[ThilakNex]

Originally Posted by gopikb

I am confident about the return route as it has been discussed extensively in this forum and many has recommended it to be good. However, I am not sure about the road condition from Madikeri to Kukke and if it is drivable. If someone has traveled in this route recently can you help to update the road condition between Madikeri and Kukke?

Thanks for your help

Hi,
To reach Kukke from Madikeri you have to take Sampaje ghat route. You can refer to the very recent video I shared in the above post. From Madikeri till Kallugundi you need to proceed in the same route.

http://youtu.be/DqVR6C2GMVU

After Kallugundi you need to proceed straight towards Puttur/Sullia for 7 Kms and take a right diversion at Goonadka junction. From this diversion, Kukke is another 36 Kms via Markanja and Devachalla. I have no clue about this 36Kms stretch even though I can guess that it should be in good condition since it is the major route to reach Kukke from Mysore.

Since you are traveling on weekend, Sampaje ghat may get busier after 9 AM. Be aware of the oncoming traffic since it is not so wide, single lane road. Have a safe and happy journey and let us know your experience once you are back.

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Hi,
To reach Kukke from Madikeri you have to take Sampaje ghat route. You can refer to the very recent video I shared in the above post. From Madikeri till Kallugundi you need to proceed in the same route.

After Kallugundi you need to proceed straight towards Puttur/Sullia for 7 Kms and take a right diversion at Goonadka junction. From this diversion, Kukke is another 36 Kms via Markanja and Devachalla. I have no clue about this 36Kms stretch even though I can guess that it should be in good condition since it is the major route to reach Kukke from Mysore.

.

Thank you so much Thilak for the clear video depicting the road condition of the Sampaje Ghat route. It is clear that Madikeri to Goonadka junction is drivable. Goonadka Junction to Devachalla is the only unknown stretch to me which is ~14km. I have driven from Kukke to Bekal last year through Devachalla and I found the road to be in good condition then. I will update the condition of road now once I am done with the trip. Thanks once again.

[Thilak29]

Are there any COCO bunks between Nelamangala - Hassana or Channarayapatna - Puttur?

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by ThilakNex

Hi,

After Kallugundi you need to proceed straight towards Puttur/Sullia for 7 Kms and take a right diversion at Goonadka junction. From this diversion, Kukke is another 36 Kms via Markanja and Devachalla. I have no clue about this 36Kms stretch even though I can guess that it should be in good condition since it is the major route to reach Kukke from Mysore.

Since you are traveling on weekend, Sampaje ghat may get busier after 9 AM. Be aware of the oncoming traffic since it is not so wide, single lane road. Have a safe and happy journey and let us know your experience once you are back.

Hi Thilak, here is my update after the drive. As indicated by you I took the
Bangalore-Kunigal-Channarayapatna-Holenarsipur-Kushalnagar-Madikeri-Goonadka junction-Devachalla-Kukke

The road from Goonadka junction to Devachalla is a single road and we need to get off the shoulders when there is oncoming traffic. But there is space available to get off the road and hence with sparse traffic it was no issue at all. The single lane is good as of now.
Devachalla to Kukke is also very good 2-lane road. I think this is the best option for people traveling from Bangalore to Kukke until the Shiradi ghat road is opened.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Are there any COCO bunks between Nelamangala - Hassana or Channarayapatna - Puttur?

The IOC bunk at Udayapura is a COCO bunk, but it is on the opposite side. If you don't mind going further and coming back, then this is fine. Often this bunk has only premium fuel and be ready to shell out more.

If you are doing Puttur via Shanivarasanthe, there is an Essar bunk at the entrance of the Shanivarasanthe town and I have filled there multiple times and it is good. This bunk has air/ nitrogen filling equipment too though I would not recommend as the tyres would have reached temperature and the readings may be way off.

If you are going through the Hassan town, the IOC in front of Prithvi theater is good. This has been recommended here by Parag and I utilize the services here if I go through Hassan. Another bunk a couple of hundred meters ahead by BP/HP is also recommended here by many. Both of the are on the opposite side, the IOC lies bang in front of a median, so no hassles here.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

The IOC bunk at Udayapura is a COCO bunk,
Essar bunk at the entrance of the Shanivarasanthe town
Hassan town, the IOC in front of Prithvi theater

Thanks much! I use Essar few km before Kushal Nagar which is decent, at Hassan I used to frequent to Reliance one. After Ghat closure Essar seems the only respite.

[dkamath]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Are there any COCO bunks between Nelamangala - Hassana or Channarayapatna - Puttur?

There's one from BP, a few kms after the Nelamangala toll, and will be to your left when you drive towards Hassan. It's outside their storage/depot facility.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by dkamath

There's one from BP, a few kms after the Nelamangala toll, and will be to your left when you drive towards Hassan. It's outside their storage/depot facility.

Thanks Kamath. That is not COCO bunk though it is just outside BP LPG bottling plant.

[ThilakNex]

Originally Posted by gopikb

Devachalla to Kukke is also very good 2-lane road. I think this is the best option for people traveling from Bangalore to Kukke until the Shiradi ghat road is opened.

Thank you so much for the update about the road condition. Its definitely helpful for the travelers planning to take the route.

[procrj]

Drove to Udupi and back during the long weekend and here is the detailed update on route and road conditions.

Bangalore - Hiriyur: Beautiful 6L roads

Hiriyur - Hosaduraga:

• Beautiful 2L stretch till the Vanivilas Pura turnoff
• After that the next stretch of 5 kms is narrow and you might find yourself getting off the road for larger vehicles
• Another rough stretch of 2 kms at the halfway mark to Hosadurga
• Post that its butter smooth roads till Hosadurga

Hosadurga - Ajjampur - Tarikere: butter smooth roads all through

https://youtu.be/tz09xIz4aoY

Tarikere - Shivamogga: 25 kms of heavy traffic on the 2L road till bhadravati bypass, after which its a breeze all the way

Shivamogga - Mandagadde: butter smooth twisty road but do watch for unmarked speed breakers. These are the platform type speed breakers with a ramp, flat top and then a ramp down. If you see a patch of concrete white amidst dart tarmac, you can be sure that this is a speed breaker.

Mandagadde - Thirthahalli: Apart from the few stretches of WIP metalled roads, the rest of the route is super fun to drive. I was not sure if my timing was right during both onward (10 am) & return (1 pm) but I found very very sparse traffic and hence was able to speed through this stretch

https://youtu.be/IzDOcmxfK44

Thirthahalli - Agumbe - Hebri - Udupi: Again good to very good roads with manageable traffic. The last 15 kms towards udupi does tend to be slower vis a vis the Hebri - Agumbe stretch.

Total drive time both ways was about 7 hrs 15 min and it took just about 4 hours to reach Shimoga via Hiriyur - Tarikere route.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by procrj

Hiriyur - Hosaduraga:

• Beautiful 2L stretch till the Vanivilas Pura turnoff
• After that the next stretch of 5 kms is narrow and you might find yourself getting off the road for larger vehicles
• Another rough stretch of 2 kms at the halfway mark to Hosadurga
• Post that its butter smooth roads till Hosadurga

Hosadurga - Ajjampur - Tarikere: butter smooth roads all through.

Thanks for info on these two stretches. A while ago, I had, after enquiring with friends, posted the following in another thread.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Benne! was how a colleague replied when I asked him about the road conditions from Hosadurga to Tarikere via Ajjampura. Another acquaintance who frequently travels to Hiriyur via Hosadurga confirmed that barring a few odd stretches, the roads are good.

Your post corroborates the same. Time to thank them for being spot on.

[aithalsandy]

I did Shimoga-Agumbe-Udupi-Kundapur-Hulikal-Hosanagara-Shimoga today. Awesome roads all the way, pls check Bangalore-Shimoga thread for more details.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by procrj

Hiriyur - Hosaduraga:

• Beautiful 2L stretch till the Vanivilas Pura turnoff
• After that the next stretch of 5 kms is narrow and you might find yourself getting off the road for larger vehicles
• Another rough stretch of 2 kms at the halfway mark to Hosadurga
• Post that its butter smooth roads till Hosadurga

Hosadurga - Ajjampur - Tarikere: butter smooth roads all through

Really glad to read this! I was there 5 years back and it was broken single lane road and I struggled big time.

Tarikere - Shivamogga: 25 kms of heavy traffic on the 2L road till bhadravati bypass, after which its a breeze all the way

You can skip the Shimoga part. Turn left half way on Bhadra bypass where it says NR Pura. Directly go till Mandagadde (you cross the bridge at Mandagadde).

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by ampere

You can skip the Shimoga part. Turn left half way on Bhadra bypass where it says NR Pura. Directly go till Mandagadde (you cross the bridge at Mandagadde).

Had he turned left, he would have missed the following.

Originally Posted by procrj

Meenakshi Bhavan, Shivamogga at 8 am for some hot hot masala dose and special coffee. A quick stop at Sakrebyle elephant camp.

I too travelled on the Shimoga - Mandagadde - Thirthahalli route last weekend with a few hours spent at Sakrebyle. The roads are beautiful, sights wonderful and the journey exciting. What is missing in this stretch is the presence of a good eatery. Better to finish the eating part at Shimoga and then proceed with the journey.

[aithalsandy]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

...What is missing in this stretch is the presence of a good eatery. Better to finish the eating part at Shimoga and then proceed with the journey.

One can stop at Mayura at Thirthahalli and Hotel Seethanadi at Seethanadi..

One of the reasons to do CR Patna-Arsikere is to get these multiple pitstop options till CR Patna, CCD at Arsikere, Suruchi/Vinayaka at Kadur, Preethi at Birur and ofcourse multiple at Shivamogga.

Ganesh Prasad at Shivamogga too makes good dosas which is near to Meenakshi Bhavan, but it's a small place without restrooms. For upmarket, one can try Royal orchid / jewel rock / rice bowl.