[pramod]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Which part of the "concrete" are you referring to?

If you are taking Bisile even via Byrapura or Donigal, you will still not hit the concrete anyway.

Or you actually meant asphalt in general?

Otherwise, the roads in general remain good via Arkalgud Shanivarsanthe Hethur.

I have ridden bullet on boulders on bisle ghat in 2015/16. So wanted to know if bisle ghat road condition is good for a Skoda Octavia. And if it's ok to do in the night. I am asking from pachyderm perspective.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by lazybrain

It will be a solo drive in my Tata safari. Please suggest if it is OK to go via Shiradi or even for SUVs roads r not motorable?

If you are driving to Mangalore, you really don't have much choice. Other routes will be longer and not worth it.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by pramod

I have ridden bullet on boulders on bisle ghat in 2015/16. So wanted to know if bisle ghat road condition is good for a Skoda Octavia. And if it's ok to do in the night. I am asking from pachyderm perspective.

You can very well take your Octavia even in the section that remains the same even now where there is no tarmac for 2 km.

[DragonHawk]

Did an impromptu ride to Kote betta and Bisle ghat yesterday. It was my first outing post onslaught of COVID, even though things are easing out a bit and with places reopening, I wasn`t willing to take any chances of visiting public places or places that are famous among tourists. With some self-made restrictions and home-packed food, left home at 5.30 in the morning was back by 3. The road till Madapur is a beautiful dual carriage and from Madapur is a typical single road all the way till Kudurasthe near Bisle ghat.
Madapura - Surlabi - Kundalli stretch is very lonely and in some places you get to see Elephant dungs all over the road, it is a kind of chilling reminder that I am entering their territory and should be careful and anyone taking the route should avoid late evenings altogether. On the way, I skipped Malalli falls and visited Surlabi and Patla Betta. Bisle Ghat is holding up well post-monsoon, I could see some work happening on the pending 2 km stretch, men and materials are all in place. Hopefully, it should be completed in another couple of months.

Kote betta is the third highest peak and turned out to be a true paradise and awesome getaway. Rolling green hills, clouds kissing the mountains, forest trails, alone but not lonely, Kote Betta has everything to offer. Unlike Mandalpatti, very few people are aware of this gem of a place. Even one can opt for a trek of 10kms which goes via grasslands and forest trail. However if one wants to drive then they can go without hesitation as the road is very narrow but motorable till the top. Whoever wants to be out of the hustle-bustle of the crowded picnic spot, then this is the perfect place to visit. Being the only person on top of the hill, I got the opportunity to enjoy fully the wilderness that nature had to offer.
Entrance to Kote Betta






Entrance to the temple for the public is restricted.

[Sri Vathsa]

Travelled from Bangalore to kukke, Dharmasthala on 14th and 15th through shiradi ghat on a fully loaded ciaz, roads are average (no huge craters as such) you can easily do 50-60 kmph, no complaints about concrete roads they are holding up well.

[Samurai]

I drove from Udupi to Bangalore yesterday via Charmadi. Very peaceful roads, I reached from Udupi to Mayura Restaurant in 5.5 hours, which is quite quicker than usual. The roads are in perfect shape, most places it was quite newly laid.

[Makin Rulesz]

Today I took Belur - Aldur - Balehonnur - Agumbe route to reach Kundapura. Road conditions are quite good for majority part and traffic was also sparse. I took chance with Google suggestion and followed the direct route between Belur and Aldur skipping Chikmagalur. Stretch between Handi and Aldur is very narrow single lane road and has some broken patches in between.
Difference in distance between this route and via Charmadi is around 50Km for my same starting and end point.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by pramod

I have ridden bullet on boulders on bisle ghat in 2015/16. So wanted to know if bisle ghat road condition is good for a Skoda Octavia. And if it's ok to do in the night. I am asking from pachyderm perspective.

As I know, Bisle is closed between 6PM-6AM. Should be ok if you drive during day but may be avoided during night if regulations have been lifted now.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Makin Rulesz

Difference in distance between this route and via Charmadi is around 50Km for
my same starting and end point.

You should also try: Shimoga-Ayannur-Ripponpet-Hosanagara-Nagar-Hullikal-Ampar-Kundadur.

Nice decent option and less traffic. Ayannur-Hosanagara is a beautiful drive! Slightly more in distance, but is fun to drive especially beyond Shimoga.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

Did an impromptu ride to Kote betta and Bisle ghat yesterday. It was my first outing post onslaught of COVID, even though things are easing out a bit and with places reopening, I wasn`t willing to take any chances of visiting public places or places that are famous among tourists. With some self-made restrictions and home-packed food, left home at 5.30 in the morning was back by 3. The road till Madapur is a beautiful dual carriage and from Madapur is a typical single road all the way till Kudurasthe near Bisle ghat.

Is Kote Betta doable on a 4 wheeler? Pics looks fantastic and appears ideal for a family picnic. Any restrictions?

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Is Kote Betta doable on a 4 wheeler? Pics looks fantastic and appears ideal for a family picnic. Any restrictions?

AFAIK except for entering the temple, there are no restrictions for visiting the place. Once you take left from Madapura-Surlabi road, in some places approach road is steep and only one car can pass at a time. But any car can do it without a sweat as roads are not that bad.

[JMaruru]

I am looking for good 'Tatte Idly' options before Yediyur. Earlier, used to frequent 'Shiva Sagar' before kunigal BUT found last time, they were closing shutters.

[nitzien123]

Bangalore-Udupi soon.
Many have suggested via Charmadi. Last time I took Shiradi route (Nov20) via Mangalore, road condition was terrible between CR patna to Sakleshpura. Has anything improved.

[Sangre]

Thanks to all the information on this thread and @paragsachania in particular Helped me confidently complete a round trip to Udupi from Bangalore.

My trip summary:
Onward to Udupi on Jan, 30th: Took the Hassan - Belur - Charmadi - Guruvayankere - Karkala - Udupi route that is popular in the posts above, and rightly so ! Total driving time of 7.5 hrs for a door-to-door distance of 398 kms, starting at 0615 from Hebbal. Had a breakfast stop at Mayura for 30 mins. On Charmadi ghat road, there are 4 / 5 very small diversions due to ongoing road works. These are more like small bridge/culvert construction and only one vehicle can cross the construction spot at a time.

Returned to Bangalore today on Feb 3rd - Same route as above - but surprisingly, took 6 and three quarters of an hour driving time! Wasn't trying to drive faster or anything but it did end up much faster. I'm not a fast driver by any means but I could feel the roads egging me on to keep going and maintain a decent clip Starting at 0515 AM from Udupi, we took a 45 mins break near the KSRTC bus stand in Kottigehara at 0800 AM. Was home near Hebbal by 1245.

Overall, both the onward and return trips were peaceful, fast and enjoyable. Another round trip to Udupi coming up this weekend and I'm planning on taking the Agumbe ghat road.

[srvm]

Hello folks,
I have to visit Kapu near Udupi in 2 weeks time. This will be my first drive beyond Ujire in the Charmadi route (from Bangalore side). Is the following route beyond Ujire ok?
Ujire-Belthangady-Guruvayankere-Bajagoli-Karkala-Belman-Shirva-Kumbargudde-Kapu

Any recent update on road conditions?

Thanks in advance.