Started from Airport Road, Bangalore at 5.45 am. Smooth and steady traffic on Mysore Road. Long weekend, hence lots of cars going out of Bangalore. Mornings are the best time to drive; people are less rash in mornings. One sees happy faces behind the wheels. And this brushes on to others as well. Reached Mysore in 1 hr 50 mins.
Took the bypass towards Madikeri. Mysore-Kushalnagar stretch (SH88) is recently laid and extremely smooth, one can keep going at 120KMPH. Look out for unmarked humps near village junctions though. Passed via Hunsur, Piriyapatana. Reached Kushalnagar in 1 hr 10 mins.
Stretch between Kushalnagar and Madikeri is not that good, but not very bad as well. Uneven surface due to poor tarring work. Though only 30KMs, it took 50 mins for me to reach Madikeri.
Madikeri has good places to eat - Hotel East End being one of them. Once one cross Madikeri, there are no places to eat. At the statue junction, one has to take a left turn downhill for Sullya.
Ghat section between Madikeri and Sullya is in pretty bad condition. At curves, there are wide potholes; it is difficult to find the remaining part of the road at times. I kept following local jeeps; the jeep drivers seemed to be familiar with the potholes and which part of the road to take to avoid them. Though the distance between Madikeri and Sullya is 50KM, it took around 1 hr 30 mins for me.
After around 10KM from Sullya, near Jalsoor, the road bifurcates. SH56 towards left take you to Kasargod while SH88 continues straight towards Mangalore via Puttur. After taking SH56, after 5KMs or so, one enters Kerala. This point onwards, the road condition is excellent. Very curvy roads, but not a ghat section. Goes through dense forest; very dark at times even at noon. At one point, we noticed a black 3 meter long snake crossing the road. On the way, one crosses Adur, Mulleria, Bovikanam and Cherkala.
At Cherkala, you have the option of taking the bypass towards Kanhangad or proceed towards Kasargod city and then reach Nileswaram via Udma, Bekal, and Kanhangad. The bypass road is in extremely bad condition, huge craters on the road make it un-drivable at times. Once the hilly region is through, the road is very good. Whereas if one goes via the city, roads are decent.
Reached Nileswaram in 50 mins. On the right side of the road, just before the Nileswaram Bridge, one finds the Nalanda resorts.
Bekal beach is wonderful to spend time at, though it was crowded due to the holiday season. View of the sea from Bekal fort is good.
Between Nileswaram-Kanhangad NH17 stretch off Hosdurg, one finds the Nithyananda Ashram. Here series of around 100 narrow caves are carved under a huge rock. Each cave is around 6x3 feet. This guru lived in the early parts of 20th century in this cave along with his disciples. Amazed that it is possible for a person to live in a 6x3 feet area. Photographs and belongings of the inhabitants indicate the simplicity of their life.
Around 20 KM off Kasargod town towards Kumbala one finds the Ananthapura lake Temple on a remote hilly region. There is a crocodile living in the lake called "Babia". Everyday at around 1130, the priest calls the crocodile for lunch. The crocodile comes out of water, eats the 'prasada' and goes back. This temple is considered as the original seat of Ananthapadmanabha Swami.
Best part of this trip was the stay at Nalanda resorts. Absolutely marvelous place. Very well maintained cottage. Excellent ambience. Cuisine is good, a little on the spicier side. Very friendly staff. One can spend the whole day lazing around by the river side.
Heard from local folks that Chithari beach near Bekal is a good one. Another scenic one is the narrow bridge near Nileswaram across river. I could not find time to visit these places; plan to do it next time I am in Kasargod.
Date of journey : 1 Oct 2008
Total distance : 420 KM
Total driving time : 7 hours
Trip log starting from Bangalore:
Mysore - 1 hr 50 mins
Kushalnagar - 1 hr 10 mins
Madikeri - 50 mins
Sullya (50KM) - 1 hr 30 mins
Cherkala (60KM) - 1 hr 20 mins
Nileswaram (30KM) - 40 mins
Some snaps below:
Hills near Madikeri
Cottage at Nalanda resorts
Nileswaram river seen from cottage
Nileswaram Bridge on NH17
Bekal Fort seen from the beach
Beach view from the Fort
Bekal Fort
Steep uphill on NH17 near Kasargod
Ananthapura Temple
Near Ananthapura Temple