[Ross]

Travelled from Bangalore to Udupi in my Scorpio yesterday, left From JP Nagar at 830 am and reached Udupi by 430 pm with about an hour of break in between. Road was blocked at Subrahmnaya exit due to some tanker accident and had to take a detour towards Subrahmanya and exit at Uppinagadi. This delayed me at least by about 45 minutes. only solace was roads are excellent all throughout.

[mooza]

Returned from Mangalore yesterday via Shiradi.

Good roads, no blocks, no diversions, so had a great drive

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by Gokrish

Hi! I will be travelling to Udupi from Chennai during the end of April. I will be leaving Chennai at 3 a.m. and this is will be non-stop drive save for break fast and lunch and for stretching legs. Since I have not done road trip beyond Bangalore NICE road (to go to Wayanad), I would request members to suggest options on routes, eateries, and other tips. Wife and self will be travelling and it will be a self driven car trip. Though wife knows and does drive cars, I will only be doing the entire stretch and car intended to be driven is an Alto. Heard all horror stories about Sakleshpur route and am thinking twice before taking this route. Since I needed to go Udupi directly, can members please advice on the route to be taken?

Slightly off topic , but unless you really need the car in Udupi, I don't think its worth the strain if its a to and fro trip in an alto.

Did you consider flights/trains ? Jet flies and tickets are like 4.5k +/- 1k

[Gokrish]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

Slightly off topic , but unless you really need the car in Udupi, I don't think its worth the strain if its a to and fro trip in an alto.

Did you consider flights/trains ? Jet flies and tickets are like 4.5k +/- 1k

Yes. I need the car in Udupi as well in Coimbatore. Plus we really enjoy long drives and take necessary precautions while doing one! We provision for necessary stoppages enroute to avoid fatigue.

[ilbkrishna]

Drove the route for the second time in the last month. For some strange reason felt the stretch between Sakleshpur to the initial parts of the ghat section has gone bad.. Still drivable though..

Overall a super journey marred by some careless driving in the oncoming side. Is it so difficult to be on your lane? That too in curvy roads?

[roshanjathanna]

The roads are in good shape from Bangalore to Udupi. There are hiccups in few places. Last Monday, I drove via Shiradi Ghat. I'm sure this patch work will last till June. Once again History will repeat. I paid Rs 180 as toll fee. Very pleasant drive it was.

[hallik9]

Drove from Kundapur to Bangalore yesterday . Left Kundapur at 1pm and reached Bangalore(Electronic city via NICE road) at 9.10pm with a couple of 15 min breaks. Roads are good and the traffic was sparse. Patch work still seems good until the monsoons start.

[speedsatya]

Any updates on the road after sampaje till puttur ? Me driving tonight via Mysore - Madikeri

Also , are there any 24 hour gas stations on this stretch ? Taking wife's i10 Auto which gives single digit FE in city with AC. So I am assuming I might need to refuel somewhere in between


Sent from my iPad using Team-BHP

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Any updates on the road after sampaje till puttur ? Me driving tonight via Mysore - Madikeri

Also , are there any 24 hour gas stations on this stretch ? Taking wife's i10 Auto which gives single digit FE in city with AC. So I am assuming I might need to refuel somewhere in between

My uncle who travelled there last week told that still some work is pending between Sampaje - Sullia but is manageable. Don't take the car to extreme sides of the road, there are many deep craters where work is in progress. Sullia to Puttur is good. There were some rough stretches between Sullia - Jalsoor around 3 months back. No idea if they have repaired it. There were also some unmarked speed breakers before Puttur but heard that they have been removed for good.

I'm not aware of any 24 hour gas station. You better top up between Mysore - Madikeri.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

My uncle who travelled there last week told that still some work is pending between Sampaje - Sullia but is manageable. Don't take the car to extreme sides of the road, there are many deep craters where work is in progress. Sullia to Puttur is good. There were some rough stretches between Sullia - Jalsoor around 3 months back. No idea if they have repaired it. There were also some unmarked speed breakers before Puttur but heard that they have been removed for good.

I'm not aware of any 24 hour gas station. You better top up between Mysore - Madikeri.

Thanks ! I am starting around 11 pm , will refuel somewhere near Mysore.
Will update on road conditions tomorrow.


Sent from my mobile phone , please excuse typos

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Thanks ! I am starting around 11 pm , will refuel somewhere near Mysore.
Will update on road conditions tomorrow.


Sent from my mobile phone , please excuse typos

Just back from this drive. The roads are in good shape all the way till Sampaje. One has to be careful about unmarked speedbreakers till periyapatna.

We did see a gas station open in the night at Kushalnagar , but the auto box behaved well on the highway. With speeds around 80-100 kph , we got 16 kpl , so there was no need to refuel.

There is road widening working going on between Sampaje and sullia. Can be tricky at some places in the night , if there is oncoming traffic as the diversions aren't well marked.

Overall a good drive , but I would still recommend the route via Sakleshpur for people going towards puttur.




Sent from my mobile phone , please excuse typos

[ilbkrishna]

Now this will be a disappointment to many.. Had a word with a fellow friend who works for the PWD.. Apparently the plan is to close Shiradi for 18 months and concrete the stretch at a cost of 100Cr.
His advice to me was to soak in the journey a couple more times before they close the stretch.. The closure is planned in the next month or two.. So long guys!!

[Gokrish]

Did Chennai-Krishnagiri-NICE-Kunigal-Sakleshpur-Shiradi-Mangalore-Udupi. Drive was breeze throughout except for a few patchy stretches between Hassan and Shiradi. Was informed that tube type gasoline carriers are banned during night through the Ghat section! Very few hotel options beyond Bangalore towards Mangalore!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Gokrish

Did Chennai-Krishnagiri-NICE-Kunigal-Sakleshpur-Shiradi-Mangalore-Udupi. Drive was breeze throughout except for a few patchy stretches between Hassan and Shiradi. Was informed that tube type gasoline carriers are banned during night through the Ghat section! Very few hotel options beyond Bangalore towards Mangalore!

Thanks to 4-lane, we have few hotels till Hassan. But you can still find them. Beyond Hassan, there is Mythri at Saklespur. And beyond you won't find much.

[Santoshbhat]

I need to travel to Udupi in May to attend a wedding and from Udupi I will be driving to Sirsi. Need some opinions on the best route that I should take. I will be driving a Skoda Laura TSI MT.

1st Leg : Bangalore to Udupi

Option 1
Bangalore - Sakleshpur - Mangalore - Udupi via Shiradi GHat
Total dispatce = 443 kms , Driving time as per G Maps = 7h 22 min



Option 2
Bangalore - Arsikere - Shimoga - Teerthalli - Udupi
Total distance = 405 kms , Driving time = 7h 31 mins



Option 3
Bangalore - Chitradurga - Shimoga - Teerthalli - Udupi
Total distance = 435 kms,Driving time = 7h 45 mins



It seems that Shiradi ghat route is the route at present to Mangalore. How is the road from Mangalore to Udupi?

I have been driving quite frequently to SHimoga and have been taking the Chitrdurga route as it allows me to drive on four laned NH4 for nearly 200 kms, where my Laura is able to munch miles quite fast. Shimoga is 4hrs flat via this route and quite stress free too. But I am wary about the Teerthalli route to Udupi from there. Last I drove on this route was a couple of years back and it was quite bad between Agumbe and Udupi.

2nd Leg : Udupi to Sirsi

Option 1
Udupi - Hosanagara - Sagara - Siddapur - Sirsi
Distance : 190 kms. Driving time 4h 4min



Option 2
Udupi - Kundapur - Bhatkal - Jog - Siddapur - Sirsi
Distance : 213 kms. Driving time 4h 21 min



Option 3
Udupi - Kundapur - Bhatkal - Honnavar - Kumta - Sirsi
Distance : 202 kms. Driving time 4h 27 min



In option 1, Sagar onwards the road conditions are known and and generally good. Udupi to Sagar via Hosanagar is a question mark

In option 2, Kundapur to Jog is a big question mark and seem to be through forest and uninhabited areas, so not keen.

Now coming to option 3, how is the Kundapur Bhatkal Honnavar stretch. It was known for huge well like potholes some years back. Honnavar to Sirsi is not a problem.

I have to attend a wedding at Udupi and push off to Sirsi. How feasible is it do it in one day. Lets say if I start early morning by 5 am from BLR. Can I hope to reach Udupi by 12:30, attend the wedding, finish lunch and leave by 2:30 pm and reach Sirsi by 7 pm. Looking at the route options I think it will be too taxing and feel it is better to break the Journey at Udupi.