[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by NPV

This is a query for an acquaintance who has to visit Shantivana near Ujire next week to undergo a nature cure treatment course.

What would be the best route to reach the place given that Shiradi ghat is closed due to landslides ?

Too early to predict the situation for next week. However going by the current weather predictions, coastal and malnad regions are expected to be pounded by heavy rains till this Sunday. So I am hoping Shiradi ghat should be open once everything settles down. Latest update is it is closed until further orders so as of now Charmadi is the only viable option to reach Ujire.

Recieved couple of whatsapp forwards about the pic of KSRTC bus pushed to the side by the landslide.

[suhasark]

I took Shiradi on August 14(Tuesday). Left BG Road at 2 pm and was in Sakleshpur at 5.15 pm. There was a traffic pile up towards Mangalore though it was moving in batches. I checked with a cop , petrol bunk attendant and restaurant on taking Shiradi - the answer I got was that it was blocked until 4 pm , but started moving now and things should be fine.

We entered near Ane mahal at 5.30 pm and were stuck at various points until 12.30 am due to landslides at multiple places including a major one at Maranahalli. When I was taking the hair pin bend ( there are two in succession before the road runs parallel to the river) , fire engines and ambulances were rushing up. Realised today morning that a loaded LPG tanker met with an accident which luckily we missed. There were landslides near Gundya as well that were cleared when we passed Gundya. Reached Mangalore at 3 am.

Until rains & landslides stop - Tankers , multi axle buses and other long vehicles should be stopped on this ghat road.Two smaller vehicles like cars can easily pass through even with the landslides but not these large ones. Incidentally our main reason for the delay was a KSRTC airawat ahead of us that was struggling to complete some of the turns as the road has become narrower due to landslides.

One positive I noted was the discipline maintained & patience shown by almost everyone ( except a few Bangalore registered taxis) on the road by keeping their vehicles on the left and waiting fore the next move.

My suggestion after this ordeal is to avoid Shiradi until things stabilise as currently it is time consuming and very dangerous.

[bhpfaninblr]

Shiradi Ghat is closed for next 10 days. Bisile Ghat and Sampaje are also closed. I hear Charmadi is closed as well.

Here are some routes one can follow:

• Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Mudigere - Kottighehara - Kalasa - Kudremukha - Bajagoli- Karkala - Moodabidri - Mangalore (Only for cars/vans)
• Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Chickmaglur- Aldur- Balehonnuru - Sringeri - SK Border - Karkala - Padubidri - Mulki - Mangalore (For cars, Vans, mini bus/mini trucks)
• Bangalore - Shimoga - Thirthahalli - Agumbe - Hebri - Perdur - Manipal - Udupi - Mangalore. (For cars and vans)
• Bangalore - Shimoga - Thirthahalli - Masthikatte - Hosangadi - Siddapura - Haladi - Barkur - Bhramavara - Udupi - Mangalore (For buses & Trucks)

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by bhpfaninblr

Shiradi Ghat is closed for next 10 days. Bisile Ghat and Sampaje are also closed. I hear Charmadi is closed as well.

As of now Shiradi is declared unmotorable and all vehicle movement are banned till 20th August with ban for heavy vehicles extended till 25th August. I don`t have the latest info on Charmadi but till today early morning it was open for traffic.

[k88k]

Travelled from Mangalore to Bangalore yesterday. Started at 8.30 am and reached at 6 pm. Had a few leisurely stops ~30 mins each.

Came to know from local sources that Shiradi & Bisle ghats were closed. Left with a relatively slower alternative of Charmadi, took the road with fingers crossed. It was raining continuously and the road condition was getting worse as we entered the ghats. Hats off to PWD / Highway department workers, who were filling deep craters with crushed rocks, making the roads a bit suitable for travel for motorists amidst strong rainfall. Government buses were also taking this route.

[fast_elegance]

Any update on the road conditions to Mangalore through Kudremukh? I am travelling to Mangalore on Saturday morning and want to keep the Kudremukh option open in case there are issues with Charmadi. Also, is it wise to go all the way till Kottigehara or is there an alternative to reach Kalasa - Kudremukh?

[gauravanekar]

Any pointers on alternative routes through Coorg. There is a route through bagamandala - karike - Kasaragod. One route through virajpete - talasery

[samaspire]

I'm going to Bangalore today from Manipal. Plan is to leave around 12:30 pm via Agumbe - Chikmagalur. Maybe I can save some time by avoiding the evening traffic snarls of Bangalore.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by samaspire

I'm going to Bangalore today from Manipal. Plan is to leave around 12:30 pm via Agumbe - Chikmagalur. Maybe I can save some time by avoiding the evening traffic snarls of Bangalore.

If its today, you may have some respite when it comes to struggling with peak hour evening traffic - Schools and other Govt offices are closed today due to the National mourning.

Have a safe drive Sam!

[samaspire]

Thank you Parag Bhai. So is my estimate of 9 - 9:30 hours correct? (Including breaks)

Any updates on the Agumbe stretch? It was open for light vehicles as of yesterday - yet to get any info today. That is also one of the reasons I'm leaving in the afternoon - proper updates on road status.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Thank you Parag Bhai. So is my estimate of 9 - 9:30 hours correct? (Including breaks)

Via Agumbe, in present conditions and reduced pace, this looks reasonable for sure.

Any updates on the Agumbe stretch? It was open for light vehicles as of yesterday - yet to get any info today. That is also one of the reasons I'm leaving in the afternoon - proper updates on road status.

No such information on Agumbe route but in general too, this route had restricted movement for long chassis vehicles and hence non-popular among freight operators.

However, my parents were driven by my uncle from Shimoga to Chikkamagaluru yesterday and they said it was water-water everywhere around and scenes of swollen rivers and lakes. This route may not be related to your question but the scenes wont be different on the Agumbe route too.

I hope you have an easy drive because Agumbe the last landslide reported on this route was in June.

[SharathScorp]

Originally Posted by SharathScorp

Hi All - Have planned Bangalore - Sringeri - Dharmastala - Kukke Subrahmanya - Bangalore trip during coming weekend.

Planning to leave at 5pm on Thursday and based on the mood will stop overnight either at Hassan (Mallige Residency) or Chikkamagalur. Please suggest decent hotel in Chikkamagalur for stay.

Friday night stay will be in Dharmastala and Saturday will be in Kukke.

Suggest me the best route for Dharmastala - Kukke. Should I take via Gundya or Kadaba?

And - Planning to take Shiradi for Kukke - Bangalore.

Shall update my experience next week after the trip

Amidst all rain, did this trip as planned without any problems. I know that the conditions of the route is not the same now but just for the benefit of future travelers, below is the update / summary:

1. Day 1: Bangalore to Chikmagalur - Time taken: 5 Hours with one hour break. Almost No traffic and loved the drive. Intermittent rains. New veg restaurant named Dhruvathare after Swathi (our usual stop place). Food and ambience was good.

2. Day 2:
Chikmagalur to Sringeri - Time taken: 2 Hours. Road condition - Good
Sringeri to Dharmasthala - Time taken: 3 Hours - Route - Sringeri - SK Border - Bajagoli - Belthangady - Ujire - Dharmasthala.
Road Condition: Sringeri - SK Border: Good but single lane at many places inside national park. Might become scary during cloudy and heavy rains in July and Aug. Heavy vehicles in front of you might force to off-road which is not safe. Should be utmost careful in this stretch especially if you are driving other way towards Sringeri as gushing river will be there throughout towards your left.
SK Border - Bajagoli: It rained cats and dogs throughout this stretch. One of the heaviest rains I have ever driven. Road condition was good. Small landslides here and there which were getting cleared by highway authorities. Felt for their work in that heavy rains.
Bajagoli - Belthangady: Poor road maintenance. Lot of potholes and broken roads. Many were evident due to rains
Belthangady - Dharmasthala - Good roads.

3. Day 3: Dharmasthala - Kukke Subrahmanya: Route taken: NH75 - Left - Gundya - Right - Kaikamba - Kukke (After consulting a KSRTC bus driver about road condition at Dharmasthala). Time Taken: 1.5 Hours. Road Condition: Good. 4 lanes Work is in progress on NH75.

4. Day 4: Kukke Subrahmanya - Bangalore: Route taken: Kukke - Gundya - Sakleshpur - Hassan - Bangalore
Road condition: Good. Shiradi was a breeze even with continuous rains.
Stops: Sakleshpur Surabhi - 20 mins and Swathi - 45 minutes
Total Journey: 6.5 Hours (11am - 5:30pm)

[bhpfaninblr]

As per the latest news, Charmadi is blocked as well. So the suggested route now is: Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Mudigere - Kottighehara - Kalasa - Kudremukha - Bajagoli- Karkala - Moodabidri - Mangalore

This should be 9.5 to 11 hours for 446 km based on the traffic and the duration of the breaks taken. I have to attend a function in Mangalore over the weekend. We were planning to go but are dropping the idea as my son is not too well and it will be 3 PM by the time we leave Mangalore on Sunday.

The DK District Commissioner has said that they do not want visitors unless it is an emergency and they are not able to guarantee safety of visitors!

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Thank you Parag Bhai. So is my estimate of 9 - 9:30 hours correct? (Including breaks)

Any updates on the Agumbe stretch? It was open for light vehicles as of yesterday - yet to get any info today. That is also one of the reasons I'm leaving in the afternoon - proper updates on road status.

The route was fantastic. No unavoidable potholes at all. Just the stretch nearing Chikmagalur city - bad. Left at 1:30, reached at 10:30. Total breaks of about 1:30 hours. Maybe because of my timing or because of Vajpayee, but I hardly encountered any human traffic. Vehicular traffic is anyway very less till the Chikmagalur-Mudigere diversion.

I would say it's the best route at present. Even for people travelling from Mangalore.

[nikhn]

Originally Posted by bhpfaninblr

As per the latest news, Charmadi is blocked as well. So the suggested route now is: Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Mudigere - Kottighehara - Kalasa - Kudremukha - Bajagoli- Karkala - Moodabidri - Mangalore

Thanks for suggesting this route earlier. I took this route yesterday morning and reached Udupi in 9 hours exact, with half an hour for breakfast at Hassan. I would suggest this route although the roads are quite narrow. If you are planning to go, watch out for stray buses (KSRTC Volvo and Red ones).
There were a few lanslides but they were cleared up when we were travelling. Also, the Kudremukh national park was severely fogged and had to drive very slow there. I left at 6 and was having lunch in Udupi at 3. Will start return journey tomorrow so sticking to the same schedule.