. Where the concrete road on the ghat ends, then you dont see roads! You dont know how deep it is. My Swift landed on a huge stone and I was not able to move in any directions. All we could do is to use the jack, lift the car, take the huge stone out and move. This happened in the middle of the ghat and the iron ore trucks were speeding on both the sides with no mercy while I was eating/breathing/coughing dust with the jack in my hand. No one offered to help except a KSRTC bus driver. You have to see the roads (huge huge potholes) to believe it (Dont take your car to see it, just take an iron ore truck safari:D). DO NOT TAKE THIS ROUTEplease:

While returning on the 28th, I took the Udupi-Ujire-Charmadi-Belur-Hassan-Bangalore. The roads are brilliant!

more bad news for Mangalore Bangalore road. Read today on a news paper that due to CBI probe ordered for failure of previous Shirad Ghar repair, the current repair work would be delayed more.

(details about CBI probe at The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Shiradi Ghat section: HC directs CBI to probe irregularities )

Even 4 laning between Mangalore to Surathkal is not showing much signs of progress. Road seems to be more dangerous now with half completed roadwork and reckless , senseless driving by private buses :Frustrati

my cousin bought a Palio and we want to go to Mangalore in car. But with these road conditions no way we are going to even think about it.

Pathetically horrible roads i must say

As usual, we are continuing our weekend travel to Mangalore on KSRTC Volvo via Mysore madikeri with distant dream of driving down to mangalore on beautiful Shirad Ghat :mad:

You can still travel to Mangalore via lot of alternate routes discussed here...


Friends, just finished writing my travelogue of 5 day tour of Western Karnataka covering Jog Falls, Murdeshwar, Marwanthe, Udupi, Manipal, Agumbe, Sringeri, Dharmasthal, Kukke Subramanya and Namdroling's Golden Temple at Bylakuppe (1316km)
you can have a look at it at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...lots-pics.html

adi sad to hear about this...i agree the ore trucks are very rash and i was happy on my last trip where i hardly saw any of them but sad to know thaey are back:(

Agreed that the Ore trucks cause maximum damage but its also the poor quality of workmanship and maintinance on the part of the Karnataka Highways Authority.

I am saying this because last week I drove down Bangalore - Belgaum - Goa. On this route the the Belgaum - Londa - Goa stretch is a ghat section ridden with Ore trucks. However the road is pathetic only on the Karnataka stretch, with craters all over the place. Once you enter Goa state its an exellent road with not a single pothole. Even this stretch is on a hilly terrain and the same fully loaded Ore trucks ply on this road too.

Now why the difference ?? because the Goa govt ensures the roads are consistently re-tarred at regular intervals.

Hi Lohith, my last trip to Udupi before this was in October. The shiradi ghats were not this bad and I hardly noticed any iron ore trucks except the huge petroleum/lpg trucks. But this time, its pathetic!

Sorry to hear about your experience..i too had taken my Swift in october begining and though the shiradi ghats were bad, it was still not this bad

Looks like once the trucks started, its gone worse


Can anyone compare charmadi route with madikeri route ?

I am travelling this saturday and still confused

I need to go to Udupi and if i take charmadi, it will save me in terms of distance, but then if road is bad, i wont mind going via madikeri

Saw in yesterdays TOI that KSRTC is planning to introduce Merc buses on B,lore -Mlore route....wonder if those lovely machines can take the torture! for the present road condition i think the converted tipper trucks(to buses) should be ideal:)

My Colleague just returned from his trip to Udupi, and the Charmadi ghat is the route to take and the roads are pretty much perfect with just a few stretches of pot holed roads that too he recalls the bad roads distance to be covered shouldnt been more than 10 km on the entire 400 km distance between Bangalore to Udupi. I have also planned a trip to Udupi end of Jan and I definitely am taking the Charmadi ghat road.

Hi Raj,

I have travelled on the Madikeri route in Oct 08 and on the Charmadi route last week. I would recommend Charmadi route. This route is like heaven when you compare with the Shiradi Ghat condition.

From Bangalore to Belur, the road condition is good. Belur to Mudigere is so-so, no big potholes, but the road is rough and hence you will not be able to travel fast. Mudigere to Kottigehara is decent. On the Charmadi ghat, the road is damaged on the curves, but you can manage. On the ghats, be careful; there are 4 places where the road has collapsed during the monsoon. Barricades are in place, but only one vehicle can pass at a time. Since you are going to Udupi, i suggest take the Charmadi route.

Beyond Ujire (towards Udupi), i am not aware of the road condition, since i took the Mangalore-Uppinangady-Ujire-Bangalore route last week.

Roads are bad on the Sampaje ghat stretch. Madikeri to Sullia stretch was with big potholes when i travelled last. Bangalore to Kushalnagar is good. Kushalnagar to Madikeri is narrow and rough.

Best Regards/Satish Prabhu

Prabhu is the mini buses and trucks using charmadi route??