[vandemanw]

Originally Posted by sridhar24

Has anyone travelled very recently on the above 2 routes via Channarayapatna and via mysore? Are the roads good after these heavy rains or have they taken any beating? I would appreciate any updates.

You can consider coming back to Bangalore via somwarpet-Shanivarsanthe. Very scenic route compared to the one via Kushalnagar with sparse traffic Just 5 kms more in distance, with lots of twists and turns. Tarmac is mostly ok except for a few stretches near shanivarsanthe. Can join back the usual route at Arkalgud. No real difference in timing between the two routes.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by sridhar24

Has anyone travelled very recently on the above 2 routes via Channarayapatna and via mysore? Are the roads good after these heavy rains or have they taken any beating? I would appreciate any updates.

I drove to Coorg this weekend (just yesterday), and did a longish circuit with several roads. In general, the roads are full of potholes and are bumpy. You have to be very careful if you are driving a sedan. Some sections of the road are beautiful, but some sections are quite painful.

I found the roads from CR Patana to Holenarsipura to be very bad close to Holenarsipura. The few km near Holenarsipura were a nightmare for me to handle in a sedan. Huge potholes, speedbreakers with broken edges and water puddles formed in those broken edges, and lot of traffic tailgating you and making it had to navigate those bad section. One has to be extremely careful here.

After Holenarsipura, till Arkalagudu and beyond the roads are not as bad - but still bumpy with several potholes here and there. In general one has to be very careful.

The roads are driveable even in a sedan, so not a major problem, but one has to be very careful and prepared to handle some bad sections.

Originally Posted by vandemanw

You can consider coming back to Bangalore via somwarpet-Shanivarsanthe. Very scenic route compared to the one via Kushalnagar with sparse traffic Just 5 kms more in distance, with lots of twists and turns. Tarmac is mostly ok except for a few stretches near shanivarsanthe.

I came back this route yesterday. I agree it is scenic. But the tarmac is not OK. There are plenty of potholes and bumpy sections all around. The smooth tarmac sections are just about 25% of this route. Remaining 75% are bumpy with potholes. It was a slow drive for me on this road.

[rustyg]

Depending on which part of Coorg you are travelling to / from - couple options open up.
Having partially relocated to Kodagu- I frequently travel between South Coorg (near Virajpet) and Bangalore (Near Marathahalli) and return during last 1 year.
Infact have travelled 4 times during last month or so.

Here are all 4 and my recommendations - especially considering Monsoon season vs other seasons.

Route 1- Google Maps Links- Route 1
South Coorg - Piriyapatna - Ramanathapura - Arakalagud - Holanarasipura - CR Patna - Nelamangala - Bangalore
Pros-
1) Works better for / from madikeri and North Coorg than South Coorg,
2) Some good Country Side scenic drive - Considering Piriyapatna to Holanarasipura being very productive areas given the abundant water sources and rain, higher water table, and climate lot of agricultural activities dealing in Veggies and Fruits can be seen on this route . Lot of green grow tent structures.
Cons-
1) Roads from interiors of villages and can be unplanned obstructions - like cattle in leisure mood, private Road Humps
2) Wont recommend after bout of heavy rains- interior roads can be broken some places;
3) more toll on Hassan- B'lore highway

Route 2- Route 2, 3 and 4 are in map pic below

South Coorg (Gonikoppa, Virajpet etc) - Hunsur - Yelawala - KRS - Aralukuppe/ haravu - Pandavapura - Nagamangala -Hit NH75 after Belur Cross - Kunigal - Nelamangala - B'lore
Pros-
1) Works well for South Coorg,
2) Mostly good road and not crowded with Wannabe Hamiltons,
3) Works Better post rains- I travelled on this today and considering submerged Mysor-Blore Highway at places and more rain warning - this route works best. Took 5 hr 10 mins from Gonikoppa to Marathahalli.
Not Cons but points to note-
1) Bad stretch of roads near Haravau and Aralukuppe - this 2-3 Kms seems to be under construction from last 10 months and nothing done - Apart from speed cut- nothing bad even for my Low- GC sedan;
2) narrow and secluded interior and Village roads for 10-15 kms - from yelawala to KRS, 3) Non-authorized toll collection by local Village youths near KRS - I am pretty sure it is not authorized and they earn buck for local politician or someone.
To Note - When travelling with family plan bio-break at Yelawala (1 Udupi and Ashirwaad Restaurant at the turn) and then multiple options once you hit NH75. You wont get anything in between.

Route 3 - - Discussed to dust multiple times - Mysore highway - bypassing Mysore. This is shortest , and soon will be best route when 10-lane highway is ready (or is it 8-lane). Multiple food, break options.
NOTE- I personally dont prefer Srirangapatna bypass road and rather take Mysire ring road and take turn at Columbia Asia. Internal road is broken more often.

Route 4 - Go till Columbia Asia on Ring road and then proceed to Kanakapura via Malavalli - Harohalli an hit Nice Road at Kanakapura road.
NOTES-
1) Longest route, Preferable only when Mysore road is packed (read long weekends and prime time) , Want a leisure drive with limited overtaking and being overtaken (but Un-Caped heroes can come anywhere ) .
2) Read your map and major turns before hand- Google Maps Over-dependent people can find themselves directed to some broken an bad road as per some absurd algo at runtime,
3) Very limited bio-break and eating options with family- In fact it's a long long stretch at times (and as per Murphy law- you wont find a decent place when you are twitching your legs or your kid is shouting ultimatums on your ears)....

[chetancm7]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I drove to Coorg this weekend (just yesterday), and did a longish circuit with several roads. In general, the roads are full of potholes and are bumpy. You have to be very careful if you are driving a sedan. Some sections of the road are beautiful, but some sections are quite painful.

I intend to travel next week to Madikeri, do you still suggest to take the Arkalgud-Ramnathpura-Kushalanagar-Madikeri route given the recent state of the Bangalore Mysore highway?
Any suggestions are welcome

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by chetancm7

I intend to travel next week to Madikeri, do you still suggest to take the Arkalgud-Ramnathpura-Kushalanagar-Madikeri route given the recent state of the Bangalore Mysore highway?
Any suggestions are welcome

Arkalagugu-Ramnathpura-Kushalnagar-Madikeri is fine (except for the random potholes which are there almost on any road now after the heavy rains), and as long you drive carefully, it should be fine. This is anyways the best road to reach Madikeri in the current situation.

Starting from Bangalore, the most natural route will be Hassan Highway (NH75), and take Kunigal-CR Patna-Holenarsipura-Arkalagudu road. This avoids Bangalore-Mysore highway altogether. And then from Arkalagudu, follow the above route which you had in mind.

However, Channarayapatna to Holenarsipura is a bad section filled with potholes and that you will have to manage before you reach Arkalagudu. Again, nothing serious that can not be managed, but you have to drive carefully and watch out for the potholes and speedbreakers, especially if you are driving a sedan. In case you are driving a SUV, then this road is not a problem at all.

[chetancm7]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Arkalagugu-Ramnathpura-Kushalnagar-Madikeri is fine (except for the random potholes which are there almost on any road now after the heavy rains), and as long you drive carefully, it should be fine. This is anyways the best road to reach Madikeri in the current situation.

Thank you so much, my only concern on this stretch was timings, earlier I had planned to leave Bangalore around 4 p.m.(after my daughters school). But given the current rain scenario intending to revisit the plan by starting morning 9 a.m. so that any such bad stretches can be managed in my Sonet.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by chetancm7

Thank you so much, my only concern on this stretch was timings, earlier I had planned to leave Bangalore around 4 p.m.(after my daughters school). But given the current rain scenario intending to revisit the plan by starting morning 9 a.m. so that any such bad stretches can be managed in my Sonet.

I would certainly not suggest starting at 4pm in the current weather and road conditions. It would be quite risky to tackle these roads in the dark and even worse if it rains (heavy evening/night rains are quite common in that area in this season). Good that you are reconsidering that.

In fact, the ideal start time from Bangalore is around 6am so that you avoid a lot of morning traffic. With 9am start, you will spend precious hours just getting out of Bangalore and fighting all the peak city traffic.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by chetancm7

Thank you so much, my only concern on this stretch was timings, earlier I had planned to leave Bangalore around 4 p.m.(after my daughters school). But given the current rain scenario intending to revisit the plan by starting morning 9 a.m. so that any such bad stretches can be managed in my Sonet.

Like AD says; dont do that. start very early to be at CR Patna say by 6/7AM. You can visit some places on the way too like the Gorur dam or the temple at Mavanikere. They can be easily covered too.

[rustyg]

Originally Posted by chetancm7

I intend to travel next week to Madikeri, do you still suggest to take the Arkalgud-Ramnathpura-Kushalanagar-Madikeri route given the recent state of the Bangalore Mysore highway?
Any suggestions are welcome

You may want to explore through NH75 -- Nagamangala -- Pandavapura - KRSYelawala if starting early- As you will be hitting the 10-15 km bad stretch well after Pandavapura and hence 2.5-3 hrs in to your journey and will bypass whole Mysore rd. There is Melukote Temple (Cheluvanarayana Temple) enroute - albiet with some steps to ascend.

[sumannandy]

Arkalgud to Ramnathpura to the point where it joins madikeri road is a toll road and is in good shape. Holenasirpura to arkalgud stretch has some potholes but nothing major.

I drove in this route last week. Bangalore to Arkalgud is possible in 3 hours with break.

On return I was driving back from Mangalore via Madikeri. Roads are in very good shape. It was dark and raining very heavily, with fog in the pockets where rain was not there. However it was not an issue since roads were good.

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

Then after Shanivarasanthe, took Vanagoor -> Kumbur instead of direct SH8 to Somwarapete.

I know I'm quoting a slightly old post here. So we are riding down to Madikeri from Pune with an overnight halt at Davengere. The regular route goes from Davengere --> Hasan --> Madikeri. However we wanted a more scenic route with some twisties that can be enjoyed on motorcycles. So what do the folks here think about this route?

Davengere --> Chickmagaluru --> Mudigere --> Vanagoor --> Kumbur --> Madikeri.

Or is there any other interesting route we can take?

[itwasntme]

Good news!

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/mysu...w/94444191.cms

[SilverSurferHC]

We did Bangalore - Madikeri - Bangalore 24th Sept & returned on 26th . We followed the route suggested by Gmaps.
Nelamangala -> Channarayapattana -> Deviation from Ramanathapura-> Kushalnagara-> Madikeri.

Overall a good drive except for a patch on the Ramanathpura -> Siddapura Road. Its non existent road. But if you are careful you can avoid scrapping the floor.

Fuel- I wanted to tank up in bangalore but could not. Took the first bunk after hitting the Bangalore - Mangalore highway to the left. Saw quite a few cars tanking up there. There is a MRPL on the right further ahead but its on the other side.

Break at Dhruvatare and Swathi on the way back.

Hope this helps fellow BHPians

[sgautam31]

Hi Guys,

I am travelling to Madikeri (Coorg) next Wednesday, we are starting from Hyderabad and will be staying in Bangalore (Mahadevpura) for a couple of days before continuing with our journey to Madikeri. We are planning to start early morning around 6 AM to avoid Bangalore traffic.

Can you guys please suggest the best route that we can take with the shortest drive time, and good road conditions?

Below is the route Google Maps suggested -

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by sgautam31

Can you guys please suggest the best route that we can take with the shortest drive time, and good road conditions?

Below is the route Google Maps suggested -

Take the one on the below, via Bangalore - Mysore road (Ramanagara - Mandya - Mysore Ring Road - Hunsur - Kushal Nagar). That would be a more peaceful and easy to drive with lots of restaurant options in case. Also you will get to see portions of the new Bangalore-Mysore express way.