[mm_shen]

Originally Posted by Rev2Serenity

No, Agumbe is open 24/7.

(Better option if aged passengers are at back seat).

Thank you for clearing this. I was mistaken. My cousins always leave early morning. May be this was true when I was a kid and my dad used to drive. I would often hear him say this. I have never driven on Agumbe. Was only a passenger on that road till my teens. If the road is open 24/7 I will take this route next time visiting Udupi/Mangalore. Anxiety of the road getting close won't be there.

[naga.sid]

Hi,

Did Blr to Mlr through Charmadi. After the ghat section, the roads are basically jelly, stone powder and oodles of red mud. 40 km took two hours.

What’s the latest on Shiradi? Should I try that for my return trip?

Many thanks!
Sid

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by naga.sid

Hi,

Did Blr to Mlr through Charmadi. After the ghat section, the roads are basically jelly, stone powder and oodles of red mud. 40 km took two hours.

What’s the latest on Shiradi? Should I try that for my return trip?

Many thanks!
Sid

Please find below a post from a friend who took Shiradi Ghat route from Bangalore to Mangalore recently.

So I missed the turning yesterday towards Charmadi and headed straight down Shiradi.
I can tell you I would not recommend Shiradi to anyone for the next 5 years or however long it takes to complete the widening project. It was a nightmare.

Planning on returning via Madikeri and Mysore since there are some major political rallies planned in Chikmagalur on the weekend. Will update then.

So, Shiradi Ghat route is a big NO.

Please try Madikeri - Mysore - Bangalore route instead.

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by naga.sid

Hi,

Did Blr to Mlr through Charmadi. After the ghat section, the roads are basically jelly, stone powder and oodles of red mud. 40 km took two hours.

What’s the latest on Shiradi? Should I try that for my return trip?

Many thanks!
Sid

Not sure which roads you are talking about.

Road is bad at this strecth Belthangady - Ujire - Kakkinje, for about 10km

Apart from that all is well.

For MIT, Generally will divert from Guruvayankare. All roads are good.



Now if it is Mangalore to go, then take the Moodbiri - Mulki - Mangalore. Even though it adds kms, roads are really good compared to BC road.

[revhappy]

Hi All,

I am traveling to Udupi from Bangalore and intend to halt for a day or maybe 2 on the way. I was considering Chikmagalur. Any ideas if there is water now in Hebbe Falls? Do you suggest any other place other than Chikmagalur? I am traveling with wife and daughter. Not very keen on too much walking in sun. Prefer cool and shaded place for walking or maybe no walking at all. We were considering Mysore zoo. But in this sun, not sure if it is worth it.

Thanks!

[am1m]

So, essentially both Charmady and Shiradi roads have extended bad stretches now? Been doing some more frequent trips between Bangalore and Mangalore, off late, but so far have been taking the bus. Could see that the roads were awful on some stretches, but the new KSRTC buses seem to have awesome suspension, don't feel it as much.

But now will need to take the car (hatchback) for a bit, so I guess will try the route through Madikeri.

Originally Posted by revhappy

I am traveling to Udupi from Bangalore and intend to halt for a day or maybe 2 on the way.

Sakleshpur might be worth a day. Don't have any specific recommendations, but there are several home stays and temperature wise it should be cooler than most places now as well.

[Samurai]

I travelled from Bangalore to Udupi yesterday. Had to deal with the long weekend traffic.

I took the Shiradi route. The drive is a breeze until Gundya, after that there is a long construction phase. But I remembered that the stretch between Ujire and GV kere is also under construction. So I drove until Uppinangady before turning towards GV kere.

The construction stage between Gundya and Uppinangady was not so bad, at least for me. I have been training my Tucson AWD to handle bad roads... I know I should really say I am learning to use the Tucson on bad roads, but the former sounds cooler. Anyway, it doesn't have the hardcore OME suspension of my Grand Vitara, so I have to be lot gentler. But I am getting the hang of it after few drives on this stretch. I am able to zip through bad section without any hiccups.

[Oppanna]

Drove my Gypsy to Surathkal and back via Mysore Madikeri Puttur.

Though this route is a bit longer I prefer mainly because the roads are really good all the way from Bengalore to Mani Junction. Bear the construction work from Mani to B C road and then you are sorted. I did not have issue on these bad roads as Gypsy was gliding effortlessly!

Madikeri to Sampaje road has received a fresh coat of tar and it is a breeze to drive down there now.

Surprisingly saw a lot of trucks on this road and I believe they are taking this route as the roads from B C road to Gudya are work in progress and they find it tough traversing!

Compared to Shiradi and Charmady, Madikeri needs an additional hour of travelling mainly because Bilikere to Mani is an undivided NH and passes through towns like Hunsur, Periyapatna, Kushalanagar, Suntikoppa, Sullia.

[revhappy]

We did the trip from Bangalore to Udupi yesterday in my sister's Alto 800. It was quite a marathon.

Initially we were planning to halt overnight in Mysore and do some sight seeing. We left Bangalore at 6AM. Went straight to Srirangapatna, visited Ranganathaswamy temple, Kaveri river bank, Tipu Sultan's summer palace and then went straight to Chamundi peak. By that time it was lunch and we had lunch at Kamat Madhuvan just below the Chamundi peak. We found out Mysore zoo is closed on Tuesday, my daughter was quite tired and had no interest to do any more palace/temple hopping. So we decided to straight away head to Udupi after lunch at 1:30pm It was quite a brave move.

Then I did a small mistake, we should have taken the Medikeri route but Google maps showed Mysore -Hasan route as the best route and led me to Hasan route.

Then to make matters worse, suddenly my wife announced that we need to visit her friend in Mangalore. So then from Hasan we took the Sakleshpur route towards Mangalore.

If I stuck to my orginal plan of going via madikeri, it would have been perfect.

We reached Sakleshpur ghat in the evening and it was a very strenuous drive, with lots of oil tankers. After Sakleshpur, there was some stretch of bad roads. We eventually reached Mangalore at 9PM. Had dinner at my wife's friends place and then around 10 we left for Udupi. We reached my in-laws place past 12 midnight. Quite an adventurous drive for me, who is someone who lives in Singapore and doesn't drive and this is my only chance to drive during my yearly vacations

[nikipedia87]

Originally Posted by Oppanna

Drove my Gypsy to Surathkal and back via Mysore Madikeri Puttur...Bear the construction work from Mani to B C road and then you are sorted.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I travelled from Bangalore to Udupi yesterday.

I took the Shiradi route. The drive is a breeze until Gundya, after that there is a long construction phase... The construction stage between Gundya and Uppinangady was not so bad, at least for me.

Originally Posted by revhappy

We did the trip from Bangalore to Udupi yesterday in my sister's Alto 800. It was quite a marathon.

...So then from Hasan we took the Sakleshpur route towards Mangalore.

If I stuck to my orginal plan of going via madikeri, it would have been perfect...After Sakleshpur, there was some stretch of bad roads.

I will have to drive down to M'lore in the third week of April for some work. Considering we will be taking our 5th gen Honda City, which route would you guys recommend?

Traditionally, I have taken the Shirady-Uppinangady route to go to M'lore or the Shirady-Dharmasthala-Karkala route to go to Udupi. Tried Belur-Charmady a couple of times while going to Udupi and found the ghat to be stressful during overtakes. I don't mind taking the Mysore-Madikeri-Puttur route now if the work-in-progress stretch from Gundya to BC Road is going to cause issues while travelling in a sedan.

[revhappy]

Originally Posted by nikipedia87

I will have to drive down to M'lore in the third week of April for some work. Considering we will be taking our 5th gen Honda City, which route would you guys recommend?

Traditionally, I have taken the Shirady-Uppinangady route to go to M'lore or the Shirady-Dharmasthala-Karkala route to go to Udupi. Tried Belur-Charmady a couple of times while going to Udupi and found the ghat to be stressful during overtakes. I don't mind taking the Mysore-Madikeri-Puttur route now if the work-in-progress stretch from Gundya to BC Road is going to cause issues while travelling in a sedan.

The local mangalorean we visited told us we should have taken the madikeri route and that taking the Sakleshpur route was a blunder. I also felt, navigating the Sakleshpur ghat quite strenuous, I have done the Agumbe ghat before and even though it has hairpin bends, it was much more pleasure to drive.

[Oppanna]

Originally Posted by nikipedia87

I will have to drive down to M'lore in the third week of April for some work. Considering we will be taking our 5th gen Honda City, which route would you guys recommend?

Though a bit longer I would recommend you to travel via Mysore - Madikeri - Puttur - B C Road - Mangalore. In total you will be spending an hour max depending on the average speed/breaks you take.

The road condition is far better than Gundya - B C Road/Kakkinje - B C Road as there is continuous work in progress.

[Shubbi]

Is anyone aware of the latest condition of this route? Belur - Gendehalli - Malahalli - Gullanpete - Aldur?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/AnTNZrrHzNKYotd16

[shatananda.k]

Drove to Mangalore and back over the weekend. Took Charmady route. Road is bad in patches as explained by several members.

Note: Several check points have been setup due to upcoming elections. Vehicles were stopped and checks performed at random. This is to curb distribution of cash, jewellery. On return journey we were stopped couple of times and informed to open the dashboard and there were queries on cash carried etc.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I travelled from Bangalore to Udupi yesterday. Had to deal with the long weekend traffic.

How is the situation at Agumbe? Any chance it might be worth it? I seriously think if the 4-lane till Shimoga is up with all the bypasses, this should be in contention.