[lancer_rit]

Guys, I am planning to drive down on 31st morning to Wayanad from Banaglore - a resort some kms from Mananthavady.
The Kabini route is ~35km shorter than going through Gundlupet and Sulthan Bathery.

So, anyone did the Kabini route recently ? From the posts above, it seems I am recommended to take the longer route ? How is the stretch between Mysore and Gundlupet now ?

Thanks

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

Guys, I am planning to drive down on 31st morning to Wayanad from Banaglore - a resort some kms from Mananthavady.
The Kabini route is ~35km shorter than going through Gundlupet and Sulthan Bathery.

So, anyone did the Kabini route recently ? From the posts above, it seems I am recommended to take the longer route ? How is the stretch between Mysore and Gundlupet now ?

Thanks

I wont suggest Kabani route unless you are using an SUV. There is detour you need to take through a village and the stretch is very bad. Best option to reach Manathavady area will be Hunsur - Nagerhole

Originally Posted by CountDracoola

Sightings were very good. included the usual elephants, gaurs etc and the bonus this time was a sloth bear and a leopard, bear during the trek and the leopard during the night safari both from jungle retreat.

Regarding the Nagarahole road getting closed - no, that was the proposal it seems, but it is decided that the roads would continue to open from 6am till 6pm, as is the case now.

Tholpetty safari is open these days, Kuruva is closed, Pakshipathalam trek was open again. So most of the activities are open in and around North Wayanad.

Thanks for the info. Good to hear that you got lucky with the sighting. Bear while treking would have been exciting, they are known to attack at the slightest provocation

[lancer_rit]

Drive from Waynad through Mananthavady-Nagaorhole->Hunsur->Mysore was very good. On the kerala side, roads were butter smooth. In Nagarhole, there were rough patches, nothing major though. Anyways, one must drive slowly through reserve forest.

Mysore to Bannur had some bad patches, speed breakers and so on. One also faced several traffic lights inside Mysore to reach bannur road on Sunday afternoon

[maheshramaling]

How would this route be? Not sure if the road inside national park exist, in first place.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=K...&via=1&t=m&z=9

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by maheshramaling

How would this route be? Not sure if the road inside national park exist, in first place.

This is perhaps currently the best route to Wayanad from Bangalore in terms of road conditions. The road inside Nagarhole forests do exist and is very much motorable with some rough patches here and there. Note that the route through the forest is closed from 6PM to 6AM. I Will be heading to Wayanad this sunday through this route and would update the condition once I am back on 14th.

[CountDracoola]

Drive from Waynad through Mananthavady-Nagaorhole->Hunsur->Mysore was very good.

and

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=K...&via=1&t=m&z=9

... are same.

This is indeed the road to take if you want to reach North Wayanad.
You can try Batherry road if you are going to Kalpetta or further south.

In the night, post 6 in the evening, the only option is to take the Gonikoppa road, which is horrendous, but if you are lucky, you'd still see some animals as there is a small stretch through the jungle. But avoid this road if you can.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by CountDracoola

This is indeed the road to take if you want to reach North Wayanad.
You can try Batherry road if you are going to Kalpetta or further south.

Even if you are heading to Kalpetta, I would advice to take this route (hunsur-Nagarhole-Kutta-Mananthavady) itself and not Gundlupet-Muthanga NH route. The stretch from Meenangadi to Kainati near Kalpetta on NH is in horrendous state. Even the stretch from Kerala border to Sbathery is not in good state.

I did travel last week to wayanad and the road conditions are here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2961406

Originally Posted by CountDracoola

In the night, post 6 in the evening, the only option is to take the Gonikoppa road, which is horrendous, but if you are lucky, you'd still see some animals as there is a small stretch through the jungle. But avoid this road if you can.

I travelled upto Iruppu falls deviation (5kms) on the road from Kutta to Gonikoppal. There were few bad stretches, but some beautiful black top stretches also intermittently in that 5 km stretch. I had missed the turn to iruppu and had gone a couple of KM further ahead. Even till that point, it was beautiful. Any idea whether any repair work has been done of late and does the good stretch continue further till Srimangala/Gonikoppal?