[Makin Rulesz]

I am driving down to Kundapura this weekend. Any latest update on the condition of roads between Hassan -Chikkamagaluru - Agumbe? It's been quite a while I took this route.
Last month when I drove through Shiradi, it was uncomfortable to drive over bumpy and patched roads between Hassan and Shiradi ghat start point.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Makin Rulesz

Hassan -Chikkamagaluru - Agumbe?

No problems upto Sringeri via CKM - Aldur - Balehonnur - Jayapura. Shouldnt be a problem after that either. You could also try Hiriyur - Ajjampur - Tirthahalli - Agumbe if you want fast but not twisty roads.

[cogWheel]

Will be driving from Mangalore to Bhadra Sanctuary in the coming week. Day time driving with family. There are three options:
1. Karkala - Agumbe - Tirtahalli
2. BC Road - Charmady - Chikmagalur - Tarikere
3. BC Road - Charmady - Balehonnur - Mudubagilu
Option 1 is the quickest as per GMaps.

Any recent updates on the Agumbe ghats?

Any advantages of Options 2 / 3 over Option 1?

Thanks in advance.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by cogWheel

Will be driving from Mangalore to Bhadra Sanctuary in the coming week. Day time driving with family. There are three options:
1. Karkala - Agumbe - Tirtahalli
2. BC Road - Charmady - Chikmagalur - Tarikere
3. BC Road - Charmady - Balehonnur - Mudubagilu
Option 1 is the quickest as per GMaps.

Any recent updates on the Agumbe ghats?

Any advantages of Options 2 / 3 over Option 1?

Thanks in advance.

Route 1 is the best amongst the three. The roads are fine throughout. Agumbe has seen a fresh coat of asphalt with reinforcement of the barriers and walls along the route. Route 2 and 3 has culverts under construction once you get atop Charmadi. Also the road between Mudigere and CKM was not in good shape when I drove through last time around 3 months ago.

[adi_gt]

Guys I am planning to go to Malpe,Udupi from Bangalore. I have currently two options
i) Take the standard route via Shiradi Ghat - Mangalore - Udupi
ii) Take the Mudigere-Kudremukh -Udupi route.

Both routes shall be new for me . What is the road condition via option ii) ?

I am travelling with my wife and small kid in Honda Jazz. A scenic route is preferable.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by adi_gt

Guys I am planning to go to Malpe,Udupi from Bangalore. I have currently two options
i) Take the standard route via Shiradi Ghat - Mangalore - Udupi
ii) Take the Mudigere-Kudremukh -Udupi route.
Both routes shall be new for me . What is the road condition via option ii) ?
I am travelling with my wife and small kid in Honda Jazz. A scenic route is preferable.

Definitely the route 2 is more scenic than the first one. Hassan Belur Mudigere road is in excellent condition. Post Mudigere until Kottigehara, there are numerous culverts being constructed which slows you down a bit. The roads start winding after Kottigehara but is in good condition. People with motion sickness may have some trouble here. The road within the Kudremukh range are in good shape. Watch for the local buses which tend to be in rush in this part.

Getting down you can take Karkala - Moodubelle - Dendoorkatte - Kukkikatte -Udupi - Malpe. Suggesting this route as Karkala - Manipal - Udupi road is being widened and white topping is being done post Manipal and there are snarls sometimes.
For food, there are lot of options until Hassan. Post Hassan you can plan your stop at the following places
Hoysala Food Court, average food
Gayathri Bhavan in Belur
Ibbani, Malnad Cafe or Fresh Bean Cafe at Banakal. All the three fall within couple of kms. My preference is Fresh Bean Cafe attached to the IOC outlet.
Hotel Bhuvaneshwari, Bajegoli. Small but good food available here.
And the usual fare in Udupi.


Parag Bhai may give you some more options an tips here as he knows this area well.

[Makin Rulesz]

I took Hassan - Belur - Chikkamagalur - Aldur - Balehonnur - Jayapura - Sringeri - Agumbe to reach Kundapura on Saturday last week.
Initially, I was in a dilemma to go via Shiaradi or take this route, but heavy traffic on Mangalore highway going even beyond Hassan meant I took the diversion to select this route. Road condition is good to best throughout and once crossing Belur, traffic was very sparse. After Belur the surroundings turn absolutely beautiful and pre-monsoon rains have made it more colorful and scenic. Best part of the route is Aldur - Jayapura section. Since I was driving alone, I could do some spirited driving here. To be honest, I burnt quite a lot of rubber in this section
Agumbe is open for light vehicles after more than a month of closure for repair work.

I was following gmaps, so there was no confusion. Some of the forks on the way.
@ Belur


After Chikkamagalur


@ Aldur


@ Jayapura


@ Sringeri


Agumbe




Some random snaps of the route







Returned on Monday via Shiradi, since I had co-passengers who were susceptible for motion sickness. It was a bad decision to take Shiradi which has long stretches of uneven and bumpy roads between BC Road to start of concrete section and then from end of concrete section to Sakaleshpur and even beyond till Hassan. Add to that I had to stop 3 times anyway when people started throwing up .

I see the road widening work is almost standstill between Hassan and Shiradi. I assume it will take at least 2-3 years to complete it. Till then I will definitely avoid Shiradi.

[junky]

Hi guys,
Planning a trip this weekend 15-16th with family from Bangalore to Dharmastala, Kukke, mangalore and back via Birur (meeting), Any idea about the road condition of Shiradi & Charmadi ghats?

I am planning to take Shiradi ghat route onward and return via Charmadi ghats
How is the road condition, is it drivable in a Ford freestyle? am also considering the rain factor.

Experts please help, Thanks in advance.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by junky

Hi guys,
Planning a trip this weekend 15-16th with family from Bangalore to Dharmastala, Kukke, mangalore and back via Birur (meeting), Any idea about the road condition of Shiradi & Charmadi ghats?

I am planning to take Shiradi ghat route onward and return via Charmadi ghats
How is the road condition, is it drivable in a Ford freestyle? am also considering the rain factor.

Experts please help, Thanks in advance.

No worries about the road conditions on the Shiradi and Charmadi ghats. Both are great to drive. Charmadi has a fresh coat of tarmac laid on and is fun to drive now.

You should be more worried about the patchy road condition form Hassan exit to the start of the concrete roads post Sakleshpura. The road is bumpy and you need to exercise caution during overtaking.

And post Banakal, on your return, there are construction of culverts at multiple locations on the Mudigere road that will slow down a bit. Your Freestyle should not have any issues as such with these roads. Enjoy your trip and do give a feedback here.

[ankan.m.blr]

Guys, is there any restaurant or cafe with restroom facility that is open 24/7 between Neelamangala and Hassan? I plan to start at 3-00 AM from Bangalore and reach either Belur or Halebidu (not decided yet which one) temple at 6.30 AM with one restroom break in-between for family members. Does any of the above temples open by 6.30?

[dkamath]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Guys, is there any restaurant or cafe with restroom facility that is open 24/7 between Neelamangala and Hassan?

Cafe Coffee Day outlets might be the best bet for this requirement! . There's one to the right, just after Kunigal bypass, another one to the left after Yediyur, and then one to the right, about 10kms after Chennarayapatna bypass. Cheers!

[manjubp]

Try Kamat Yatriniwas along side the Indian oil used to be 24hrs, here is the location.

https://goo.gl/maps/uRtGU5SB41gV8ZeX9

Note, this is on the right side of the highway, and lot of overnight buses stops here.

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Does any of the above temples open by 6.30?

Belur temple opens at 7 am iirc, you can have a cup of coffee as the setting would be perfect 😄

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by manjubp

Try Kamat Yatriniwas along side the Indian oil used to be 24hrs, here is the location.

https://goo.gl/maps/uRtGU5SB41gV8ZeX9

Note, this is on the right side of the highway, and lot of overnight buses stops here.

The same Kamat which is also attached to CCD that dkamath is referring to above (@Udyapura, near Channarayapatna)

Between Kamat and CCD, merely for my Bio break needs, it's CCD and this one is 24 Hours too.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Makin Rulesz

I took Hassan - Belur - Chikkamagalur - Aldur - Balehonnur - Jayapura - Sringeri - Agumbe to reach Kundapura on Saturday last week.

An alternate option can be via Hulikal.

Bangalore-Hiriyur-Tarikere-Mandagadde-Thirthally-Nagar-Hulikal-Kundapur.

It sure is low on traffic. Route Link

Few rough patches on the Hulikal ghats though. But would still pass.