The art of travelling between Bangalore - Mangalore/Udupi

iPai · 23rd July 2010, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by roamingrao

No information of latest condition of road from Mangalore to Karkala via moodbidre, but karkala - bajagoli - SK border - Sringeri is holding good - last week info.

I heard that Mangalore to Karkala via moodbidre is bad. My relatives had taken the Padubidre-Mulki-Mangalore route instead.

lohithrao · 23rd July 2010, 16:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPai

I heard that Mangalore to Karkala via moodbidre is bad. My relatives had taken the Padubidre-Mulki-Mangalore route instead.

the Padubidri route should be longer right? any idea how much/ which stretch is bad?

roamingrao · 23rd July 2010, 18:36

lohithrao,

another option, though longer by 30 odd kms would be Mangalore - BC road - Guruvayankere - Bajagoli - sringeri.

compared to the other routes, the least uncertain stretch would be between BC road and guruvayankere ( 30 kms ). Guruvayankere to Bajagoli ( 36 kms ) was relaid in may and is in good condition as of now.
Be aware - bantwal area is prone to nethravati flooding - please check before leaving.

padubidre to bajagoli is also 36 kms though not sure if the road was relaid recently.

lohithrao · 24th July 2010, 20:08

raomingrao, thanks for th update. i took padubidri-karkala route both the ways...

Since NH17 is pretty decent shape and early morning no trafic it took me very les time to reach padubidri, now from here the drama started. this road is pretty narow and when the local buses are on the move they can throw you out and mind you th shoulder of the roads have huge potholes. till Nite we can find pot holes regularly and with traffic this stretch can test your patience..

post karkala the road gets good and you start enjoying the nature, i mean you can start looking around instead of looking for the pot holes hehe, but make sure yur complete attention is n the rad, its windy and can find vehicles zooming down from opposite.

Once you take diversion towards sringeri thats whenreal fun starts, singe lane with loads of pot holes and to add to the wound you can find buses/tempos/qulis just coming on you and force you to get down the road and it can be dangerous for some cars....

this 30kms takes a long time then it should have but i guess its ok, dont wan this road to be widened we will have more butchery of trees..

Kudremukha road is in decent shape, happy to see this road holding up.

Got to see loads of rain and while coming back visibility had gone very low but was a treat to the eyes...

Also for people driving in this route please be careful might find snake crossing, today i just missed a snaked since i was slow i could manage to miss it.

Lastly i will still recommend this route, i guess in a months time the karkala -padubidri stretch might get real bad.

Revy · 28th July 2010, 10:48

Planning a trip to Kollur Mookambika temple by mid August, I am really confused with the route ! So many options are there and the road conditions seems to change by the day. I guess I will need to reach Udipi first and then Kollur is not very far. ( Had been there before, by road from Managlore ). This time, I plan to drive from Bangalore in my Figo TDCi, this is the first long trip after service at 2500 KM. One of the TBHP member had given 4 options to reach Udipi from Bangalore with comments on each. As per him, below is the best option as of now.

Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi : is the best option as of now ( Believe me, sringeri to SK border road is in good condition now !! )

Anyone tried this route this week ? All tips and inputs will be welcome !

lohithrao · 28th July 2010, 11:01

Few updates which i missed i my last uodate:

NH17 is giving up at some places which was in excellent state couple of months back... near Mulky/Bapanadu temple...

Please avoid Kullur to Kottara chowki stretch at peak hours, this stretch gets dangerous, with complete chaos none to maitain, buses/trucks and many irresponsible 4wheelers trying to make thier way!
the flyovers just seem to go on and on, i guess Taj Mahal can be built again in the time what these guys are taking! pathetic!

sushrutha · 28th July 2010, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy

Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi : is the best option as of now ( Believe me, sringeri to SK border road is in good condition now !! )

Take the above route. It's in good condition. (update 15 days back)
Else take the below route
BLR-Tumkur-Shimoga-Ayanur-Ripponpete-Hosnagara-Kollur. This road is also in decent condition. (update as on 15 days back) Don't know the condition from Hosnagara-Kollur.

Revy · 28th July 2010, 11:22

Thanks Sushrutha and lohithrao for the suggestions ! Most likely, I will take the route I mentioned in my post. My trip is planned around Aug 20, hope another 3 weeks won't drastically change conditions..Rains likely to reduce from now and if some patch work happens in bad stretches in this time, it is too good ! ( I know it is too much to wish :-)

sushrutha · 28th July 2010, 11:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy

hope another 3 weeks won't drastically change conditions.. :-)

It may change drastically

. It's raining cats and dogs in Malnad & Coastal area.

Revy · 28th July 2010, 12:40

Hmm..Looks like it will be an adventure trip ! I really enjoy such trips, especially when traveling with friends. With family, it is different altogether. Safety, reaching fast without much road blocks, good places to eat and take rest - these are the priorities of better half. Of course, that's the natural tendency of wives, especially when they have kids to take care of.

How good is the directions on this route ? ( Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi ).

For a a person driving first time through this route, difficult to follow ? Sign boards in English will be too much of an expectation ? I can manage speaking little bit of Kannada when asking for directions. Not fluent in speaking, but I can understand to a decent level.

addyhemmige · 28th July 2010, 13:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy

Hmm..Looks like it will be an adventure trip ! I really enjoy such trips, especially when traveling with friends. With family, it is different altogether. Safety, reaching fast without much road blocks, good places to eat and take rest - these are the priorities of better half. Of course, that's the natural tendency of wives, especially when they have kids to take care of.

How good is the directions on this route ? ( Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi ).

For a a person driving first time through this route, difficult to follow ? Sign boards in English will be too much of an expectation ? I can manage speaking little bit of Kannada when asking for directions. Not fluent in speaking, but I can understand to a decent level.

For the first half of the route to Hassan, you may not find any boards due to the ongoing road construction work. After that, you will find boards in English to Hassan and Chikmagalur. Watch out for Yellow boards of Karnataka Tourism which displays directions and distance to all the above places.

The only confusions could be in Hassan and Chikmagalur towns where there are no boards. When you reach Hassan bypass, you need to take a right and reach Hassan Dairy. Take a left turn at the Dairy and continue straight on BM Road in the city, till you reach the right turn to Chikmagalur. In case of any confusion, ask for Belur/Chikmagalur road.

In Chikmagalur, when you enter the town, you will find a big junction. Continue straight till you find a 'one way' board. Take a left here and continue straight till you join another major road. IIRC there must be a board here. Take a left on this road. This is the KM road (Mudigere road).

roamingrao · 28th July 2010, 13:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy

Planning a trip to Kollur Mookambika temple by mid August, I am really confused with the route !
Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi : is the best option as of now ( Believe me, sringeri to SK border road is in good condition now !! )

If you are planning to visit Kollur , udupi route is longer by approx 60 kms.

The shortest route would be bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - sringeri - Agumbe - Someshwara - Haladi - vandse - Kollur : 410 kms.

compared to that, Bangalore to Udupi via sringeri and karkala would read 405 kms and thereafter 68 kms to Kollur via Kundapura and vandse.

The agumbe haladi route is a decent single lane road without much traffic - compared to other roads in the district, this would be the least affected. You would not touch NH17 at all !

However, take the karkala route if you wish to visit udupi before / after Kollur.

EDIT : Ripponpete - hosanagara route, as sushrutha suggests, also avoids driving on roads below the ghats.

cool_dube · 28th July 2010, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy

Planning a trip to Kollur Mookambika temple by mid August, I am really confused with the route!

Revy - I drove on the Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - Agumbe - Vandse circuit in March and here is an extract from my log. I diverted to NH17 at Vandse since I was headed to Kundapura - you can continue straight from Vandse towads Kollur (around 23 kms from there I guess).

Of course road conditions would have changed since then but it should give a fair idea of distances and directions should you take this route. Hope this helps!!

a. Bangalore - Magadi: This road is an absolute delight to drive on starting
from NICE exit/interchange - very well surfaced, nice scenary and low traffic.
After crossing Magadi town, there is a well-marked diversion for Kunigal.

b. Magadi - Kunigal - Hassan: Coming from Magadi, you hit NH-48 some 7 kms
before Kunigal. Four-laning is going on all the way till Belur-cross and the
multiple diversions can be irritating. Thereon, the road is back to 2-lane and
surface is good but for some intermediate rough (but manageable) patches. Hassan
bypass is re-laid and again a delight to drive on.

c. Hassan - Belur - Chikmagalur: Hassan-Belur is good as always but
Belur-Chikmagalur has deteriorated. I did this stretch at night and had to be
careful of sudden potholes and sharp curves withour signages.

d. Chikmagalur - Aldur (17 km) - Balehonnur (28 km): Diversion for Aldur is
well-marked (about 9 kms onward) as you drive down the Mudigere road. Road from
Aldur to Balehonnur is in good condition.

e. Balehonnur - Jayapura (16 km) - Sringeri (21 km) - Agumbe (26 km): After
crossing the Bhadra bridge at Balehonnur, take a right for Jayapura as left will
take you to Mavinagundi/Kalasa/Kudremukh. Road till Jayapura is again well
surfaced with very few rough patches. Take the sharp left (almost 'U') at
Jayapura bus stand for Sringeri unless you want to continue stratight to
Hariharapura/Koppa. This road winds through some pristine countryside to
Sringeri and is fairly well surfaced. At Sringeri, keep going straight once you
hit the NH13 junction (left goes to Karkala and right goes to Koppa). From here
to Agumbe is again a very scenic drive with some rough patches just before you
hit Agumbe village. From here to the ghat section is a good drive. Agumbe ghats
have been repaired recently and are very-well surfaced with most HPBs now
concretized.

f. Agumbe - Someshwara (10 km) - Haladi (28 km) - Vandse (21 km) - NH17 (8 km):
This is one of my favourite drives and I was doing this for the third time now.
Take a right from Someshwara for Haladi (signboard at Someshwara will say
'Kollur') - this road is narrow albeit fairly well surfaced with some rough
patches. Also, road-widening was in progress at a good pace and should have been
done by now. This passes through some nice scenary and 3-4 junctions - keep
following directions for Kollur whenever/if confused. At Vandse, take a left and
you hit NH17 some 8 kms north of Kundapura.

This is a good alternative to the
high-traffic'ed NH17 if you are in a mood for a leisurely drive through some
good countryside.

Revy · 28th July 2010, 17:34

Thanks everyone, I am getting a lot of useful information ! cool dube, roamingrao - thanks for suggesting that I can skip Udupi if my destination is Kollur and save many miles. I don't have any plans to visit Udupi this time, so I prefer the shorter route through Vandse as suggested by you guys.

From Kollur, I will be going to Murudeswaram and spend a night there. Then return to Bangalore. What would be the best route for return journey from murudeswaram to Bangalore ?

roamingrao · 28th July 2010, 20:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy

From Kollur, I will be going to Murudeswaram and spend a night there. Then return to Bangalore. What would be the best route for return journey from murudeswaram to Bangalore ?

Kollur to Murudeshwara : driving back from kollur towards vandse / jadkal, turn right after approx 8 kms from Kollur at a Y junction ( halkal village ). This 26 km road joins NH17 at baindur. turn right on NH17. Baindur - bhatkal : 21 kms, Bhatkal - Murudeshwar : 16kms.

Murudeshwara - Honnavar : 26 kms. cross honnavar town, turn right towards Jog falls / shimoga / tumkur / Bangalore on NH206. Mid august, you would be lucky to see jog falls in full glory.

Honnavar - jog falls - Sagar - Shimoga - Tumkur - Bangalore : 438 kms.

Mid august is peak monsoon - you may encounter bad stretches on all coastal and ghat / malnad roads. not discouraging - suggest : relax, drive slow, enjoy the greens.

23rd July 2010, 18:36	#2343
roamingrao BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 340 Thanked: 191 Times View My Garage	lohithrao, another option, though longer by 30 odd kms would be Mangalore - BC road - Guruvayankere - Bajagoli - sringeri. compared to the other routes, the least uncertain stretch would be between BC road and guruvayankere ( 30 kms ). Guruvayankere to Bajagoli ( 36 kms ) was relaid in may and is in good condition as of now. Be aware - bantwal area is prone to nethravati flooding - please check before leaving. padubidre to bajagoli is also 36 kms though not sure if the road was relaid recently.
	() Thanks

24th July 2010, 20:08	#2344
lohithrao Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kudla/Mangaluru Posts: 3,204 Thanked: 225 Times View My Garage	raomingrao, thanks for th update. i took padubidri-karkala route both the ways... Since NH17 is pretty decent shape and early morning no trafic it took me very les time to reach padubidri, now from here the drama started. this road is pretty narow and when the local buses are on the move they can throw you out and mind you th shoulder of the roads have huge potholes. till Nite we can find pot holes regularly and with traffic this stretch can test your patience.. post karkala the road gets good and you start enjoying the nature, i mean you can start looking around instead of looking for the pot holes hehe, but make sure yur complete attention is n the rad, its windy and can find vehicles zooming down from opposite. Once you take diversion towards sringeri thats whenreal fun starts, singe lane with loads of pot holes and to add to the wound you can find buses/tempos/qulis just coming on you and force you to get down the road and it can be dangerous for some cars.... this 30kms takes a long time then it should have but i guess its ok, dont wan this road to be widened we will have more butchery of trees.. Kudremukha road is in decent shape, happy to see this road holding up. Got to see loads of rain and while coming back visibility had gone very low but was a treat to the eyes... Also for people driving in this route please be careful might find snake crossing, today i just missed a snaked since i was slow i could manage to miss it. Lastly i will still recommend this route, i guess in a months time the karkala -padubidri stretch might get real bad.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 10:48	#2345
Revy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 278 Thanked: 44 Times	Planning a trip to Kollur Mookambika temple by mid August, I am really confused with the route ! So many options are there and the road conditions seems to change by the day. I guess I will need to reach Udipi first and then Kollur is not very far. ( Had been there before, by road from Managlore ). This time, I plan to drive from Bangalore in my Figo TDCi, this is the first long trip after service at 2500 KM. One of the TBHP member had given 4 options to reach Udipi from Bangalore with comments on each. As per him, below is the best option as of now. Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi : is the best option as of now ( Believe me, sringeri to SK border road is in good condition now !! ) Anyone tried this route this week ? All tips and inputs will be welcome !
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 11:01	#2346
lohithrao Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kudla/Mangaluru Posts: 3,204 Thanked: 225 Times View My Garage	Few updates which i missed i my last uodate: NH17 is giving up at some places which was in excellent state couple of months back... near Mulky/Bapanadu temple... Please avoid Kullur to Kottara chowki stretch at peak hours, this stretch gets dangerous, with complete chaos none to maitain, buses/trucks and many irresponsible 4wheelers trying to make thier way! the flyovers just seem to go on and on, i guess Taj Mahal can be built again in the time what these guys are taking! pathetic!
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 11:22	#2348
Revy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 278 Thanked: 44 Times	Thanks Sushrutha and lohithrao for the suggestions ! Most likely, I will take the route I mentioned in my post. My trip is planned around Aug 20, hope another 3 weeks won't drastically change conditions..Rains likely to reduce from now and if some patch work happens in bad stretches in this time, it is too good ! ( I know it is too much to wish :-)
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 12:40	#2350
Revy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 278 Thanked: 44 Times	Hmm..Looks like it will be an adventure trip ! I really enjoy such trips, especially when traveling with friends. With family, it is different altogether. Safety, reaching fast without much road blocks, good places to eat and take rest - these are the priorities of better half. Of course, that's the natural tendency of wives, especially when they have kids to take care of. How good is the directions on this route ? ( Bangalore - Hassan - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - SK border - Karkala - Udupi ). For a a person driving first time through this route, difficult to follow ? Sign boards in English will be too much of an expectation ? I can manage speaking little bit of Kannada when asking for directions. Not fluent in speaking, but I can understand to a decent level.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 17:34	#2354
Revy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 278 Thanked: 44 Times	Thanks everyone, I am getting a lot of useful information ! cool dube, roamingrao - thanks for suggesting that I can skip Udupi if my destination is Kollur and save many miles. I don't have any plans to visit Udupi this time, so I prefer the shorter route through Vandse as suggested by you guys. From Kollur, I will be going to Murudeswaram and spend a night there. Then return to Bangalore. What would be the best route for return journey from murudeswaram to Bangalore ?
	() Thanks