[Thilak29]

Guys, Need to drive upto Harihar from Bantwal.

How is Karkala - Agumbe - Thirthahalli - Shimoga - Harihar route?
Alternative route is reaching Shimoga via Chikmagalur, Please suggest.

[chandras]

Day 1
Friday 22nd 5 am : Started from BEL Circle - Reached Belur around 8 30 am. Very good roads.
(9 30 am) Belur - Kottigere - Mudigere - Horanadu (12 30):- Roads were missing @ some places. Manageable.
(2 00 pm) Horanadu - Kalasa - Kudremukh - Sringeri (4 10) :- Roads are okay
(5 45 pm) Sringeri - Agumbe - halady - shankaranarayana - vandse - jadkal - kollur ( 8 30 pm):- Good roads till Agumbe, mixed from Agumbe till Vandse. Too dark in few places. Should be avoided while travelling @ night

Day 2
(11 30) Kollur - Udupi (1 pm) :- Awesome road most of the times and 5% no roads.

Day 3
(6 am) Udupi - Karkala - Belthangady - Dharmasthala (9 30 am) Motorable roads most of the times

Dharmasthala - Bangalore :My worst came via Shiradi. No roads for more than 25 kms. Roads become good from 13 kms before Shakleshpur

[speedmiester]

I am travelling to Mangalore and Udupi from Bangalore over the next weekend.
I am planning to take the charmadi ghat, how is the road condition in this ghat. Has the repair work been completed in Shiradi ghat. Is it motorable now?
Thanks.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I am travelling to Mangalore and Udupi from Bangalore over the next weekend.
I am planning to take the charmadi ghat, how is the road condition in this ghat. Has the repair work been completed in Shiradi ghat. Is it motorable now?
Thanks.

BHPian addyhemmige took Charmadi on the weekend that passed and informed Charmadi to be not in good shape from Mudigere till Chikmagalur-Mangalore divison border on the ghats.

Will ask him to post the latest details in few hours from now.

[kala]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

BHPian addyhemmige took Charmadi on the weekend that passed and informed Charmadi to be not in good shape from Mudigere till Chikmagalur-Mangalore divison border on the ghats

The upper half of the Charmadi ghats was quite flaky in late October as well, I had reported it in my Kollur trip report quoted below.

Originally Posted by kala

NH234 from Ujjire till midway up the Charmadi ghats is in excellent shape, but the upper half of the ghats, and the section from Kottigehara to Mudigere is just about average (or slightly below average). 51 kms from Ujjire to Mudigere took about 2 hours inclusive of a 25 minute break for lunch in between.

[Pakman]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I am travelling to Mangalore and Udupi from Bangalore over the next weekend.
I am planning to take the charmadi ghat, how is the road condition in this ghat. Has the repair work been completed in Shiradi ghat. Is it motorable now?
Thanks.

I travelled to Mangalore via Charmadi yesterday. Negligible bad roads after Mudigere in Bankal and Kottigehara. It was very manageable in the City. Only downside is that you can get stuck behind slower, larger vehicles in the ghat section.
Came back to Bangalore by sleeper bus in the night via Shiradi and got tossed around like a rag doll. Wouldn't recommend that route on any personal vehicle

[shamanth]

Charmadi roads are in good condition all the way to Manglaore i had traveled on 16th Nov. You might find bad road of total 5-10 kms compared to Shiradi roads where bad roads are for 50-60 kms.

[Samurai]

Yesterday, as I was driving down the lush 4-lane towards Hassan, I decided to try a different road than the usual wretched Shiradi ghats.

I hadn't taken the Belur-CKM-Balehonnur route in 2 years, so I decided to give it a try.

I never make the mistake of entering Hassan from the Bangalore side, so traveled all the way to the other side and entered Hassan from the Mangalore side, and reached the Belur road. I suddenly felt as if the Belur road has become narrower and lot more congested than before. This feeling lingered all the way to Chikmagalur.

I reached CKM at about 11:30AM, that means too early for lunch at Planter's court. So I decided to try out Asoka restaurant, which was next to it. It had a horrible toilet, that instantly raised the red flag on the hygiene at that place. The masala dosa I ordered was literally drowned in oil. I felt nauseated as I drove away. As I turned left at Vastare, the nightmare started. This road is as bad as Shiradi, and it is narrow. That means you don't see potholes much in advance and not much chance to side-step around it. In fact, bad roads continue all the way to Hiriadka. After a while I stopped keeping track. It is 150kms of bad road with a few good stretches.

I'll take Shiradi anytime over CKM route. With Shiradi, I can be done with bad roads after 30kms. In CKM route it is spread evenly over 150kms.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I'll take Shiradi anytime over CKM route. With Shiradi, I can be done with bad roads after 30kms. In CKM route it is spread evenly over 150kms.

How about Shimoga/Thirthahalli/Agumbe/Hebri Manipal. Bad roads around Hebri-Udupi. But on the whole a clean route with lesser distance on ghats as well.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

BHPian addyhemmige took Charmadi on the weekend that passed and informed Charmadi to be not in good shape from Mudigere till Chikmagalur-Mangalore divison border on the ghats.

Will ask him to post the latest details in few hours from now.

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I am travelling to Mangalore and Udupi from Bangalore over the next weekend.
I am planning to take the charmadi ghat, how is the road condition in this ghat. Has the repair work been completed in Shiradi ghat. Is it motorable now?
Thanks.

I was in Mangalore over the weekend and I was planning to take Charmadi ghat road for the onward journey and Shiradi ghat while returning (mostly because it was a late night return journey).

The road between Mudigere Handpost to Kottigehara is badly potholed with some good stretches thrown in between. After Kottigehara, for approx 10 kms till the point where the Mangalore division of the highway starts, the road is patched up and potholed randomly. Once you enter the highway under the Mangalore division, it is super smooth all the way. There is also a signboard at this point which says 'Ghat road starts' (or something like that). So, you have approx 20-25 kms of bad roads on this route too.

While returning, I left Mangalore at around 9.30 pm and headed towards Shiradi ghat. At Uppinangadi, the road was barricaded and I was asked by the policemen to either head towards Puttur-Sampaje or towards Charmadi. They told me that Shiradi Ghat was blocked because of an accident involving a gas tanker somewhere after Sakleshpur. I don't have any more details on this though.

As my destination was Hassan, I had to take the Charmadi ghat road again. I turned left at Uppinangadi towards Guruvayanakere and hit the Charmadi road. While climbing up the ghat, I was again stuck for sometime behind a KSRTC bus as there was heavy traffic (trucks and buses) coming downhill and this bus was facing opposite traffic only at strategic points. And in this melee, another bus managed to scrape the rear bumper of my duster. Oh and it was raining too. Somehow, I completed an eventful journey yesterday night.

[mav2000]

Guys, need some help here. I need to go to Mangalore from Bangalore on some work. From what I have read in this thread, a car journey does not seem viable. Basically I need to be there by 10 AM in the morning and leave from there the next day by around 3-4 PM. Does it make more sense to take the train and hire a taxi there?

[prasad14]

Hi,

I'm visiting Pajaka (near Udupi), would be taking Charmadi. I have a few questions:

1. Which is the best route from Ujire? Is it Ujire-Belthangadi-BajagoLi-Karkala-Udupi or via Moodabidri?
2. I notice in Google Map that to reach Pajaka, I need not go to Udupi and can take a left after a place called Moodabellu (post Karkala). Is this a decent road?
3. On the way back I want to visit Katil. How is the road Pajaka-BelMan-Katil-Moodabidri?

Thanks,

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by mav2000

Guys, need some help here. I need to go to Mangalore from Bangalore on some work. From what I have read in this thread, a car journey does not seem viable. Basically I need to be there by 10 AM in the morning and leave from there the next day by around 3-4 PM. Does it make more sense to take the train and hire a taxi there?

If you still haven't done this trip, then I would suggest you take a Volvo from Bangalore to Mangalore, Hire a taxi for you work and if your work is done by 2 PM there are Volvos at 2.30 and 3 PM and then at 7.45PM, 8.50 PM, 9 PM and so forth. I think there are about 20 Volvo services every day between these 2 cities. This ride is much comfortable than the longish train route and of course driving is a nightmare in shiradi ghat.. so Check out the Volvos

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by prasad14

I'm visiting Pajaka (near Udupi), would be taking Charmadi.
2. I notice in Google Map that to reach Pajaka, I need not go to Udupi and can take a left after a place called Moodabellu (post Karkala). Is this a decent road?
3. On the way back I want to visit Katil. How is the road Pajaka-BelMan-Katil-Moodabidri?

Rayare, When are you leaving ? Iam attending a function at Adapadi ( on the Belman - Moodubelle road ) and proceeding to Udupi via Pajaka tomorrow, 8th December. Would let you know the road conditions in that area on the 9th. I would though be driving from Mangalore ( Bangalore - Mangalore - Padubidre - Belman - Adapadi ).

When last enquired, most roads in the area are either bad or being patched.

Had been to Kateel last September. The 6 km Kateel - Kinnigoli stretch is very bad.

Will update road conditions on Monday, 9th Dec.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Rayare, When are you leaving ? Iam attending a function at Adapadi ( on the Belman - Moodubelle road ) and proceeding to Udupi via Pajaka tomorrow, 8th December. Would let you know the road conditions in that area on the 9th. I would though be driving from Mangalore ( Bangalore - Mangalore - Padubidre - Belman - Adapadi ).

I am told this is still better than Karkala/Udupi. Might be worth it.