[binand]

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

I was thinking of Nagarhole route for higher spotting of wild life. I will now stick to the faster bandipur route and might take the Nagarhole during my return. How is the road condition on Nagarhole route.

I don't think a regular highway drive will result in any major wildlife spotting on either route, and whatever spottings you do, can happen with equal likelihood on either route. If you are really keen on spotting you should book a safari - several, to be certain.

The last time I took Mananthavady-Kutta-Hunsur-Mysore the road through Nagarhole and beyond till the junction near Hunsur (where it merges with the road coming from HD Kote) was quite bad. I have driven Mananthavady-Bavaly-Handpost-Mysore several times - this has much better roads (though the stretch within the reserve is still bad). Actually after they redeveloped NH 766 Bathery-Gundlupet-Nanjangud-Mysore it has been a pleasure to drive on and I haven't had any reason to think of these detours.

[fast_elegance]

Originally Posted by binand

If you are really keen on spotting you should book a safari - several, to be certain.

Actually after they redeveloped NH 766 Bathery-Gundlupet-Nanjangud-Mysore it has been a pleasure to drive on and I haven't had any reason to think of these detours.

Thank you binand for quick response. I will stick to Nanjangud-Bathery route both ways.

Safari may be next time.

[ankan.m.blr]

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

I am travelling to Wayanad this weekend and my destination is Mount Xanadu Resorts near Cheengeri hills. I am planning to go via Nagarahole reserve i.e. Hunsur - Kutta - Mananthavady. Any updates on the road condition?

Hunsur - Kutta via Nagarhole is very scenic. The first few KMs from Hunsur-side entry have broken surface, drive slow. After that road is fine. From Nagarhole exit at Kutta side till Badaga village turn off, the road was relaid couple of months ago. Regarding animal spotting, it is a matter of luck. Chances are more if you are travelling during very early morning or during sun-set. Spotted deers by road in herds is a given anyways. Please note : driving through Nagarhole has a time restriction of 1 hour. You'll be given a slip with entry time at the gate and during exit you need to hand over at the other gate.

[fast_elegance]

I completed my journey and did both ways through Bandipur (Gundlupet - Bathery). The roads are in great condition throughout and the weather was perfect with occasional showers.

Regarding animal spotting, was not so lucky on the onward journey, however, spotted elephant herd and a herd of spotted deer on my return. Thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Thank you for all the recommendations.

[chaitanyakrish]

Please suggest, which would be the better route for Wayanad from Bangalore ?

1. Via Bandipur/Sultan Bathery etc
2. Via Hunsur/Nagarahole/Kutta

From Wayanad, planning to visit Kannur and return back to Bangalore.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

Please suggest, which would be the better route for Wayanad from Bangalore ?

1. Via Bandipur/Sultan Bathery etc
2. Via Hunsur/Nagarahole/Kutta

From Wayanad, planning to visit Kannur and return back to Bangalore.

Like others mentioned earlier, Waynad is a region. You need to mention the correct location/destination for members to guide you with routing suggestions.

[binand]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

Please suggest, which would be the better route for Wayanad from Bangalore ?

Many people I think make this mistake, in that they assume Wayanad is the name of a town or city in Kerala. It is not. It is an entire district of some 2000+ sq. km with roads entering from many different points along its periphery. Unless there is clarity on where within the district one's destination is it is difficult to suggest one among all these as the best option.

It is further complicated by the fact that many of these ingress roads have night travel bans and hence require carefully planned journey start times.

If you are planning to go to Kannur via Wayanad, then the direct route (Hunsur-Gonikoppa-Iritty-Kannur) is the best option (which does not enter Wayanad).

If you really want to enter Wayanad for some whimsical reason, then Mysore-Handpost-Mananthavady-Periya Churam-Koothuparamba-Kannur is probably the best.

If you have an intermediate destination within Wayanad then without knowing that it is tough to suggest a route to there, and a route from there to Kannur. For example if your destination is any of the resorts/homestays in the vicinity of Banasurasagar dam then I'd recommend Mysore-Gundlupet-Sulthan Bathery route to get there and Kuttiyadi Churam-Thalassery-Kannur to exit (unless the location is closer to Thamarassery Churam - in which case Thamarassery-Koyilandi to hit NH 66 and onwards to Kannur).

Last but not the least - Kerala is suffering from heavy rains yet again. Be aware of the possibility of landslides, floods, road closures etc. (But I see that there has been some reduction in rain in Wayanad yesterday).

[chaitanyakrish]

Originally Posted by binand

Many people I think make this mistake,

Yes. I plan to stay near banasura dam catchment area at Silver Green Resort.



Planning for a trip in mid-August during the holiday period.

[binand]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

Yes. I plan to stay near banasura dam catchment area at Silver Green Resort.

Go for this route, then. In km terms it could be slightly longer than the route via Mananthavadi but it is a national highway till Kalpetta; better/wider roads and more wayside amenities. Time difference would be negligible when taken in the context of a 6-hour drive.

Originally Posted by binand

For example if your destination is any of the resorts/homestays in the vicinity of Banasurasagar dam then I'd recommend Mysore-Gundlupet-Sulthan Bathery route to get there and Kuttiyadi Churam-Thalassery-Kannur to exit

Rain could still be a concern even in August, though.

[jeeva]

To the OP:
Its raining heavily here in Wayanad and the adjoining area (The Nilgiris and Coorg). The Govt has declared an orange/yellow/some colour alert for landslides and flash floods. You can't really venture out, right now. Plan your trip accordingly.

[PaceTraveller]

Hello,

Considering a trip from Bangalore > Ooty > Coorg (via the Wayanad route if weather/rain gods permit) in first/second week of August.

Expectations

From Bangalore, we will start early - say around 5 am-ish and hope to reach Ooty by lunch time (assuming 8.5 hours must be plenty)

• Route Map:Here, sometimes Google Maps suggest the route via:
  • Hosur > Krishnagiri > Mettupalayam (~370 kms)
• and other times it suggests the route via:
  • NICE Road > Ramnagara > Mandya (~290 kms).
• Not sure why Google Maps does this despite obviously one is significantly smaller route than the other. Any thoughts?

After finishing our stay at Ooty, drive to Coorg for another short stay. Here google maps suggests three routes

1. Ooty > Gudalur > Sultan Bakery > Wayanad > Kattikkulam > Gonikoppa > Pollibetta
2. Ooty > Masinagudi > Gundlupete > Begur > Sargur > Hunsur > Piriyapatna > Siddapura
3. Ooty > Masinagudi > Gundlupete > Begur > Nanjangud > Mysuru Airport > Kuppalur > Bhogadi > Hunsur > Piriyapatna > Siddapura

If rain gods permit, we are hoping to do this via Wayanad (1st route) although it says about 20 minutes more than the 3rd route (via Mysuru Airport), as we are hoping for a scenic drive.

We plan to start in the morning around 8 am and reach Coorg (Siddapura) in about 6 hours (2 pm)

I would appreciate inputs on this. Thank you

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by PaceTraveller

Hello,

Considering a trip from Bangalore > Ooty > Coorg (via the Wayanad route if weather/rain gods permit) in first/second week of August.

Expectations

From Bangalore, we will start early - say around 5 am-ish and hope to reach Ooty by lunch time (assuming 8.5 hours must be plenty)

• Route Map:Here, sometimes Google Maps suggest the route via:
  • Hosur > Krishnagiri > Mettupalayam (~370 kms)
• and other times it suggests the route via:
  • NICE Road > Ramnagara > Mandya (~290 kms).
• Not sure why Google Maps does this despite obviously one is significantly smaller route than the other. Any thoughts?

2 reasons. The Mysore-Gudalur Route passes through Bandipur/Mudumalai and the forest road is closed from 9pm-6am. So if you check google at a time when the journey overlaps with the closure period, it will show the other route. 2nd reason is that the Hosur route is a 4 lane highway for 70% of the distance, so in most cases it is faster than the first route in spite of being longer.

You can go to Ooty via the Mettupalayam route and then go to Coorg via the Wayanad route.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by PaceTraveller

From Bangalore, we will start early - say around 5 am-ish and hope to reach Ooty by lunch time (assuming 8.5 hours must be plenty)

• Route Map:Here, sometimes Google Maps suggest the route via:
  • Hosur > Krishnagiri > Mettupalayam (~370 kms)
• and other times it suggests the route via:
  • NICE Road > Ramnagara > Mandya (~290 kms).
• Not sure why Google Maps does this despite obviously one is significantly smaller route than the other. Any thoughts?

After finishing our stay at Ooty, drive to Coorg for another short stay. Here google maps suggests three routes

1. Ooty > Gudalur > Sultan Bakery > Wayanad > Kattikkulam > Gonikoppa > Pollibetta
2. Ooty > Masinagudi > Gundlupete > Begur > Sargur > Hunsur > Piriyapatna > Siddapura
3. Ooty > Masinagudi > Gundlupete > Begur > Nanjangud > Mysuru Airport > Kuppalur > Bhogadi > Hunsur > Piriyapatna > Siddapura

If rain gods permit, we are hoping to do this via Wayanad (1st route) although it says about 20 minutes more than the 3rd route (via Mysuru Airport), as we are hoping for a scenic drive.

AS Rajeev suggested, google takes into account the nighttime restrictions on the Bandipur-Mudumalai stretch and suggests routes accordingly depending on the time you check.

Please note, for route 2 and 3, Ooty-Masinagudy won't be possible as Nilgiri district police won't allow a non-Nilgiri registered car to come down to Masinagudi from Thalaikundah checkpost via Kalhatty ghats. So you have to come via Naduvattom- Gudalur to reach Mudumalai and Gundlupete.

The Gudalur- Devarshola- Sulthan Bathery (Not 'Bakery' as you wrote ) route is very scenic. From Sulthan Bathery, Ensure you avoid the Kenichira route to reach Panamaram. This route is WIP and is very dusty for a few kms with no proper road surface. Instead continue straight upto a town called Meenangadi and take right towards Kaniyambatta. Google maps will route you correctly once you are in Meenangadi. Also note, there is no town as such called 'Wayanad'. The district is called Wayanad.

From Meenangadi, you can take the gmaps suggested route bypassing Mananthavady to reach Kattikulam, although it may not be in the best condition (I have not gone that way since a couple of years now)
After Kattikulam town, a left turn and a drive through beautiful forests takes you to Tholpetty which is the Kerala- Karnataka border. beyond this, Google maps as I see is routing via Nagarhole sanctuary towards Gonikoppal which may not be the ideal route. Instead it may be better to take the Srimangala- Ponnampet route to reach Gonikoppa and further towards Siddapura either via Polibeta or via Ammathi.

[PaceTraveller]

Thank you. The inputs are extremely helpful.

Originally Posted by sandsun7

The Gudalur- Devarshola- Sulthan Bathery (Not 'Bakery' as you wrote ) route is very scenic.

Thank you for confirming and correcting

Originally Posted by sandsun7

From Sulthan Bathery, Ensure you avoid the Kenichira route to reach Panamaram. This route is WIP and is very dusty for a few kms with no proper road surface. Instead continue straight upto a town called Meenangadi and take right towards Kaniyambatta. Google maps will route you correctly once you are in Meenangadi. Also note, there is no town as such called 'Wayanad'. The district is called Wayanad.

From Meenangadi, you can take the gmaps suggested route bypassing Mananthavady to reach Kattikulam, although it may not be in the best condition (I have not gone that way since a couple of years now)
After Kattikulam town, a left turn and a drive through beautiful forests takes you to Tholpetty which is the Kerala- Karnataka border. beyond this, Google maps as I see is routing via Nagarhole sanctuary towards Gonikoppal which may not be the ideal route. Instead it may be better to take the Srimangala- Ponnampet route to reach Gonikoppa and further towards Siddapura either via Polibeta or via Ammathi.

Wow, this is some really deep local knowledge, thanks a ton.

Some follow-up queries

One

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Please note, for route 2 and 3, Ooty-Masinagudy won't be possible as Nilgiri district police won't allow a non-Nilgiri registered car to come down to Masinagudi from Thalaikundah checkpost via Kalhatty ghats. So you have to come via Naduvattom- Gudalur to reach Mudumalai and Gundlupete.

I found this on Google dated Feb 2021 https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...le33744148.ece - Are the non nilgiri vehicles still not allowed on this route?

Also, is this restriction only for descending vehicles (Ooty towards Masinagudi) and not the other way round? If so, then this likely won’t apply to my trip unless rain gods do not permit us to take the Wayanad district road (route via Meenangadi) from Ooty towards Coorg.

Two
On driving from Ooty towards Coorg, you mentioned

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Google maps as I see is routing via Nagarhole sanctuary towards Gonikoppal which may not be the ideal route. Instead it may be better to take the Srimangala- Ponnampet route to reach Gonikoppa

. Why is the Nagarhole sanctuary route (The route via Badaga > Kothoor > Kanoor > Sivachandra > Chikkamandur) towards Gonikoppal not ideal? Could you please describe a little further in detail?

For anyone who is interested in following along the route (now or in future), when driving from Ooty to Coorg, if interested in going the Wayanad district route, the recommendation is to take the route along points A to H and avoid the road highlighted with point I, here’s the link https://maps.app.goo.gl/k5KAFStfH9WihsW86

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by PaceTraveller

Thank you. The inputs are extremely helpful.

Thank you for confirming and correcting

You are welcome. Happy to help!

Originally Posted by PaceTraveller

Are the non nilgiri vehicles still not allowed on this route?

Also, is this restriction only for descending vehicles (Ooty towards Masinagudi) and not the other way round? If so, then this likely won’t apply to my trip unless rain gods do not permit us to take the Wayanad district road (route via Meenangadi) from Ooty towards Coorg.

The restriction is still in place for Non TN-43 vehicles. In fact someone had reported in the forum that last week there was total restriction on ascending and descending the Kalhatty ghats keeping heavy rain in mind.
Yes, If You intend to go via Wayanad, this does not matter to You.

Originally Posted by PaceTraveller

Why is the Nagarhole sanctuary route (The route via Badaga > Kothoor > Kanoor > Sivachandra > Chikkamandur) towards Gonikoppal not ideal? Could you please describe a little further in detail?

Interior forest roads- may not be in the best condition. And will be very desolate. The Srimangala route is the only available open road for Mysore-Kozhikode - Mysore vehicles between 9 PM and 6 AM , so it is usually maintained well. You can probably ask some of the local jeep drivers at Kutta town , they may provide a clearer picture of the current conditions.