[nkrishnap]

The last ride to Kodachadri was way back in August 2007. There was a nagging feeling that Kodachadri was to be done this monsoon at least. A couple of week's back my phone rang and it was a call from my class mate about her marriage in Shimoga. Now, the opportunity arrived to do a solo ride to Kodachadri and then attend the marriage on Sunday (30th June 2013).

As usual with quite a bit of resistance, I was permitted to ride. With things planned, I was ready to conquer Kodachadri again. The plan was to leave home by 5 am on the 29th June 2013, and reach Kodachadri at least by 2 pm and ride back to Shimoga by 7 pm the same day. Attend the marriage next day and leave for Bangalore.

Luggage tightly packed with Bungee clips and Chords, Tank bag ready, Petrol filled to the brim, clock ticking at 4.50 am and with the riding gear on, it was time to start the journey towards the Kodachadri peak.

Rode a good 200 kms before the first break, stopped for a quick 10 min break and continued riding but not before another 10+ min break near Birur level crossing waiting for the Shimoga - Bangalore Intercity express to pass through. Reached Shimoga at 8:30 am and the major part of the journey being done due to very sparse traffic, had a leisurely breakfast.

On the way to Shimoga



The luggage packed on the bike



Topped fuel again, withdrew some cash and started riding towards Kodachadri. I was supposed to take Aynur - Ripponpet route, however on inquiring at the deviation a couple of people mentioned that the road condition is not good. So continued riding towards Anandapuram to take the Anandapuram - Hosanagara Route. This route was nothing to write home either. Made good progress and rode towards Nagara after crossing Hosanagara. This stretch is freshly tarred, but make no mistake, the road is very slippery though newly tarred. I was stopped by the Police to inquire where I was headed to. With the routine check done, took the deviation towards Kodachadri. The route all the way till Sampekatte is patchy with good roads and bad patches. Sampekatte to Kodachadri base is superb with superb twisties.



The misty Kodachadri in the background and the superb twisties











The ride up the rocky path started. I will let the pictures do the talking.

















A breather break





Green everywhere



Sharavathi River



A few panorama shots.







The rain gods started playing hide and seek raining intermittently making it very difficult to take photos on top of the Hill.

There were quite a few jeeps ferrying people up the hill. With more people, the serenity of the place is on the decline which is very disheartening to see. Loads of plastic bottles, alcoholic beverages and its waste discarded all along the rocky path is not what Kodachadri is known for. A quick visit to the temple and I was back again on the bike to ride back to Shimoga.

Stopped for Lunch at Hosanagara and this time decided to ride back via Ripponpete to see how back the road actually is. However, I was in for quite a surprise. Its only the last 10-12 kms stretch (from Aynur to Ripponpete side) which is pathetic with only pot holes. The rest of the journey was uneventful and reached Shimoga by 3:45 pm and took a hotel room to rest for the day.

Attended the marriage in the morning and started off towards Bangalore at 12:30 pm. Reached home in by 4:45 pm to settle in the couch to see the British F1 Grandprix. No pics on the way back.

Route: Bangalore - Tumkur - Tiptur - Arasikere - Kadur - Birur - Tarikere - Shimoga - Ayanur - Ripponpete - Hosanagara - Nagara - Sampekatte - Kodachadri

Distance Traveled: 839 kms
Fuel - 27.21 liters

Route Condition -
Bangalore - Shimoga: Good throughout except for a few rough patches between Birur and Tarikere
Shimoga - Hosanagara: the first 10-12 kms is full of potholes. The rest of it is in good condition. Watch out for cattle on road.
Hosanagara - Nagara: Freshly tarred but quite slippery
Nagara - Sampekatte: Decent but bumpy with a few rough patches here and there.
Sampekatte - Kodachadri Base: Superb

Places to Stay around Kodachadri: A couple of home-stays that are available, they charge around 1000 bucks per head and jeep will cost around 1500 bucks for a round trip to the top of the hill.

[Samba]

Nice and crisp travelogue. Its a place which was always there in my cards when i lived in Bangalore. I wanted to do this route with my bike but sadly it never happened and i left Bangalore. But your travelogue made me rethink of doing Kodachadri once i visit Bangalore again. And not to mention beautiful pictures too. Thanks a lot for sharing it with us.

[NPV]

Nice report, great pictures, the rocky path and greenery take the cake, ride during monsoons has it's own special charm! Thanks for sharing
The road upto Shimoga has been good now for the past 3 years or so. Cattle on the road is a problem, even on the Shimoga-Tumkur stretch, so need to drive carefully - good to maintain slower speeds and enjoy the scenic route

[ampere]

Plan to do this in Dec once the rain stops. The idea is look around for all the water bodies. Chakra, Mani reservoirs etc. Lets see how much I can do. Very nicely done nkp.

And of course that kick of being the lone warrior on empty roads!

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Route: Bangalore - Tumkur - Tiptur - Arasikere - Kadur - Birur - Tarikere - Shimoga - Ayanur - Ripponpete - Hosanagara - Nagara - Sampekatte - Kodachadri

Distance Traveled: 839 kms

Nice pics and road updates. The distance looks incorrect, I think you meant 389 kms.

[jacs]

Being on bike gives you the extra advantage of penetrating tough terrains. Nice shots there. Looks a not so abused space.

[rohittunga]

This is not fair Krishna. I was supposed to join you in your car for this trip and then out of the blue, you ride to Kodachadri all by yourself

Excellent pictures btw.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Nice pics and road updates. The distance looks incorrect, I think you meant 389 kms.

Nope the distance I have mentioned is for the round trip and not from Bangalore to Kodachadri.

Originally Posted by jacs

Being on bike gives you the extra advantage of penetrating tough terrains. Nice shots there. Looks a not so abused space.

Being on bike, gives a lot more advantage of getting to so many places which you otherwise would not want to be visiting.

Originally Posted by rohittunga

This is not fair Krishna. I was supposed to join you in your car for this trip and then out of the blue, you ride to Kodachadri all by yourself

Excellent pictures btw.

There were loads of confusion until Friday afternoon. Apologies. We shall do it again, what say?

[370Z]

Super! Ripponpete to Kodachadri is one of my favorite stretches. Did you visit Hidlumane Falls, a beautiful 5-level cascaded waterfalls, near Nittur? There is a bit of offroading to do there as well We used to park car midway in forest route, and then walk till falls. Jeeps can go much further.

[ulhas.ahirrao]

Hi nice travelogue, awesome photos! Thanks for the road info between Bangalore - Shimoga. Any idea how is the rood between Shimoga - Tirthahalli (South - West of Shimoga?) and Shimoga to Jog Falls through Hosanangara?

[aviorp]

3:30 hours to Shimoga by bike is terrific and thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures. Sad to know that tourists deteriorate such a beautiful place by throwing waste. Did you face any issues with leeches ?. Another place to stay is the 'bhatru mane' I guess.

[Ford5]

No puncture on the uphill climb? Did you have a spare tube with you? Great pics Btw.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by 370Z

Super! Ripponpete to Kodachadri is one of my favorite stretches. Did you visit Hidlumane Falls, a beautiful 5-level cascaded waterfalls, near Nittur? There is a bit of offroading to do there as well We used to park car midway in forest route, and then walk till falls. Jeeps can go much further.

No, did not visit the Hidlumane Falls. Its up on the list for the next time.

Originally Posted by ulhas.ahirrao

Hi nice travelogue, awesome photos! Thanks for the road info between Bangalore - Shimoga. Any idea how is the rood between Shimoga - Tirthahalli (South - West of Shimoga?) and Shimoga to Jog Falls through Hosanangara?

Shimoga to Jog is quite decent with very few rough patches near the villages. Shimoga to Jog Falls you dont need to go to Hosanagara.

Originally Posted by aviorp

3:30 hours to Shimoga by bike is terrific and thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures. Sad to know that tourists deteriorate such a beautiful place by throwing waste. Did you face any issues with leeches ?. Another place to stay is the 'bhatru mane' I guess.

Leaving early on this route helps quite a bit, but the negative side of leaving early is very few eateries are open.

No leeches, gum boots did help in keeping the leeches away.

Originally Posted by Ford5

No puncture on the uphill climb? Did you have a spare tube with you? Great pics Btw.

The uphill did not cause any puncture, did not carry any spare tube either. Took a risk, luckily did not end up on the wrong side.

[vindrider2626]

Heard of kodachadri and thought it was in kollur mookambika,Going through the travelogue it dawned upon me that this was a different place by the same name,Thanks for educating me.Cool place and seeing all that pics wish i were 20 years younger,cant think of a bike trip these days.

[PatienceWins]

Nice travelogue, Kodachadri and Jog Falls have been in my To Do list for a long time. The rock path seems dangerous during monsoon.