[arjithin]

There are already many threads about the places, hence I will concentrate on the current road conditions and some photos

We have been planning to go to Kollur for almost 3 years now, but it never worked out. Finally the weekend of Dec 15th was decided as the date.

Our Route:
Bangalore - Tumkur - Shimoga - Ananthapur - Hosanagara - Nagara - kollur ( 450 KM)
started at 3 AM from HSR layout and reached Kollur by 12:30 PM. Breakfast near Arasikare, found a CCD just after Arasikare.

Kollur - Halady - Agumbe - Sringeri - Jayapura - Balehonnur - Aldur - Chikmagalur - Belur - Halebidu - Hassan - Bangalore (520KM)
started at 6:30 AM and reached Bangalore by 9 PM.

Current road conditions (As of Dec 15th 2012):
Bangalore - Tumkur --> Good 4 lane road, we had difficulty in finding the bypass exit at Tumkur

Tumkur - Ananthapur --> Good 2 lane roads, with occasional potholes. First 20-30 km had lot of speedbreakers and frequent bad stretches.

Ananthapur - Nagara --> Mostly good 2 lane roads.
Nagara - Kollur --> Really bad road, it took 2.25 hr to cover 46 km. Note that the last 15 km of this road will be closed for repair from Jan 1st 2013 ( for a tentative duration of 6 months). This means that one cannot take the shimoga/Nagara route to reach Kollur until this work is done. It also means that there wont be Jeep service to Kodachadri (Kudajadri) until this work is done. If you plan to visit Kollur, make sure you call up a hotel and enquire the latest road conditions.

Kollur - Sringeri --> Good winding roads with frequent bad sections. we covered this distance in 3 hrs
Sringeri - Chikmagalur - Halebidu --> Good winding roads with bad sections here and there .
Halebidu - Hassan - Bangalore --> Good roads.

Our Hotel:
Booked accommodation at Hotel Devikripa. They normally ask you to send a DD, but since i called very close to the actual travel date, they agreed to hold the room until 11 AM. I called up on Saturday morning to confirm that we were on our way and they agreed to hold it till 1 PM. For Rs 450 per day you get a decent double bed room. Dont expect any luxury, just two wooden bedframes, 2 cotton beds and 2 cotton pillows. Toilets are clean, but ageing is visible. Hot water available only on mornings, if you need it in the evening, you need to request it separately. Its worth the price. checkout at 10 AM.

My car :
This would be the first long drive in my Ritz which I purchased couple of weeks back (3 yr old used car). Got the car serviced, wheel Balancing and alignment done before the travel.
We were 4 adults, 1 kid and had 5 bags of luggage. Ritz did a good job overall.
The fuel efficiency was 20.5 kmpl for the first 300 km without A/C, 17.5 for the next 350km in the mountains with 50% AC, 18.5 for the last 300 km with 100% AC at 100kmph speed.
The steering and clutch felt very tight, and in the mountains I got pain in my right shoulder because of the one hand in steering and one hand in gear lever type of driving. I did ask the service adviser to check these, but he said its normal. I havent driven any other Ritz yet, so dont know if its really true. Other Ritz owners, please comment. I drive a lot and this is the first time I got such a pain among all the cars I drove earlier. The car handling wasnt very confidence inspiring, probably because of its tall boy design and the load inside. Felt the inertia of the car is too high.

Some facts about the Jeeps that take us to Kodachadri/Kudajadri ( all information provided by my Jeep driver):
There are 86 jeeps currently in service. All of them are numbered. They follow a queue system. So number 2 jeep gets the opportunity after number 1, irrespective of who is hiring or the time or day. For eg, if the last trip of a day was taken by Jeep number 34 at the end of day, Jeep number 35 will get the first trip early morning next day.
Contrary to the popular belief that only 4 wheel drive jeeps can travel to Kodachadri, there are only 4 jeeps out of the 86 having a 4WD, rest all are 2WD. I checked almost 20+ jeeps in the parking lot at Kodachadri, and Yes, they all were 2WD.
Once a jeep enters Kodachadri service, there is no resale of that jeep outside of the Kodachadri service. Nobody will buy these beaten to death jeeps. Most of the old jeeps will end their life as parts donors.
These drivers purchase used/discarded tires from nearby towns like Mangalore or Udupi. They dont care about the tire tread except in monsoon season. A 'new' (zero tread for others) will last 10-15 round trips, depending on the driver.
They dont care about the suspension either. Most of the jeeps are fitted up with extra leaves, some of them even have Mahindra pickup's parts.

My navigator:
Google maps on a Galaxy Nexus phone. I am impressed by the coverage of google maps. Except for a 2.5 km longer route, it showed me the best route always. I downloaded the maps of these areas in offline mode before travel, so the total data consumption was less than 10 MB for the whole trip.
I had a nokia maps enabled phone, which was good in Bangalore town, but failed miserably after crossing Bangalore city limits.

Now some photos.

On our way to Kudajadri, near Arasikare I believe.


Some photos of the road to Kodachadri.









On the way to SarvajnaPeedam which is a 1.5 km, 350 meter altitude trek.








view from Saravajnapeedam


Look how steep is the side of mountain, last year one person died at this spot.

This is the Ganesha Guha (cave)


love this tree...


Chitramoola ( the cave where Srisankara sat and prayed) is 500 meter away from Sarvanjapeedam. Its a very dangerous trek where you loose almost 500 meter altitude in 500 meter of distance. Do not take it if you are afraid of heights or if not in good health or with children.








View from the cave.



One should use the rope to reach the cave.

[arjithin]

Rest of photos.

Some more photos at the top of Kodachadri



Saw few bikers on top of the Kodachadri. There was one guy who was riding up in the night in a 100cc bike with a pillion and the bike was struggling to pull both of them.


Tires of our jeep


No comments


On our way to Agumbe, this road far more beautiful than the photo



View point near Agumbe


Sringeri









Halebidu


Some panorama shots taken using my android, love the jelly bean 4.2




And finally, the star !!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[girishglg]

A nice travelogue there of these beautiful places in the western ghats. Had covered a few of these places recently such as Sringeri and Agumbe.

Sringeri was a really nice experience but we really did not have a great view at the sunset point at Agumbe due to mildly cloudy weather. How was your experience during your visit?

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by girishglg

we really did not have a great view at the sunset point at Agumbe due to mildly cloudy weather. How was your experience during your visit?

We were in agumbe around 830 am, and the weather was very clear. A photo of the view is already in my post.

[joshuthomas]

arjithin,

Nice travalogue, thanks for sharing.
I have marked Sringeri for my next visit seems to be an awesome place. The panaroma shots are excellent.

Btw, is it okay to go in a hatch, some of the sections of the road looks like a offroad terrain.

regards,
Joshu

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by joshuthomas

arjithin,


Btw, is it okay to go in a hatch, some of the sections of the road looks like a offroad terrain.

regards,
Joshu

Its OK to travel in a hatch. I drove my Ritz. All those off road terrain was traveled in a shared taxi jeep.

[ranjitp1]

Lovely pictures of Kodachadri.Thanks for sharing.Driving through Agumbe is an awesome experience.

[neo45007]

Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

Any idea on which would be a better road - If I have to travel from Thirthahalli to Murudeswara? I assume via Someswara - Kundapura would be a better option?

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by neo45007

Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

Any idea on which would be a better road - If I have to travel from Thirthahalli to Murudeswara? I assume via Someswara - Kundapura would be a better option?

You are right. Nagara - kollur route is horrible and will be blocked from Jan 1st for repair.
Agumbe- halady - vandse is good road with some patchy sections. I believe agumbe - thirthahally road is good.

[veyron_head]

Originally Posted by arjithin

You are right. Nagara - kollur route is horrible and will be blocked from Jan 1st for repair.
Agumbe- halady - vandse is good road with some patchy sections. I believe agumbe - thirthahally road is good.

I am planning to goto kollur mookambika temple next week. Could you please suggest the best route.

Bangalore - Tumkur - Shimoga - Ananthapur - Hosanagara - Nagara - kollur ( 450 KM)

What should be route I should take (pl mention the full route from Bangalore) if the Nagara-kollur road is blocked? I have no idea about this route and have hardly been to anywhere other than bangalore in KA

Also, what other places (temples primarily) I can go to around kollur?

Thanks in advance.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

I am planning to goto kollur mookambika temple next week. Could you please suggest the best route.

Bangalore - Tumkur - Shimoga - Ananthapur - Hosanagara - Nagara - kollur ( 450 KM)

What should be route I should take (pl mention the full route from Bangalore) if the Nagara-kollur road is blocked? I have no idea about this route and have hardly been to anywhere other than bangalore in KA

Also, what other places (temples primarily) I can go to around kollur?

Thanks in advance.

Its monsoon time. if the rains continue for another week, then there is every possibility of road conditions to deteriorate.

The alternate routes are
a. via Mangalore - Udupi --> I am not very sure about road conditions till Mangalore. Mangalore - Udupi section is not in great shape due to road work
b. via Chikmaglur - Sringeri - Agumbe - Halady --> Expect frequent bad patches in this section after Chimaglur.

If possible, wait for some more weeks for the clouds to clear up. If travel in a week time is must, drive in day time and consider extra travel time.

You can call up two- three hotel receptions in Kollur and ask them about current road conditions, that will get you most upto date info.

Regarding your second question, you haven't mentioned how many days you have in hand. There are many temples around. Do some google search and you will find what you need.

http://templesofkarnataka.com/naviga...kaStateMap.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temples_of_Karnataka

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

I am planning to goto kollur mookambika temple next week. Could you please suggest the best route.

Bangalore - Tumkur - Shimoga - Ananthapur - Hosanagara - Nagara - kollur ( 450 KM)

What should be route I should take (pl mention the full route from Bangalore) if the Nagara-kollur road is blocked? I have no idea about this route and have hardly been to anywhere other than bangalore in KA

Also, what other places (temples primarily) I can go to around kollur?

Thanks in advance.

This is the route. It is Anandapuram not Ananthapur. The road condition is good.

Go via Hosanagara - Nagara - Hulikal ghat - Hosangadi - Ampara - Kollur. Road conditions are not great but manageable. Expect heavy rains in this sector.

In case, the road from Ampara to Kollur is closed, then take a detour to Kundapur via Vandse and then go to Kollur from there.

As arijith rightly say, just check with Hotel for road condition.

The accommodation in Kollur is basic. I would recommend you to stay in either Sai Vishram resort in Baindur or Wild Woods spa near Baindur and do Kollur as day trip from there. You will get good discount being off season.

There are many temples to visit from there - Hattaiangadi, famous Ganapati temple, Murudeshwar - Shiva, Udupi - Krishna, Anegudde - Ganapati.......

Originally Posted by arjithin

Its monsoon time. if the rains continue for another week, then there is every possibility of road conditions to deteriorate.

The alternate routes are
a. via Mangalore - Udupi --> I am not very sure about road conditions till Mangalore. Mangalore - Udupi section is not in great shape due to road work
b. via Chikmaglur - Sringeri - Agumbe - Halady --> Expect frequent bad patches in this section after Chimaglur.

If possible, wait for some more weeks for the clouds to clear up. If travel in a week time is must, drive in day time and consider extra travel time.

You can call up two- three hotel receptions in Kollur and ask them about current road conditions, that will get you most upto date info.

Regarding your second question, you haven't mentioned how many days you have in hand. There are many temples around. Do some google search and you will find what you need.

http://templesofkarnataka.com/naviga...kaStateMap.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temples_of_Karnataka

[veyron_head]

Thanks Arjithin and Fauji. I will check with the hotels about the road conditions. If its pouring heavily there I wouldn't want to take the risk with my family. I would rather wait for the monsoon to get over.

[arjithin]

I first went to Kollur in 2000, I was alone
I went again to Kollur in 2006 along with my wife
I went again to Kollur in 2012 along with my wife & daughter..
How could I dont go again to Kollur when I am blessed with a son? I went again to Kollur in 2014 !!!

This time we visited Jog falls, Kollur, Kundadri jain temple and Sakrebyle Elephant camp.

Day 1:
Started at 3 AM from whitefield
Took tiptur - Arsikare - Sagar - Jogfalls - Sagar -Ferry - Kollur road
Tumkur - Arsikere has got many unmarked speed breakers.
Near Shimoga you will find those 16 number speed breaker stripes at many places.
After Birur, there is one place where the road completely disappears for 100 meters.
Other than these and occasional rough patches, road surface is smooth.

Breakfast @ Hotel ShantiSagar, Tarikere (7:30AM). Good food & decent rest rooms,
Fuel stop at Shimoga (8:45AM, Bharagvi motor fules, Indian oil, 2 km after bus stand on left side. Mileage returned so far - 17.6kmpl
Jog falls around 10 AM
Lunch at Madhura hotel, Sagara - Average food, below average rest room
Ferry 1:30-2:30 PM
Kollur - 3:30 PM
Stay at Hotel Devikripa - DOuble non AC room Rs 450, decent room & toilets.

Day 2:
Started at 6:30 AM from Kollur
Breakfast at Someshwara 8-8:30 AM @Hotel Mayur. Good food and clean toilets.
Kundadri Jain temple - 9:30 AM -10:00 AM.
Very steep climbs (Ritz could take them only on first gear), almost deserted (just 2 tourist families in 5 km radius, no cell phone coverage); but views from the top are worth the effort
Sakrebyle elephant camp - 11:20 -12:00. Reached just in time to see the elephants taking bath
Return was via Shimoga - CHitradurga route
This is one mistake I did. To reach Channagiri, I had to cross Shimoga town, and till Channagiri roads are very rough and with frequent speed breakers. Shimoga - Channagiri was the busiest traffic section I encountered in the whole trip ( other than Bangalore city limits)
After Channagiri you will find very good roads, but often with rough patches.
I will not suggest taking the Chitradurga route over the Arsikere route.

Lunch from KSRTC midway restaurant around 2.30pm
Fuel break @ BP COCO SIRA. Mileage returned in this section - 18.3kmpl
home at 6:30 PM.

Now Some photos:

Jog falls





Panorama view from the other side of falls


yours truly with my 2 trophies


Ferry @ Sharavathy. I took the place where only one Ferry is there. Costed Rs 80 for 2 people and 1 car.



Backwaters: