Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty : Route Queries

subirdas · 13th October 2015, 23:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

No matter what, at least for destinations like Ooty it always makes sense to book and go. The tourist inrush during vacation (long/short) can be quite heavy.

Thanks ampere, FuelInjector, kala - all the odds are stacking up in favour of your advice to book hotels in advance, which I would look to finalise shortly.

sansvk · 17th October 2015, 20:34

I will travelling to Ooty next week and would be skipping Mysore.The route would be through Kollegal and Gundulpet. Need advise on where to refuel if required. Any trusted bunks in Ooty?

SunnyBoi · 17th October 2015, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansvk

Need advise on where to refuel if required. Any trusted bunks in Ooty?

There is a HP bunk on the left as you near Ooty, it is easily recognisable as there are two levels. Google Map link is below :

https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/...4449fefcd855d5

sumeshmani · 18th October 2015, 13:58

I travelled to Coonoor and Ooty last week. Here is the route update.

Onwards Journey:
Bangalore - NICE road (Hosur Rd) - Kanakapura - Chamrajnagar - Sathyamangalam (did not enter town) - BhavaniSagar Dam - Mettupalayam - Coonoor

99% of the roads are in excellent condition. It was a peaceful drive. Chamrajnagar was crowded and slowed me down.
Had lunch at BhavaniSagar. Tasty fish fry available here.

On the stretch from Mettupalayam to Coonoor I came across lot of rash drivers. Combination of winding roads and such drivers meant I had to be on my toes.

Return Journey:
Oory - Masinagudi - Bandipur - Gundelpet - Chamrajnagar - Kanakapura - NICE Road (Hosur Rd) - Bangalore

95% of this route is again excellent.

The bad raods start about 2KM before Masinagudi and continues for some distance. A combination of narrow and bad roads slowed me down.
More so with vehicles coming from opposite side.

Things improved after I enter Bandipur forest stretch.

Few more stretches of bad road were encountered on the Gundelpet - Chamrajnagar section. By bad I mean patchy. No "surprise" potholes.
Did struggle to find a good place to have lunch.

Other Stuff:
Roads between Coonoor and Ooty are also in good condition.
I started late from Ooty. More delay was introduced by a fallen tree. I must say that authorities of Ooty cleared the tree very quickly.

NPV · 18th October 2015, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

Did struggle to find a good place to have lunch.

On the Bandipur route there are few restaurants near Jungle Lodges JLR but a safe bet is their restaurant called Pugmarks.
Or at Gundlupet you have DeShell (Misty Rock) and a new Nijaguna Resorts.

sumeshmani · 18th October 2015, 17:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by NPV

On the Bandipur route there are few restaurants near Jungle Lodges JLR but a safe bet is their restaurant called Pugmarks.
Or at Gundlupet you have DeShell (Misty Rock) and a new Nijaguna Resorts.

The thing is I was past Chamarajanagar by lunch time and somehow from that point onwards I just could not find anything good. Waiting till Kanakapura would mean a very late lunch.

sansvk · 18th October 2015, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

There is a HP bunk on the left as you near Ooty, it is easily recognisable as there are two levels. Google Map link is below :

https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/...4449fefcd855d5

Thank you, that helps.

fast_elegance · 22nd October 2015, 01:34

I had been to Ooty and back the past weekend i.e. Oct 17th, 18th.

Started on Saturday morning at 6 from Bannerghatta Road and reached Ooty at 1 PM.

Route taken: Bangalore - Mysore - Nanjangud - Gundlupet - Bandipur - Masinagudi - kalhatty ghat - Ooty.

Took the same route in reverse for the return journey. Decided to start at 6AM on Monday to beat the Sunday rush and reached Bangalore at 1 PM.

Roads are good throughout. Few deviations between Nanjangud and Gundlupet for road widening. Almost 80% of the work is completed. Widened roads are not marked yet. There is a small patch in the Bandipur forest area that is filled with pot holes. Rest of the route is smooth. Also watch out for pot holes under the trees in the stretch between Gundlupet and Bandipur.

There is a new veg restaurant Nijaguna that has opened in Gundlupet. Had breakfast during our return here and was good. Has spacious parking and clean rest rooms.

There is a BP fuel station between Ooty and Coonoor. They accept cards as well.

FuelInjector · 22nd October 2015, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansvk

Need advise on where to refuel if required. Any trusted bunks in Ooty?

i normally refuel at Hill bunk petrol pump. thats pretty close to Taj savoy on the pykara road. Ingress and egress is also extremely smooth compared to few other claustrophobic fuel stations there.

sansvk · 23rd October 2015, 11:10

Reached Ooty yesterday, took the BLR-Kollegal-Gundulpet-Masinagudi-Ooty route. Roads till Bandipur are OK, except for the narrow roads in Kollegal. Had breakfast had Nijaguna in Chamarajnagar, slow service and average food quality as its been for years. Stretch from theppakadu to the foothills of the climb is narrow. A few inexperienced drivers struggled at the first hairpin causing a minor jam. Refuelled at the hill bunk as suggested by Sunnyboi.

couswheels · 24th October 2015, 11:25

Being monsoon season for TamilNadu, is it worth visiting Bandipur during mid November ? Would it be raining in Bandipur too and any animal sighting possible ? Do understand sighting big cat is purely based on luck. Planning to stay in Bandipur JLR.

Appreciate your views. TIA

sansvk · 25th October 2015, 21:24

Back to Bangalore from Ooty. Took the Kollegal route to avoid Mysore and it was one hell of a ride. Traffic was diverted near Kollegal to avoid those narrow streets.Hence vehicles from Chamarajnagar had to take a left and go through some village roads to reach Kollegal town. Then the bridge across Kaveri before Malavalli was jammed due to heavy traffic. It took 30 mins to cross the bridge. Then it was a continuous stream of vehicles towards Bangalore. Surely it might have been a better option than Mysore road, but certainly a few lessons learnt on what not to do on a longish weekend.

mpksuhas · 26th October 2015, 00:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by couswheels

Being monsoon season for TamilNadu

It is not rainy season as such in Bandipur. Though summer is best season for sightings, tigers tend to roam around more in winter since its mating season.
This increase your chance of spotting big cats.

msdivy · 26th October 2015, 09:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansvk

Back to Bangalore from Ooty. Took the Kollegal route to avoid Mysore and it was one hell of a ride. Traffic was diverted near Kollegal to avoid those narrow streets.Hence vehicles from Chamarajnagar had to take a left and go through some village roads to reach Kollegal town. Then the bridge across Kaveri before Malavalli was jammed due to heavy traffic. It took 30 mins to cross the bridge. Then it was a continuous stream of vehicles towards Bangalore. Surely it might have been a better option than Mysore road, but certainly a few lessons learnt on what not to do on a longish weekend.

Yesterday it took me 1 hour just to cross Channapatna town on regular Mysore Bangalore road. How was the traffic from Malavalli to Bangalore? I was thinking of taking of taking this road yesterday.

sachinpk · 26th October 2015, 10:38

A malayalam news paper reported that the night traffic ban in the Bandipur forest was a disaster yesterday. Vehicles got piled up, and drivers just drove on through the forest road. The forest guards were in minimum strength and they could just look on. One officer was also bashed up by the vehicle owners/drivers.

PS: May be yesterday was an exception, but hope this trend of ganging up and bashing up forest officials is not going to happen every day. As it is KA government has been very adamant on banning the night traffic. Now if their folks gets based up, they may also retaliate in multiple ways and means.

17th October 2015, 20:34	#1217
sansvk BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 583 Thanked: 282 Times	I will travelling to Ooty next week and would be skipping Mysore.The route would be through Kollegal and Gundulpet. Need advise on where to refuel if required. Any trusted bunks in Ooty?
	() Thanks

18th October 2015, 13:58	#1219
sumeshmani BHPian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: bangalore Posts: 478 Thanked: 111 Times	re: Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty : Route Queries I travelled to Coonoor and Ooty last week. Here is the route update. Onwards Journey: Bangalore - NICE road (Hosur Rd) - Kanakapura - Chamrajnagar - Sathyamangalam (did not enter town) - BhavaniSagar Dam - Mettupalayam - Coonoor 99% of the roads are in excellent condition. It was a peaceful drive. Chamrajnagar was crowded and slowed me down. Had lunch at BhavaniSagar. Tasty fish fry available here. On the stretch from Mettupalayam to Coonoor I came across lot of rash drivers. Combination of winding roads and such drivers meant I had to be on my toes. Return Journey: Oory - Masinagudi - Bandipur - Gundelpet - Chamrajnagar - Kanakapura - NICE Road (Hosur Rd) - Bangalore 95% of this route is again excellent. The bad raods start about 2KM before Masinagudi and continues for some distance. A combination of narrow and bad roads slowed me down. More so with vehicles coming from opposite side. Things improved after I enter Bandipur forest stretch. Few more stretches of bad road were encountered on the Gundelpet - Chamrajnagar section. By bad I mean patchy. No "surprise" potholes. Did struggle to find a good place to have lunch. Other Stuff: Roads between Coonoor and Ooty are also in good condition. I started late from Ooty. More delay was introduced by a fallen tree. I must say that authorities of Ooty cleared the tree very quickly.
	() Thanks

22nd October 2015, 01:34	#1223
fast_elegance BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mangalore/Bangalore Posts: 451 Thanked: 267 Times View My Garage	re: Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty : Route Queries I had been to Ooty and back the past weekend i.e. Oct 17th, 18th. Started on Saturday morning at 6 from Bannerghatta Road and reached Ooty at 1 PM. Route taken: Bangalore - Mysore - Nanjangud - Gundlupet - Bandipur - Masinagudi - kalhatty ghat - Ooty. Took the same route in reverse for the return journey. Decided to start at 6AM on Monday to beat the Sunday rush and reached Bangalore at 1 PM. Roads are good throughout. Few deviations between Nanjangud and Gundlupet for road widening. Almost 80% of the work is completed. Widened roads are not marked yet. There is a small patch in the Bandipur forest area that is filled with pot holes. Rest of the route is smooth. Also watch out for pot holes under the trees in the stretch between Gundlupet and Bandipur. There is a new veg restaurant Nijaguna that has opened in Gundlupet. Had breakfast during our return here and was good. Has spacious parking and clean rest rooms. There is a BP fuel station between Ooty and Coonoor. They accept cards as well. Last edited by fast_elegance : 22nd October 2015 at 01:38. Reason: additional details
	(1) Thanks

23rd October 2015, 11:10	#1225
sansvk BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 583 Thanked: 282 Times	Reached Ooty yesterday, took the BLR-Kollegal-Gundulpet-Masinagudi-Ooty route. Roads till Bandipur are OK, except for the narrow roads in Kollegal. Had breakfast had Nijaguna in Chamarajnagar, slow service and average food quality as its been for years. Stretch from theppakadu to the foothills of the climb is narrow. A few inexperienced drivers struggled at the first hairpin causing a minor jam. Refuelled at the hill bunk as suggested by Sunnyboi.
	() Thanks

24th October 2015, 11:25	#1226
couswheels BHPian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Chennai Posts: 240 Thanked: 163 Times	re: Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty : Route Queries Being monsoon season for TamilNadu, is it worth visiting Bandipur during mid November ? Would it be raining in Bandipur too and any animal sighting possible ? Do understand sighting big cat is purely based on luck. Planning to stay in Bandipur JLR. Appreciate your views. TIA
	() Thanks

25th October 2015, 21:24	#1227
sansvk BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 583 Thanked: 282 Times	Back to Bangalore from Ooty. Took the Kollegal route to avoid Mysore and it was one hell of a ride. Traffic was diverted near Kollegal to avoid those narrow streets.Hence vehicles from Chamarajnagar had to take a left and go through some village roads to reach Kollegal town. Then the bridge across Kaveri before Malavalli was jammed due to heavy traffic. It took 30 mins to cross the bridge. Then it was a continuous stream of vehicles towards Bangalore. Surely it might have been a better option than Mysore road, but certainly a few lessons learnt on what not to do on a longish weekend.
	(1) Thanks

26th October 2015, 10:38	#1230
sachinpk Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,557 Thanked: 1,410 Times	re: Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty : Route Queries A malayalam news paper reported that the night traffic ban in the Bandipur forest was a disaster yesterday. Vehicles got piled up, and drivers just drove on through the forest road. The forest guards were in minimum strength and they could just look on. One officer was also bashed up by the vehicle owners/drivers. PS: May be yesterday was an exception, but hope this trend of ganging up and bashing up forest officials is not going to happen every day. As it is KA government has been very adamant on banning the night traffic. Now if their folks gets based up, they may also retaliate in multiple ways and means.
	() Thanks