[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by MSAneesh

For the past couple of drives, have been stopping at 'Hotel Amrutha Bouffaye' just after Hunsur for food. Food is good and the place is usually not crowded. Tastes more homely than hotel.

I have been visiting Amrutha hotel, Hunsur in all of my drives from the past several months since it opened and the last being last Monday.
Yes, the food is good and what I like more is the privacy and off-beat atmosphere. Especially with small kids, it is very convenient to feed them and walk around. Rest rooms are decent too. The owner's motive is very good that he want to provide the best and homely type of food. They are still picking up business.

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Yes, the food is good and what I like more is the privacy and off-beat atmosphere. Especially with small kids, it is very convenient to feed them and walk around. Rest rooms are decent too. The owner's motive is very good that he want to provide the best and homely type of food. They are still picking up business.

Agree with you.
I was satisfied with the food and ambience all three times I visited, including today morning on the drive back to Bangalore.
The location is such that you don't find it unless you look for it. Hope they can find customers as long as they offer good food and service.

[Vampirevipin]

Hi all,

I am planning to drive from Chennai to Tellicherry in the first week of June with a stop over at Bangalore.
I will probably start at 7 am from Koramangala and would like to take the most scenic route.

Google Maps is giving me the following options :

1) Mysore -> Hunsur -> Gonikoppal -> Irrity -> Kuthuparamba -> Tellicherry
2) Mysore -> Nisna (Nagarhole) -> Manathavady -> Nadapuram -> Tellicherry
3) Mysore -> Gundulupete -> Bandipur -> Sultanbathery -> Thottipalam -> Tellicherry


Experts please suggest the most scenic route with minimum traffic and good roads.

Thankyou

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by Vampirevipin

Hi all,

I am planning to drive from Chennai to Tellicherry in the first week of June with a stop over at Bangalore.
I will probably start at 7 am from Koramangala and would like to take the most scenic route.

Experts please suggest the most scenic route with minimum traffic and good roads.

Thankyou

If your weightage is more on good roads, less traffic and easier to drive route, the choice is straightforward: Mysore-Hunsur-Gonikkoppa-Kuttupuzha-Iritty-Thalassery (Between Iritty & Thalassey, road work is going on in some small stretches, most of the stretch is completed)

Route via Nagarhole is right through the national park, hence you cover more forest stretch. Roads used to be narrow with uneven surface a few years back, but I have not driven through recently. You can definitely expect narrow roads.

If choosing this option, no need to go via. Nadapuram from Mananthavady. You can take Boys Town - Nedumpoyil - Kannavam - Kuthuparamba - Thalassery. From boys town to Nedumpoyil, there are two ghat routes - either via Palchuram-Kottiyoor or via Periya peak. Kottiyoor ghats (Palchuram) is shorter but steeper, climb down wont be much of a challenge. Though nedumpoyil - kuthuparamba is shown as a smaller road in GMaps, it is a very good road and much shorter(That is actually the Thalassery - Bavali highway)

There is nothing special in the Bandipur route, you will find more traffic and it is much longer and takes +1.5 to 2 hrs

HD Kote - Bavali is another option with more forest stretch. But I have not driven recently to know the condition.

For the options please refer my earlier post below:

Originally Posted by MSAneesh

It depends on what you describe scenic as! The regular Bangalore Kannur route is 'diverse' at least. It has 4 lane divided highway, undivided highway, village roads, a little bit of forest stretch, a ghat section and some heavier traffic kerala roads as you approach Kannur. The driving time is around 7 hours and traffic is usually sparse if you plan the Mysore road stretch time well.
Regular route is Bangalore - Srirangapatana (bypass Mysore) – Yelawala – Hunsur – Gonikkuppa - Bittangala(Bypass Virajpet) – Makkootta – Koottupuzha – Iritty – Mattannur – Kannur. Roads are good pretty much throughout till Kerala, except for a 7 KM stretch from Thithimathi to Gonikkuppa which has some potholes. In Kerala, roadwork is on, but nothing to worry about.

Alternate routes you can check out at are below. These have more forest stretches, but have night traffic restrictions. Map it out to check.

Alternate 1
Bangalore - Mysore – Hampapura – HD Kote handpost(Heggadadevanakote) – Bavali – Kattikulam - Mananthavady – Boys Town - (Periya – Nedumpoyil – Kannavam – Koothuparamba -Kannur)/(Kottiyoor - Peravoor - Iritty - Mattannur - Kannur)

Alternate 2
Bangalore – Srirangapatana (bypass Mysore) – Yelawala – Hunsur – Nagarhole – Murukal – Kutta – kattikulam – Mananthavady – rest as above

Alternate 3 - Longer, via Bandipur - Nothing much special here though
Bangalore – Mysore – Nanjangud – Gundelpet – Muthanga – Sultan Bathery – Panamaram – Mananthavady – rest as above

PS: All routes except Hunsur - Gonikuppa has night travel restrictions.
Update from previous post - The potholes in Thithimathi-Gonikuppa stretch is all filled up now. Iritty-Mattannur-Kpba-Thalassery stretch is also much more complete. There are still small section where work is happening, nothing to worry much.

[Vampirevipin]

Thank you so much MSAneesh

Based on your suggestion, is the following option OK?
Bangalore -> Mysore -> Hunsur -> Nagarhole -> Manathavady -> Tellicherry

Is it worth doing the extra kms/travel time? if the roads aren't rough and if there's not much traffic then i wouldn't mind travelling the extra kms to pass through a forest

Thank you

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by Vampirevipin

Thank you so much MSAneesh

Based on your suggestion, is the following option OK?
Bangalore -> Mysore -> Hunsur -> Nagarhole -> Manathavady -> Tellicherry

Is it worth doing the extra kms/travel time? if the roads aren't rough and if there's not much traffic then i wouldn't mind travelling the extra kms to pass through a forest

Thank you

You can bypass Mysore by taking Srirangapatana - Yelawala road. GMap shows this as the default route, so you will not miss.

Via Nagarhole, it is 30 KMs and may be ~2 hrs extra, but I think it will be worth. Unfortunately, I have not driven through this road anytime recently, so absolutely no information on the road condition, especially the Hunsur-Nagarhole-Kattikulam section. Within the forest stretch, there used to be a couple of small intersections where you get confused whether to take left or right. Not sure if there are signboards now, so keep the maps on/have a good idea of the road upfront.

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by Vampirevipin

Thank you so much MSAneesh

Based on your suggestion, is the following option OK?
Bangalore -> Mysore -> Hunsur -> Nagarhole -> Manathavady -> Tellicherry

Is it worth doing the extra kms/travel time? if the roads aren't rough and if there's not much traffic then i wouldn't mind travelling the extra kms to pass through a forest

Thank you

Did you take Nagarhole route on this trip? How is the road conditions?

[Vampirevipin]

Hi,

I had a wonderful time driving through the route. I shall update the details soon.

Vipin

[kbiswal]

Last week I recently completed a trip from Bangalore to Kannur with my family. We took the default path :

Bangalore - Srirangapatana (bypass Mysore) – Yelawala – Hunsur – Gonikkuppa - Bittangala(Bypass Virajpet) – Makkootta – Koottupuzha – Iritty – Mattannur – Kannur

Roads were in good condition throughout ( a few very minor road repairs - nothing of concern though).

We stayed at the Malabar Beach Resort in Kannur, a property located at the Thottada beach front. We had very good experience throughout - the access was almost like a private beach. Service and rooms were very good (we went for the villa option).

https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Rev...ct_Kerala.html

By the way on the way to Kannur and back we tried the Amrutha Bouffage Family restaurant at Hunsur that was recommended by other bhp'ers earlier in this thread and we had good experience (Food quality, ambience, cost and service).

[balenoed_]

Bad news.

Yesterday I traveled via Makkuta ghat and it was raining heavily and we could pass through. But later in the night there occurred a landslide and the road was blocked. Vehicles were diverted via Mananthavady route. I believe the road will be closed again for a long time for repairs.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Bad news.

Yesterday I traveled via Makkuta ghat and it was raining heavily and we could pass through. But later in the night there occurred a landslide and the road was blocked. Vehicles were diverted via Mananthavady route. I believe the road will be closed again for a long time for repairs.

Closed after a landslide near Methiyadipara Hanuman temple as per reports. There is forecast for heavy rains for next 4-5 days in that area. So could well inflict more damage. As per many , there were a lot of precariously positioned trees and a landslide was imminent any time.

[Anoopscv]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Closed after a landslide near Methiyadipara Hanuman temple as per reports. There is forecast for heavy rains for next 4-5 days in that area. So could well inflict more damage. As per many , there were a lot of precariously positioned trees and a landslide was imminent any time.

Seems it will take weeks to get repaired.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgbsLQLRoUc

[balenoed_]

They got one full year to build whatever was needed and provide a permanent solution to this. Looks like they slept on it and see the situation again.

[Anoopscv]

I am planning to travel to Kannur on this Thursday.

Since the regular route is closed now, which is the best alternate route to Kannur?
From the previous posts, I see below routes, which I never tried.

Route1: Mysore – Hampapura – HD Kote handpost(Heggadadevanakote) – Bavali – Kattikulam - Mananthavady – Boys Town - (Periya – Nedumpoyil – Kannavam – Koothuparamba -Kannur)/(Kottiyoor - Peravoor - Iritty - Mattannur - Kannur)

Route2: Srirangapatana (bypass Mysore) – Yelawala – Hunsur – Nagarhole – Murukal – Kutta – kattikulam – Mananthavady – rest as above.

Anyone of us tried these routes recently? How is the road condition?

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by Anoopscv

Route1: Mysore – Hampapura – HD Kote handpost(Heggadadevanakote) – Bavali – Kattikulam - Mananthavady – Boys Town - (Periya – Nedumpoyil – Kannavam – Koothuparamba -Kannur)/(Kottiyoor - Peravoor - Iritty - Mattannur - Kannur)

Route2: Srirangapatana (bypass Mysore) – Yelawala – Hunsur – Nagarhole – Murukal – Kutta – kattikulam – Mananthavady – rest as above.

Anyone of us tried these routes recently? How is the road condition?

HDkote- Bavali route would have better roads among the two. heard that roads inside Nagarhole forest on the Hunsur-Kutta are not that great, driveable though.
Also remember, the forest stretches on both routes remain closed from 6PM to 6AM.