[Innysta]

Hi All, Planning to do Chennai to Western ghats Karnataka side trip and below is the trip plan. Need help in route planning from Hampi to Karwar leg. There are two options i'm thinking of. First one is based on google map suggestion (looks like usual route) and the Second one i'm finding is through "Kadra dam" for a assuming it's more scenic route. Below are the routes in google map. Can you please share your inputs?

Option1: Hubli – Karwar road via. Yellapur – Baleguli (Via NH52) – 353km (7hrs 12 min)


Option2: After Yelapur, Chinnapur – take right – Kadra dam – Karwar (Via NH67) – 352km (7 hrs 5 min)


Below is the overall route plan, welcome your suggestions here as well.


Thanks

[narayans80]

The second route looks like going via Dandeli, which is a destination in itself over Karwar.

Don't see any use in Jog Falls though. Only time its worth is when Linganamakki gates are opened after a generous monsoon.

Madras-Hospet and Madikeri-Madras are easily doable.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Innysta

Hi All, Planning to do Chennai to Western ghats Karnataka side trip and below is the trip plan. Need help in route planning from Hampi to Karwar leg. There are two options i'm thinking of. First one is based on google map suggestion (looks like usual route) and the Second one i'm finding is through "Kadra dam" for a assuming it's more scenic route. Below are the routes in google map. Can you please share your inputs?

If you are referring to the Yellapur-Kadra road, please note these are interior roads. When you are driving long distances to destination, I wont advice interior roads. if you were planning to stay for explore, then probabably for an hour or 2 you can explore these places. But not when you are cruching 100s of miles.

Also note Kadra-Karwar have roads on both of sides of Kali. The Anshi side is the better of two bad roads! Dont know how the conditions are these days. Kadra has not many food options. There used to a Subadhra hotel year back. Not sure if its still or how good/run-down it is.

Overall I would still suggest take the Ankola road.

On the return path besides Jog you do have other places to see besides Jog which Narayan said may not have the flow. You can plan stay in Sirsi or Sagar and go around. Winter would be nice time to drive around these place. But please just dont drive! Plan a stay and go around!

[Innysta]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Don't see any use in Jog Falls though. Only time its worth is when Linganamakki gates are opened after a generous monsoon.

Thought of staying in JLR-Sharawati hoping to see the full flow of Jog falls. Won't it not be the case? Please recommend good accomodation with veg. food.

Originally Posted by narayans80

Madras-Hospet and Madikeri-Madras are easily doable.

Madras-Hospet; Madikeri-Madras: Google map suggests via. Chitoor road and joins at Ranipet. Is that the best option. Also, plan to start at Madras around 1pm and if all goes well, reaching hospet at 12am - is that feasible?

Originally Posted by ampere

Overall I would still suggest take the Ankola road.
On the return path besides Jog you do have other places to see besides Jog which Narayan said may not have the flow. You can plan stay in Sirsi or Sagar and go around. **But please just dont drive! Plan a stay and go around!**

Sirsi/Sagar - Are they about nature, hills? and some water sports for the kids is what we're going after. In each of the places, we'll stay at least for a night. Please recommend good accomodation with veg. food.

@narayan, @ampere: Do you recommend Dudhsagar instead of Jog falls?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Innysta

Thought of staying in JLR-Sharawati hoping to see the full flow of Jog falls. Won't it not be the case? Please recommend good accomodation with veg. food.

The full flow happened on 2nd August this year, and won't happen until the next generous SWM season rains (not necessarily next year) like this year.

Madras-Hospet; Madikeri-Madras: Google map suggests via. Chitoor road and joins at Ranipet. Is that the best option. Also, plan to start at Madras around 1pm and if all goes well, reaching hospet at 12am - is that feasible?

I'll budget 12 hours for Hospet-Madras. Did a 8 am to 8 pm drive when with traffic Ranipet-Madras was in disastrous state. Not done a Madikeri-Madras drive on trot, but done Hassan-Madras (and vice versa) few times in 9 hours. So Madikeri-Madras in 12 hours is possible.

Given the nonsensical speed breaker nonsense on Krishnagiri-Hosur. Taking STRR-Chiittoor is a better evil. It might be a Vellore-Chittoor drive, not a Ranipet-Chittoor drive, going by how we were redirected in July and followup posts in the Madras - Bangalore thread.

[Innysta]

Dandeli to Coorg via Belur (to visit Chennakeshava Swamy Temple) - Google map shows 3 routes and i'm choosing route1 because of its scenery. Does it have good roads? will be travelling in day time.

Route1 (SH57): Dandeli-Bhagavati-Yellapur-Sirsi-Shiralakoppa-Shivmoga-Chikmagalur
Route2 (SH76): Dandeli-Dharwad-Hubli-Devanagare-Devarahalli-Birur-Chimagalur
Route3 (SH47, SH73): Dandeli-Dharwad-Hubli-Anagodu-Banavara-Hebbal

Please suggest places to see around Hampi, Badami and Dandeli.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Innysta

@narayan, @ampere: Do you recommend Dudhsagar instead of Jog falls?

There is trekking/walk involved to Dudhsagar I think. Dont know if you can drive to this place.


As for Dandeli to Madikeri via Belur I would suggest:

Hubli-Davanagere-Kadur-Chikkamagulur-Belur

Belur-Hasan-Arkalgud-Ramnathpura-Periyatna-Madikeri.

[Innysta]

Originally Posted by ampere

There is trekking/walk involved to Dudhsagar I think. Dont know if you can drive to this place.

Plan to stay at JLR - Kali adventure camp. How can we go to Dudhsagar waterfall - do we need to go by local jeeps and then trek?

Originally Posted by ampere

As for Dandeli to Madikeri via Belur I would suggest: Hubli-Davanagere-Kadur-Chikkamagulur-Belur

I thought of going via. Sirsi for picturesque surroundings.

Originally Posted by ampere

Belur-Hasan-Arkalgud-Ramnathpura-Periyatna-Madikeri.

Objective is to go through hilly route with lush greenery. With this, do you recommend going by Sakleshpur?

[Innysta]

Completed the trip in below sequence, was 2500km trip with 14kmpl average mileage in Crysta 2.4 GX

Day1: Chennai-Ranipet-Kolar-STRR-Dobasspet-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Hampi (680km, 11hrs)
Road status:

1. Chennai-Ranipet (3.5/5) with few deviations
2. Ranipet-Chitoor (3/5) - narrow road in few places within a km which makes it tough to negotiate place for opp. vehicle to pass. With Rains, Night drive and Weekend combo, advises strict NO and its better to avoid.
3. Chitoor-Tumkur (4.5/5)
4. Tumkur-Chitradurga (4.5/5) with few bad patches and truck traffic till Coorg traffic splits
5. Chitradurga-Hampi (5/5)

Day3: Hampi-Surla in Goa (321km, 7hrs)
Road status:

1. Hampi-Hubli (5/5)
2. Hubli-Darwad (2.5/5) with sudden potholes, too much of truck/bike traffic, doing 70-80kmph is a task
3. Darwad-Anmod ghat (1/5) - No roads at all. Full of craters and some signs of road exist here and there..
4. Anmod ghat-Surla (4/5) - watch out for the deep trench (long depth trench between road surface and drain channel formed naturally) on left side to your vehicle, you can't get the vehicle back once trapped

Day4: Surla-Dandeli (81km, 2.5 hrs)
Road status:

1. Surla-Castlerock-Jagalbet route (3/5) - Here too, many potholes till Asu Jn. but rated 3/5 because of almost nil opp.traffic, 1 bike at every 15-20min
2. If you are trusting your machine, then this is one of the routes you enjoy stress-free drive

Day5: Dandeli-Devbagh (102km, 3hrs)
Road status:
Dandeli-Anshi National park-Devbagh (2.5/5) - Same as above. Very sparse traffic and another stress-free enjoyable drive till you hit Kadra dam, more potholes than Surla-Dandeli route.

Day6: Devbagh-Coorg (410km, 8hrs).
Road status:

1. Usual west coast route by-passing Murdeshwar, Maravanthe, Udupi, Mangalore, Puttur, Coorg (4.5/5 till Udupi, 2/5 from Mangalore-Puttur, 4.5/5 from Puttur-Coorg)
2. Not sure why Mangalore city officials doesn't care about craters on NH, such an eyesore. Mangalore-Puttur: Road widening in-progress makes it to drive on single lane, slush roads with heavy traffic.

Day8: Coorg-Chennai (570km, 11 hrs)
Road status:

1. Coorg-Hunsur-Srirangapatna-Nice road-Hosur-Vellore-Sriperumpudur-Mudichur-Tambaram (4/5)
2. Didn't experience any issue with the rumblers between Hosur-Krishnagiri. There are bridge constructions going on in 2 places at Hosur and others en-route till Sriperumpudur, should be easy one on non-peak time

Thanks a lot to the forum members for the guidance.