[ALSUDA]

HI Samurai, how's the road condition from highway-NH48 to Dharmastala? I'm planning to visit this week end if possible. Last time when I travelled i.e, couple of months ago, it was in bad condition.

[Samurai]

It was bad until Jan, now it is much better. All the pot holes are filled up. Some new tarmac is being laid.

[_chikku]

Just a heads up.. Hasan by-pass is now almost reduced to single lane. Four lane work has started even before widening bridges.

[chandras]

Planning for an early summer Trip for 3 days (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)to cover Kalasa, Horanadu, Sringeri, Kollur, Murudeshwara, St Mary's, Kateel, Dharmastala / Kukke
Starting on 21st early morning / 20th night on a Figo.

Day 1: Nelamangala (4 am) - Kalasa - Horanadu
Route: Nelamangala - Hassan - Belur - Gendehalli - Mudigere - Kottigehara - Kalasa - Horanadu
Is this route Ok or should I go via Shakaleshpur?

Horanadu - Sollebail - Sringeri. Stay in Sringeri.
Any preferred routes other than this?

Day 2: Sringeri - Kollur - Udupi
Route: Sringeri (8 am)- Koppa - Thirthahalli - Kollur (10 30)
Route: Kollur (12 30) to Udupi (2 pm).
Stay in Udupi to cover St Mary's island & Krishna temple

Day 3: Udupi - Kateel - Dharmasthala - Bangalore
Udupi (10 am) to Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple(11 am).
Kateel (12 30) to Dharmasthala (1 30)
Dharmasthala ( 3 30 pm) to Bangalore (9 pm)

* Is there any way i can replan to accomodate Murudeshwar / Kukke in this itenerary?
* 3 adults and 2 children ( 6 yrs & 6 months) in a Figo
* If I start on 20th night, will it be practical to cover most of the places?

Thanks in Advance.

~ Chandra

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by _chikku

Just a heads up.. Hasan by-pass is now almost reduced to single lane. Four lane work has started even before widening bridges.

Yeah, Hassan bypass is just terrible. Just did Shiradi yesterday en-route to Bangalore. While the ghats are fine, the construction activity is becoming a pain.

The opening in the divider in front of the good old Mayura has been closed. So I continued further thinking of trying the new Swathi Delicacy at Yediyur. Then I was shocked to see another Mayura just before Swathi. I guess they didn't want to lose half their income to Swathi after the divider closure.

But, they haven't been able to find a good cook in time. The bonda soup, which is just superb in the original Mayura, was undercooked and terrible. So I moved on and took another break, this time at Swathi Delicacy. Much better!

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Yeah, Hassan bypass is just terrible. Just did Shiradi yesterday en-route to Bangalore. While the ghats are fine, the construction activity is becoming a pain.

Samurai, I am driving to Kukke Subrahmanya over the coming weekend. I understand the Shiradi Ghat is fine. But is there any alternative route to avoid Hassan bypass which is in bad condition? Can I drive inside to the city to avoid it? Thanks for your help

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by gopikb

But is there any alternative route to avoid Hassan bypass which is in bad condition? Can I drive inside to the city to avoid it? Thanks for your help

Well, I didn't say the bypass is worse than Hassan city roads, there are no pot holes. It is something you have to tolerate for 15 minutes. That's all.

[vnk77]

Folks, is Manjarabad fort a good place to visit at this time of the year? How long does it take to reach the place? Is that place safe? It seems to be off the highway and a bit secluded.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Samurai

The opening in the divider in front of the good old Mayura has been closed. So I continued further thinking of trying the new Swathi Delicacy at Yediyur. Then I was shocked to see another Mayura just before Swathi. I guess they didn't want to lose half their income to Swathi after the divider closure.

I stopped at Mayura (the new one) yesterday on my way back to Bangalore. When I enquired with the waiter, I was told that this was a different place and not owned by the old Mayura owners.

I also noticed that the opening in front of the Bellur Cross CCD too has been closed. I guess the Swathi guy was smart enough to get land near a divider opening.

The land acqusition for the Hassan-Sakleshpur 4 lane road is underway it seems. Already trees are being felled at the end of the Hassan bypass towards Sakleshpur.

Originally Posted by vnk77

Folks, is Manjarabad fort a good place to visit at this time of the year? How long does it take to reach the place? Is that place safe? It seems to be off the highway and a bit secluded.

It is a good time. Depending on where you start from Bangalore, it can take 3.5-4 hrs. It is safe, but to be even more secure, you can go there when there are other people/tourists around. You will have to park your car on the highway and climb upto the fort.

[daisyb]

We did similar trip in 2010. Refer to http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ala-kukke.html. Not sure of the road conditions currently.

You can easily include Murudeshwar on Day2. St. Mary's island will need atleast 2 to 3 hrs. You need to start very early and reach Udipi by lunch time if you have to do this.

Your Day3 trip looks very hectic. Dharmasthala is usually very crowded. As you are visiting during weekend, it might be even crowded. Plan atleast 3 to 4 hrs for Dharmasthala. The temple closes after lunch and opens very late in the evening. Plan for this too.

Night driving on these routes might be very risky. It involves Ghat, roads are less crowded, no emergency facilities available. Start early in the morning. I would suggest you to add Day 4 if possible. On Day 3 do Kukke and reach Dharmasthala. Have a late darshan on Day 3 or/and an early darshan on Day 4. On Day 4 you can return from Dharmasthala to Bangalore

Originally Posted by chandras

Planning for an early summer Trip for 3 days (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)to cover Kalasa, Horanadu, Sringeri, Kollur, Murudeshwara, St Mary's, Kateel, Dharmastala / Kukke
Starting on 21st early morning / 20th night on a Figo.

Day 1: Nelamangala (4 am) - Kalasa - Horanadu
Route: Nelamangala - Hassan - Belur - Gendehalli - Mudigere - Kottigehara - Kalasa - Horanadu
Is this route Ok or should I go via Shakaleshpur?

Horanadu - Sollebail - Sringeri. Stay in Sringeri.
Any preferred routes other than this?

Day 2: Sringeri - Kollur - Udupi
Route: Sringeri (8 am)- Koppa - Thirthahalli - Kollur (10 30)
Route: Kollur (12 30) to Udupi (2 pm).
Stay in Udupi to cover St Mary's island & Krishna temple

Day 3: Udupi - Kateel - Dharmasthala - Bangalore
Udupi (10 am) to Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple(11 am).
Kateel (12 30) to Dharmasthala (1 30)
Dharmasthala ( 3 30 pm) to Bangalore (9 pm)

* Is there any way i can replan to accomodate Murudeshwar / Kukke in this itenerary?
* 3 adults and 2 children ( 6 yrs & 6 months) in a Figo
* If I start on 20th night, will it be practical to cover most of the places?

Thanks in Advance.

~ Chandra

[hyaksha]

Planning to drive from Banagalore to Bekal through Mangalore next week. We will drive two low GC cars (an A4 and a f30 328i).

The route we are thinking of using currently is:
Bangalore - Channarayapattana - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Gundya - Mangalore.
Then:
Mangalore - Kasargod - Bekal.

I gather from recent posts that Sakleshpur - Gundya is the pain point in this route. Is it bad enough for us to have to use a different route altogether?

[lohithrao]

Am sure you wont like the stretch between Mangalore - kasargod either, road is not that good till kerala border, traffic can be a pain on this stretch, avoid peak hours.

Originally Posted by hyaksha

Planning to drive from Banagalore to Bekal through Mangalore next week. We will drive two low GC cars (an A4 and a f30 328i).

The route we are thinking of using currently is:
Bangalore - Channarayapattana - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Gundya - Mangalore.
Then:
Mangalore - Kasargod - Bekal.

I gather from recent posts that Sakleshpur - Gundya is the pain point in this route. Is it bad enough for us to have to use a different route altogether?

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by hyaksha

I gather from recent posts that Sakleshpur - Gundya is the pain point in this route. Is it bad enough for us to have to use a different route altogether?

I had been on this stretch last week, and i can say here that it is the best that i have seen for past many years. I remember few years back, we used to spend more than 2 hours to traverse these ghats. Considering that, it is a breeze now. So i can safely say, you can use this route for your travel to kasargod.

[Me-hul]

Planning to drive down to Mangalore in the 1st week of April from Bangalore. Last time I had been through Shiradi ghat. This time wanted to try a different route. Has anyone tried Charmadi ghat recently? Have heard about Charmadi being more scenic (Not expecting much in the April heat though..). At first I had thought about Kudremukh, but the detour would be nearly a 100kms, so dropped the plan.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by Me-hul

Planning to drive down to Mangalore in the 1st week of April from Bangalore. Last time I had been through Shiradi ghat. This time wanted to try a different route. Has anyone tried Charmadi ghat recently? Have heard about Charmadi being more scenic (Not expecting much in the April heat though..). At first I had thought about Kudremukh, but the detour would be nearly a 100ms, so dropped the plan.

Not worth it in this dry season. Take good road and reach home faster and may be go to a beach