Loneliest Road Stretch in (South) India

[airguitar]

Late to the party. Many KA/KL interior roads are lonely - weather etc adding to the drama as someone said.

My entries :

1. Chikkamagalur - Attigundi - Kemmannugundi in fading light on a winter evening

2. Guddekeri - Hosagadde road on a rainy July evening

3. Choorikatte - Hiremane - Honnemaradu on a slushy road, a weekday afternoon.

4. Iritty - Brahmagiri - Virajpet

5. Bhatkal - Nagavalli - Sharavathy valley - Kogar - Kargal - Choorikatte on a rainy evening(again!) - not terrifying but enough to keep your heart racing.

6. Bisle ghat, with elephant poo and snakes basking in the sun thrown in for a good measure.

7. Sakleshpur - Hosakere - Mudigere Handpost under rains - (this is a bus route actually)

Despite all the heebie-jeebies it gave us that late July evening, Valparai - Chalakudi was a thoroughly enjoyable drive.


My pick #6.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

By lonely, do you mean a creepy, deserted stretch or just lack of traffic?? If it is the former, the loneliest stretch I have travelled on (in South India) is the Valparai - Athirapally road. The road passes through extremely thick forests and can give you the creeps. In broad daylight, the vegetation and tree canopy was so thick that I had to switch on headlights at a few places. There was almost zero traffic on this road when I did this ~80 km ghat section stretch around 2 years ago.

We had to take a break at one point and stopped the car for a while. All we could hear when we got out was the sound of insects and crickets, nothing else! It was dark and eerie due to the thick forests. No one in sight for miles! There weren't many towns on the route either. The entire forest ambience was so creepy that we just resumed the journey immediately and wanted to get it done with. If some car breaks down on this route in the monsoons, the guy is surely doomed!

Definitely so Karthikk. I have taken this road once to transit across the ghats to Palani. The roads were definitely bad and creepy at best.
The return leg, i decently came through Mannuthy- Angamaly- Kochi.

Another scary experience was the drive to Bababudangiri near Chikmagalur. The road was curvy and filled with rolling gravel. It was laid by the side of a cliff and the road did not have any side railings too for safety!!! That is, if by slightest mistake you over turn, you would be tumbling down the hill. To add to that, the roads were not wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side. So, if there's an oncoming traffic, better luck be on your side.

Needless to say, the drive was fantabulous and the view after reaching the hill top was worth all the adventure

[naveenroy]

Some awesome routes there! Worth exploring. Creepy is good - as in roads!!

Anyways, I found the stretch - Bandipur - Gudalur - Wayanad not creepy but lonely. We did not see any traffic on this road when me and a friend went our bikes more than a year back. Loved it!

[Viper21]

Last year , Ooty trip, we went to this estate where my mom grew up. From Ooty its towards Conoor and we took a route which had been long forgotten. Result: Absolutely Scary..
We then wanted to go up the tea factory. No / very bad roads... no signs, no people and no end of the road. That was one scary drive.
With lots of underbody bangs to the car we were down in the evening only to realize we have to back in the same scary route we came from. That was absolutely bone chilling. I ll try and upload some pics if i can find them...

[Tgo]

This one could qualify for this thread. 30 km on this road was done in 2 hours on a sunny day (No Rain). Gentle downhill (80%) section of the Bisle Ghat between Somwarpet and Subrahmanya. Done recently on our way back from Mysore to Mangalore.


The red line i have drawn roughly represents the new road that is being built and is not on the map yet.


We chose it as this was the only route across the ghats near Mangalore that we had not traversed. Came by only 5 cars those too parked on the roadside near the two view points en route.

[guyfrmblr]

I had been to bisle ghats around 5 months back. Its definitely creepy. We came across just one KSRTC bus which plies between Kukke Subramanya and Sakaleshpur and a Honda City (God bless his car's underbody) during the 22 km drive.

There is a 30 km stretch between Jigani and Harohalli which passes through Bannerghatta national park. One hardly finds any vehicle in that stretch. The roads were good around 5 years back but now the condition has deteriorated.

But nothing can beat the road which we travelled near Ooty around 4 years back. I can't remember the name of the place. We drove around 15 km from Ooty, reached a forest checkpoint. Since one of my friend knew a forest guard, they let us drive in that stretch. The road is closed for public. Its one of the best scenic, creepiest, loneliest, spookiest road I have ever traveled. The stetch is around 35 km after which it joins a road which leads back to Ooty. The total distance traveled was around 70 km. You cannot find any vehicle or human being in that stretch. We were really scared while driving through that stretch. Here are some pics which we had taken during the drive.

[guyfrmblr]

Some more pics:

[JohnnyBoss]

@guyfromblr: Awesome place. In which direction you travelled to reach this breathtakingly beautiful stretch?

[vnabhi]

@guyfromblr--that route looks awfully similar to the one I'd taken to Avalanchi via the check post. If so, then at least someone else seems to have seen that route, as most people seem to have visited Avalanchi via Emerald Dam route.

As far as I remember, after crossing the forest check post, one needs to ascend by 1000 feet onto a hill amid very thick forest, pass a waterfall, and then descend into a misty valley that offers a view of Bhavani.

Here are a few pics:

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBoss

@guyfromblr: Awesome place. In which direction you travelled to reach this breathtakingly beautiful stretch?

Originally Posted by vnabhi

@guyfromblr--that route looks awfully similar to the one I'd taken to Avalanchi via the check post. If so, then at least someone else seems to have seen that route, as most people seem to have visited Avalanchi via Emerald Dam route.

As far as I remember, after crossing the forest check post, one needs to ascend by 1000 feet onto a hill amid very thick forest, pass a waterfall, and then descend into a misty valley that offers a view of Bhavani.

Exactly. Its Avalanche. I had totally forgotten that name. Just after crossing the Avalanche checkpost, you'll get a fork in which you need to take left to drive through this beautiful road. Any idea why that route is closed to tourists?

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

I
But nothing can beat the road which we travelled near Ooty around 4 years back. I can't remember the name of the place. We drove around 15 km from Ooty, reached a forest checkpoint. Since one of my friend knew a forest guard, they let us drive in that stretch. The road is closed for public. Its one of the best scenic, creepiest, loneliest, spookiest road I have ever traveled. The stetch is around 35 km after which it joins a road which leads back to Ooty. The total distance traveled was around 70 km. You cannot find any vehicle or human being in that stretch. We were really scared while driving through that stretch. Here are some pics which we had taken during the drive.

Avalanchi it is. Skirting Emarald lake. I drove there last year. Had a super fun ride!

--R

[ampere]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

There is a 30 km stretch between Jigani and Harohalli which passes through Bannerghatta national park. One hardly finds any vehicle in that stretch. The roads were good around 5 years back but now the condition has deteriorated.

I think part of it is Bannergatta and part is a State park which houses the Thattekere lake. Its a beautiful yet a lonely setting. And during rains that SH is too good and perfectly qualifies for this thread. A snap around that area which I had posted some time back.

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Exactly. Its Avalanche. I had totally forgotten that name. Just after crossing the Avalanche checkpost, you'll get a fork in which you need to take left to drive through this beautiful road. Any idea why that route is closed to tourists?

But nothing can beat the road which we travelled near Ooty around 4 years back. I can't remember the name of the place. We drove around 15 km from Ooty, reached a forest checkpoint. Since one of my friend knew a forest guard, they let us drive in that stretch.

The forest road through Avalanche and Upper Bhavani is beautiful. I have not taken it, but I have take the Avalanche road to the forest rest house and takes you to the trout hatchery. It goes through dense forests and is one most roads to explore.

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by ampere

I think part of it is Bannergatta and part is a State park which houses the Thattekere lake. Its a beautiful yet a lonely setting. And during rains that SH is too good and perfectly qualifies for this thread. A snap around that area which I had posted some time back.

The place is ideal for bird watchers. I have seen variety of birds in that area. Just after the Thattekere village, there is a road to left which goes towards Anekal. I heard even that stretch is beautiful. Need to explore that route. There are some steep curves just after the Krishnadoddi village from where the sunset looks too beautiful.

A word of caution for those who want to travel in that road. The stretch falls under the elephant corridor and is severly infected by them. I often read in local newspapers about villagers getting trampled by elephants. The 10 km strech just after the Uruganadoddi village (when going from Jigani side) falls directly under Bannerghatta National park. Most of the elephant sightings have happened in this stetch. Please avoid stopping in this stretch. Forest department have installed some warning boards but I have seen some people ignoring the boards and venturing inside the forest. Its best to avoid this road between 6 pm and 6 am especially if anyone is travelling in two wheelers.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

The place is ideal for bird watchers. I have seen variety of birds in that area. Just after the Thattekere village, there is a road to left which goes towards Anekal. I heard even that stretch is beautiful. Need to explore that route. There are some steep curves just after the Krishnadoddi village from where the sunset looks too beautiful.

Yes the place is ideal for birding guys. I have seen king fishers ane bee eaters in hoards. But you are also very true about rampant elephant activity. In fact the whole south of Bannergatta is a continuous elephant corridor. Now TN govt has also decided to create a Wild Life Sanctuary around cauvery basin and extending around Krishnagiri distrinct.


Now having said that you can also the Anchetty to road to Hogenakkal as creepy. Absolutely no traffic. Another variant of the same road is the Anchetty circuit via Kanakpura/Hunasanahalli.

[JohnnyBoss]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Exactly. Its Avalanche. I had totally forgotten that name. Just after crossing the Avalanche checkpost, you'll get a fork in which you need to take left to drive through this beautiful road. Any idea why that route is closed to tourists?

Any permit required to drive through this road? If required, from where and what are the formalities? Is it issued upon application? Kindly help