[fast_elegance]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

Hi, will be driving tomorrow to Mangalore from Jayanagar, planning to leave early morning by 5 am. Read the comment about pathetic road conditions post Hassan, what would be the ideal route ? . Will be driving my EcoSport.

As discussed in the last few pages, the below route remains the best at this point to reach Mangalore. Considering it is a weekday, will be a bliss to drive.

BLR - Hassan - Belur - Mudigere - Charmadi - Ujjire - Belthangady - MLR

[Sanbhat1611]

Originally Posted by Shubz

I took the Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Aldur - Koppa - Agumbe - Koteshwar (UVA Meridian Bay Resorts) route Started my journey at 5:45 am and Reached Koteshwar by 2:15 pm (with a couple of breaks) Route was quite scenic & good except for a few patches here and there.

Return journey - just like you - thought of taking the "safer" route - THAT was a mistake! Shiradi to Hassan and beyond -- Pathetic roads full of potholes, a few stretches of concrete, just when you think you've left the bad roads behind - Boom! More potholes. Add the flyover construction on Hassan highway to the misery. Unscientific road bumps to check sturdiness of the underbody of sedans.

*Attaching some pics from the onward drive - pics clicked by the passenger*

Pics are beautiful Which stretch was this ? Agumbe or Balehonnur or another ?

[ns94]

Hi Everyone

Not sure if this is the right thread (I searched for a Karnataka route queries thread but couldn't find one), but could someone suggest the best route from Nagarahole (Jungle lodges) to Sakleshpura?

Google maps shows Hunsur -> Kushalnagara -> Shanivarasanthe -> Sakleshpur

How are the road conditions/any ghat sections or areas of concern?

Thanks in advance

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by Sanbhat1611

Pics are beautiful Which stretch was this ? Agumbe or Balehonnur or another ?

This is the Agumbe stretch.

The hairpin bends are in a pathetic state though.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by ns94

Hunsur -> Kushalnagara -> Shanivarasanthe -> Sakleshpur

I'm assuming your start point is JLR Kings sanctuary:
Fastest route: Hunsur -Piriyapatna - Arkalgud - Kodlipet - Bykaravalli - Sakleshpur. Road are good to great in most sections except for a small stretch around Kodlipet.
Scenic route: Hunsur -Piriyapatna - Kushalnagar - Suntikoppa - Somwarpete - Koothi - Hethur - Bykaravalli - Sakleshpur. Not sure about the Somwarpete - Koothi stretch but the other sections are good.
Standard route:Hunsur -Piriyapatna - Kushalnagar - Suntikoppa - Somwarpete - Shanivarasanthe - Sakleshpur. Best bet if you want a relaxed weekday drive with some twisty sections amidst monsoon green.

[AJ739]

Firstly thank you everyone who have been sharing your drive updates here regularly. It has helped me a lot in my planning

So, I rode to Brahmavara on 12th September on my Ntorq. Started at 4:00am from my residence and reached destination at 1:00pm. Total distance covered was 415kms

Route followed: Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Aldur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - Agumbe - Hebri - Udupi - Brahmavara.

Bangalore to Hassan was a straightforward section and clear of rains. Soon after Hassan, I encountered rainfall and it continued all the way till Brahmavara. Very few bad stretches on this entire route of which they are more prominent on Gendehalli Road between Belur - Aldur and Agumbe was totally engulfed in fog and heavy rainfall.

The roads are very scenic throughout and I got to ride on 6 Lane - 4 Lane - 2 Lane - 1Lane and on no roads(slush)

With the amazing weather post Hassan, it is an absolute paradise for somebody who wants to travel to this part of the State and my high recommendation to take this route!

______

For the return journey which was yesterday, I wanted to try a different route and also wanted to visit Varanga Jain Temple

So the route I took was: Brahmavara - Hebri - Varanga - Karkala - Bajagoly - Belthangady - Charmadi - Mudigere - Belur - Hassan - Bangalore.

Started at 7am from Brahmavara and reached home in Bangalore by 5pm. Charmadi ghat was a total bliss to ride in dense fog and rainfall, it gives such a rush!!! Roads soon after crossing Charmadi for about 7-8kms are in extreme bad shape. Apart from this, the roads were fantastic to ride on all the way. Soon after crossing Hassan, there was an impromptu decision to visit Mavanuru Malleshwara Temple. So Total distance covered 448kms.



About the Varanga Jain Temple, it is situated right in between a lake and the only way to access it is via a boat ride which is managed by the Temple mutt. If you are in the vicinity, this place is a must visit.

Some photos clicked enroute

[mazda4life]

Just reached Kulai, Mangalore and took the Bangalore- Hassan- Belur-Mudigere- Charmadi-BC road . Excellent roads throughout and heavy fog on the ghats. Traffic was sparse and well behaved. Thanks FastElegance and others for your recommendations.

[ns94]

Originally Posted by procrj

I'm assuming your start point is JLR Kings sanctuary:
Fastest route: Hunsur -Piriyapatna - Arkalgud - Kodlipet - Bykaravalli - Sakleshpur. Road are good to great in most sections except for a small stretch around Kodlipet.
Scenic route: Hunsur -Piriyapatna - Kushalnagar - Suntikoppa - Somwarpete - Koothi - Hethur - Bykaravalli - Sakleshpur. Not sure about the Somwarpete - Koothi stretch but the other sections are good.
Standard route:Hunsur -Piriyapatna - Kushalnagar - Suntikoppa - Somwarpete - Shanivarasanthe - Sakleshpur. Best bet if you want a relaxed weekday drive with some twisty sections amidst monsoon green.

Thank you! This is super helpful. Would go with the standard route.

[prasad14]

Anyone recently travelled on Hulikal ghat? Would be very grateful for any updates as I'd need to take that route tomorrow (Tuesday).

Prasad

[astatine]

Hi,
I need to take an invalid person from Bangalore to Manipal this weekend. Time or distance is not a constraint, but quality of road surface is. Bumpy roads can make this person's health worsen. What's a good road from this angle? Recent messages lead me to believe that Hassan-Charmadi Ghat seems preferred, but there seem to be several variations around them and hence looking for the smoothest option. Thanks!

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by astatine

Hi,
I need to take an invalid person from Bangalore to Manipal this weekend.

I would recommend the Charmadi after hearing from my cousins who traveled via Shiradi just last week. My advice would be travel on a weekday and leave early as it will be peaceful with very less traffic. Downside is that, there are hardly any places to break post the Hassan deviation towards Belur. We stopped at Ibbani cafe near Mudigere where the rest rooms were clean.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by astatine

Hi,
I need to take an invalid person from Bangalore to Manipal this weekend. Time or distance is not a constraint, but quality of road surface is. Bumpy roads can make this person's health worsen. What's a good road from this angle? Recent messages lead me to believe that Hassan-Charmadi Ghat seems preferred, but there seem to be several variations around them and hence looking for the smoothest option. Thanks!

I took Charmadi on Saturday, to travel from Bangalore to Manipal. The only bad stretch is between Aladangady and Naravi. You can probably skip it by going via Moodubidre.

[astatine]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

I would recommend the Charmadi after hearing from my cousins who traveled via Shiradi just last week. My advice would be travel on a weekday and leave early as it will be peaceful with very less traffic. Downside is that, there are hardly any places to break post the Hassan deviation towards Belur. We stopped at Ibbani cafe near Mudigere where the rest rooms were clean.

Thanks. The tip on the Ibbani cafe/clean rest rooms is particularly helpful! Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I took Charmadi on Saturday, to travel from Bangalore to Manipal. The only bad stretch is between Aladangady and Naravi. You can probably skip it by going via Moodubidre.

This is good (and fresh!) info. This looks like a settled route for me now.

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by prasad14

Anyone recently travelled on Hulikal ghat? Would be very grateful for any updates as I'd need to take that route tomorrow (Tuesday).

Prasad

Took this route today. Update just in case someone is traveling in the near future.

The roads are by and large very good. Occasional patches and rough ones. Between Nagara and Hosanagara, the centre part of the road has come-off in many places, but enough on the sides for the cars to pass without slowing down. Doable without any qualms. Didn't find any decent places to eat though.

I actually traveled from Kollur to Sagara via Kamalashile and Hulikal. Kollur-Kamalashile also has great roads. Single and winding though. Lush green all around. As long you don't get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle, you'd be fine.

Prasad

[rahulb22]

Quick update on a late evening drive from Bangalore to Mangalore yesterday. Decided to take Shiradi as I was told Charmadi is closed at night.

Started at 6 PM from Banashankari and stopped for dinner at Anagha Grand just after Channarayapatna. It was a good choice as the food was fine and restrooms were clean. The nightmare started after Hassan with uneven roads and unmarked diversions until the concrete section. Hard to believe that it is a National Highway.

The roads beyond Gundya have surprisingly held up except for some occasional potholes on the way. I finally reached Mangalore by 1 AM. However, there was 2 KM long queue of trucks at Gundya, as they are not allowed to cross Shiradi at night.

I would say, if you are on a sedan/hatchback, probably better to avoid Shiradi as of now. Also, avoid reaching the ghat around 5-6 AM as you may encounter heavy lorry traffic.

Cheers
Rahulb22