[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar

Guys,

Planning to visit Mangalore on coming Sunday with my family (2 - 3 kids).
As per the recent reports by BHP'ians will be taking BLR -> Hassan -> Charmady -> Belthangady -> Bantwal -> MLR route.

Planning to leave BLR (from whitefield) by 5 - 5:30 am. Would be stopping at Paakashala for breakfast (by 8:30 - 9 am) and then Ibbani Cafe (12 PM) for quick coffee break.

Does this plan look okay ?
Any place after Bantwal where we can stop for a lunch halt ? Would prefer open space & clean washrooms.
Would be returning on Wednesday. Does the same route make sense ? We wish to be in BLR before 6 PM. What would be good time to leave from MLR ?

Charmady route has very few options in terms of refreshments but it is mostly very good roads, Shirady is the opposite. I would recommend you pack some food for kids as Charmady Ghat road takes time, may as well stop at the view point and have something to eat, proceed straight to Mangalore afterwards as lots of fantastic food awaits you as well as icecream!!

On your return trip please start right after breakfast and pack some food for the kids , if it rains like it did today it will slow the travel down significantly.

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by chethan.ram

If you are leaving Mysore at 3:00am.

Quick update on this route : left Mysore at 3:00 AM sharp and reached Mangalore BC road junction at 7:00 AM, the roads from Mysore to Hunsur is broken , but post that it’s a breeze to drive, partly as there was sparse to nil traffic till Puttur. Overtaking is not easy as the roads are narrow and needs proper judgement, still this is a good option if traveling from Mysore.

[razeetg]

Went from Blr to Mlr end of last week and back earlier this week. Bangalore to Mangalore via Shiradi and back via Charmady. Shiradi route was faster even with the bad routes, but not smooth even though I slowed to a crawl at the bad stretches. There was a bit of rain near and around Charmady ghats, the ride was much much better and smoother. I prioritized a smooth drive over a fast one. Expect a difference of around 30 to 40 minutes in the Charmady route. Witnessed unfortunate accidents on both roads, few minutes after they happend. No one was hurt, but it could have been bad. Please drive safe.

[funda2max]

Originally Posted by funda2max

I travelled on 10/30, Saturday morning, but couldn't enter any popular restaurant due to over crowding. Started from BG road around 5:50AM and reached Udupi via charmadi at 2 PM with multiple short breaks. Roads were good overall except few rough patholes.

Travelled back to BLR on 11/07, roads are broken in and around Naravi (~5 kms) and Padangady. Due to incessant rains last week, roads were deteriorated further. It took almost 9 hrs with 45 mins break to reach Bannerghatta road (Vijaya Bank layout).

[Falcon_blr]

Did a Bangalore -> Agumbe -> Brahmavar -> Udupi -> Mangalore -> Dharmasthala -> Subramanya -> Bangalore trip and returned yesterday evening.
We started on Saturday morning and decided to take the Agumbe route. The roads were good for most part except for some patches in between, not to mention the scenic drive which makes up for the roads.
On the way back from Subramanya to Bangalore, decided to take the Bisile ghat road as I heard the Gundya roads are in pretty bad shape. Also, did not want to drive back to Dharmasthala to reach Charmadi.
Bisile ghat roads are good concrete roads and is an addtional 10 odd kilometres compared to the Gundya route.

Subramanya to Donigal (via Gundya)
1hr 37min
59.1km

Subramanya to Donigal (via Bisile)
1hr 58min
68.9km
The drive through Bisile is very scenic and very less traffic through these roads, very narrow roads though.
From Donigal to Hassan is really frustrating to drive, a lot of road construction works going on and a lot of pothole ridden roads.

[vharihar]

We expect to travel from Bangalore to Bhatkal in December, leaving Bangalore around 6 am. What would be the best route?

GMaps suggests a route via NH75 and NH173 and NH66, viz.: Bangalore - Neelamangala - Kunigal - Channarayapattana - Hassan - Belur - Hariharapura (10 kms north of Sringeri) - Agumbe - Heggodlu - Menakatte and then hitting NH66 coastal hwy and heading north on it via Kundapura - Maravanthe - Byndoor

Which subsets of the above are 4/6-laned and in good shape? Or in good-shape whatsoever (4/6-laned or otherwise)? What are the gotcha areas? (my daughter may take turns driving some stretches, hence taking some precaution)

Any good suggested stops for breakfast and lunch? (veg)

Can someone who has done this route recently advise?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vharihar

GMaps suggests a route via NH75 and NH173 and NH66, viz.: Bangalore - Neelamangala - Kunigal - Channarayapattana - Hassan - Belur - Hariharapura (10 kms north of Sringeri) - Agumbe - Heggodlu - Menakatte and then hitting NH66 coastal hwy and heading north on it via Kundapura - Maravanthe - Byndoor

While this is a good route, we have had folks who say they had an overdose of curves with this one . The other alternate to this would be taking the now defacto route towards Shivamogga via Hiriyur Ajjampura and then hitting the coast from there via Tirthalli and Hulikal Ghat. In this route, you will hit NH66 little north of Kundapura at Hemmadi Junction and then the usual Maravanthe Byndoor to reach Bhatkal. With Shivamogga route, you will have to deal with curvy roads for shorter distance/duration.

However, if you take the Sringeri route, right after Aldur, all the way till you descend and hit NH66, the routes will remain curvy.

Which subsets of the above are 4/6-laned and in good shape? Or in good-shape whatsoever (4/6-laned or otherwise)? What are the gotcha areas? (my daughter may take turns driving some stretches, hence taking some precaution)

Sringeri-Agumbe Route:

• Dual carriageway till Hassan - Barring Channarayapatna and Hassan bypasses: ~ 185 Km of dual carriageway
  
• Dual carriageway right from the point you hit NH66 - This is all done except bypasses to towns like Bhatkal where you need to enter the town
  
• Rest of the sections are single carriageway and this includes Hassan Belur Aldur Singeri Agumbe where the route itself remains good. Suggestion is to take the Belur Chikmagalur Aldur route instead of Belur Aldur route. It adds some distance but road conditions are better and the route is not confusing in case you missed a turn

Hiriyur-Shivamogga-Hulikal route:

• Dual carriageway till Hiriyur: ~150 Km
  
• Good single carriageway roads beyond Hiriyur all the way till you descend Hulikal Ghat
  
• Good 4 lane roads once you hit NH66

Any good suggested stops for breakfast and lunch? (veg)

Hassan Route:
Assuming you will leave as early as 0500, area around Channarayapatna will make more sense for breakfast stop and hence, here are some of the options in the order you will pass them:

• Anagha Grand
  
• A2B, Udyapura
  
• Hotel Rama, Thanneeruhalla, Hassan
  
• Mayura Deluxe, Chikmagalur
  
• Khandya Kitchen and Stay, Balehonnur
  
• Bhadra Cafe
  
• Sharada Comforts, Sringeri

Hiriyur-Shivamogga route:

• Aramane Vaibhava, Tarikere
  
• Ashoka Park Inn, Thirthalli

Can someone who has done this route recently advise?

I Have hit part of these roads in last few months and have provided updates on this thread. I had visited Sringeri a month back and recently driven back from Goa via NH66 till Padubidre. You can read these updates here and here.

[MarutiGuy1977]

Thanks to the advise from all, concluded bookings for our Coastal Karnataka trip during the Christmas vacations.
Bangalore to Sakleshpur to Udupi to Kundapur to Karwar to Shimoga and back to Bangalore.

Multiple hotels but this is spread across 8 days and we have senior citizen and children. So didn't want to rush.

Now would also look for advise on places to eat. Both in the cities/ towns we are staying in, but also along the highway.

1. En route from Bangalore to Sakleshpur
2. En route from Sakleshpur to Udupi
3. En route from Karwar to Shimoga
4. En route from Shimoga to Bangalore
5. Within Udupi, Kundapur, Karwar

Food preferences are vegetarian and high on hygiene. Also any local places which are iconic and must try.

[MichaelBallack]

Hello guys,

My friend is driving down from Goa to Ernakulam during Christmas holidays and is planning on visiting Agumbe and Chikmanglur during the drive. He intends to travel to Mysore after visiting Chikmanglur. Can anyone suggest the best route possible to make this drive memorable. He will be accompanied by his wife and kid.

Thanks in advance

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by MichaelBallack

Hello guys,

My friend is driving down from Goa to Ernakulam during Christmas holidays and is planning on visiting Agumbe and Chikmanglur during the drive. He intends to travel to Mysore after visiting Chikmanglur. Can anyone suggest the best route possible to make this drive memorable. He will be accompanied by his wife and kid.

Thanks in advance

For Goa to Chikmagalur, the most preferred will be Karwar Honnavara Bhatkal Baindoor Agumbe Sringeri Balehonnur Chikmagalur. Roads are good throughout.

From Chikkamagalur to Mysore, it will be the usual Belur Hassan Holenarsipura KR Nagara Elwala Mysore.

These routes are being suggested because you mention Agumbe Chikmagalur and Mysore as part of the itinerary.

[MichaelBallack]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

For Goa to Chikmagalur, the most preferred will be Karwar Honnavara Bhatkal Baindoor Agumbe Sringeri Balehonnur Chikmagalur. Roads are good throughout.

From Chikkamagalur to Mysore, it will be the usual Belur Hassan Holenarsipura KR Nagara Elwala Mysore.

These routes are being suggested because you mention Agumbe Chikmagalur and Mysore as part of the itinerary.

Thanks paragsachania for a quick response. Should we go to Kundapura from Baindoor or is there any direct route from Baindoor to Agumbe

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by MichaelBallack

Thanks paragsachania for a quick response. Should we go to Kundapura from Baindoor or is there any direct route from Baindoor to Agumbe

You need not go all the way to Kundapura. You can directly reach Agumbe from Baindoor itself.

[Safety is Param]

Hello - starting from Malpe tomorrow to Bangalore around noon.

What is the suggested route by our esteemed members?

Google is suggesting Udupi - Karkala - Belthangady - Ujire - Charmadi - Kottigehara - Mudigere - Belur - Hassan - Bangalore.

Prefer smooth roads as against shorter routes as family will be in tow.

Planning to have dinner at Swathi.

Thanks in advance.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

Hello - starting from Malpe tomorrow to Bangalore around noon.

What is the suggested route by our esteemed members?

Google is suggesting Udupi - Karkala - Belthangady - Ujire - Charmadi - Kottigehara - Mudigere - Belur - Hassan - Bangalore.

Prefer smooth roads as against shorter routes as family will be in tow.

Planning to have dinner at Swathi.

Thanks in advance.

Stick to Malpe Katpadi (or Padubidre) Karkala Belthangady Ujire Charmadi Kottihegehara Mudigere Handpost Belur Hassan CR Patna Kunigal Nelamangala Bangalore. The safest bet with mostly good roads end to end.

[Safety is Param]

Returned via Charmadi yesterday.

The ghat section road is spick & span. Not a single broken portion encountered on the main ghat road.

Roads before & after are a combination of very good, ok & scattered gravel types - but nothing that cannot be dealt with.

I was driving a Sunny, so others shouldn't worry about ground clearance anywhere on this stretch.

Heavy traffic around Dharmasthala area slows you down.

Thank you.