[AlfaAlfa]

Did a trip to Udupi and Murudeshwar (10-Oct to 13-Oct). Following routes were taken for Udupi:

Bangalore -> Mysore (via Electronic City NICE Road and then expressway) -> Madikeri -> Puttur -> Mangalore - Udupi
This route is fine, only in Mangalore flyover construction is going on where road is broken for 5-10kms. Since this route is having narrow roads and going via multiple small towns, one can expect a lot of traffic and slow speed.


Return journey:
Udupi -> Mangaluru -> Puttur -> Kdimbadi -> Uppinangady -> Kalladka -> Shirady -> Gundya -> Husarmane (Agalatti Road) -> Kyamanahalli -> Mudgere Road -> Sakleshpura -> Hassan -> Bangalore

This route was overall ok with some bad patches of around 20-30kms. Agalatti Road is very scenic. We need to take diversion to this road due to heavy long weekend traffic. This road is very narrow and difficult to pass two cars at some stretches.

Near Hassan, some diversions are there with speed breakers and due to this traffic is slow moving.

[Oppanna]

Originally Posted by DetectiveMiles

Ah, Yesterday Aafternoon was EPIC jam!! I joined near Channaraya Pattana around 5pm.

I was lucky to have crossed the mess. Planned well and started from Panja at 6:45 am and was in Bangalore Uttarahalli at 12:45 with 10 mins break at Hotel Shiva Surya for quick breakfast.

I expected the ghats and toll booths would be mess. Ghats was slowly getting crowded towards Bangalore and thankfully was driving my Gypsy and was able to tackle the bad sections with ease.

Similarly Mysore Road was also a mess. Was checking the maps and it was only deep red.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Oppanna

I was lucky to have crossed the mess. Planned well and started from Panja at 6:45 am and was in Bangalore Uttarahalli at 12:45 with 10 mins break at Hotel Shiva Surya for quick breakfast.

I expected the ghats and toll booths would be mess. Ghats was slowly getting crowded towards Bangalore and thankfully was driving my Gypsy and was able to tackle the bad sections with ease.

Similarly Mysore Road was also a mess. Was checking the maps and it was only deep red.

Mysore road was better . Except for 5 min congestion at Kushalnagara, traffic was heavy but moving. I took exit before Bidadi and flipped to Kanakapura road which was empty at around 11PM. Must appreciate expressway, was very helpful and even on two lane road, traffic was rather disciplined, not too many rash drivers.

[livyodream]

Travelled to Manipal on 10th via shiradi-dharmasthala-nitte-padubidri.

Even though I was able to reach Manipal within 7 hours, it is still best avoided. Back seat passengers will not like this route at all. Lots of bad patches throughout.

Returned on 13th via agumbe-tirthalli-shimogga-chitradurga-tumkur-blr. As always perfect route and managed to reach blr in 7 hours. even though it is around 40kms extra (gate to gate), it still makes up time. Worst patch was between Manipal and hebri (~15 kms).

[Meph1st0]

Used a new route during my return to Bangalore - Brahmavara - Thirthalli - Lakkavali - Kadur - Arsikere - Channarayapatna - Bangalore

Brahmavara - Thirthalli - Good roads. Other than minor traffic jam at last couple of hair pens, rest was fine.
Thirthall - Lakkavali - Arikere - Channarayapatna - Roads are decent, broken in couple of places. Traffic was very less, route is scenic. Road widening ongoing, should be much faster once completed as the current route goes through the towns.


CR patna onwards, it was a race. Massive pile up at all the tolls and people were blatantly jumping the queue. Entire highway was like ORR. Traffic would move a decent pace and then pile up for long distances at every speed breaker.
Considering the highway traffic situation, Nelamangala felt better managed, Bangalore cops are getting better.

[abhi_krao]

Originally Posted by DetectiveMiles

Ah, Yesterday Aafternoon was EPIC jam!! I joined near Channaraya Pattana around 5pm.
It was ~750m long queue at Bellur toll plaza, despite Toll Oprator using two of the opposite lanes for traffic moving to Bengaluru.

It was choatic. There was a minor accident about 2 kms after solur at around 10 pm where 10 cars were involved. Luckily all had minor damages. Cars were going in oncoming lanes to escape this traffic jam.
And yes, after the Nelamangala toll, it was smooth.

I started at 2:30 from Manipal and reached Ramurthynagar at 12:30 am. Took charmady. Ujire to Charmady is horrible. Took detour to sakleshpur from Mudigere.

[fast_elegance]

Completed the MLR - BLR via Madikeri - Mysore. I generally start from MLR around 8:30ish after an early dinner and I find this to be the sweet spot in terms of the overall timings and the traffic that we generally encounter on this route. Reached BLR at 4 with 2 coffee breaks.

I was driving a Celerio that was loaded with 4 passengers and was taking it slow. It was raining when we left Mangalore and the BC Road - Mani stretch was a slush fest. There was heavy fog from Madikeri all the way to Mysore slowing things down further.

One strange incident is that I got challaned Rs.500 for not wearing seat belt somewhere near Bylakuppe (KushalNagar) at around 1:15 AM whereas both of us in the front seat were buckled up. I received an sms for this and I suspect this to be from a Police patrol jeep that is regularly stationed in this section during the night times. I will check what options I have to challenge this or I have to just pay and move on.

[Shubbi]

Originally Posted by abhi_krao

Ujire to Charmady is horrible. Took detour to sakleshpur from Mudigere.

Is Guruvayanakere to Ujire ok? I thought the bad stretch was right from G'kere till Charmady.
Hows the road condition from Mudigere to Sakleshpur?

[Oppanna]

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

One strange incident is that I got challaned Rs.500 for not wearing seat belt somewhere near Bylakuppe (KushalNagar) at around 1:15 AM whereas both of us in the front seat were buckled up. I received an sms for this and I suspect this to be from a Police patrol jeep that is regularly stationed in this section during the night times. I will check what options I have to challenge this or I have to just pay and move on.

Similar thing happened to me sometime in July 2024. I was casually checking the site (https://echallan.ksp.gov.in) and found that I was charged Rs 500 for not wearing the seatbelt! The location was not mentioned. I remember seeing a camera just after Ilavala town only.

There was no image attached and I always ensure that I and the passenger wear seatbelt's. No option to raise the dispute and I paid the fine just to clear it off from the list.

[abhi_krao]

Originally Posted by Shubbi

Is Guruvayanakere to Ujire ok? I thought the bad stretch was right from G'kere till Charmady.
Hows the road condition from Mudigere to Sakleshpur?

Gkere to Ujire has one bad patch of about 500 mts, otherwise it's manageable.
Mudigere to sakleshpur is good with few broken patches once you take diversion at Jannapura.

[GeeTee TSI]

I am planning a drive to Mangalore with a 2 night stay to cover Navadurga temples (Dussera package of KSRTC piqued my curiosity), followed by a drive to Calicut

Request tips on hotel accommodation with good parking facilities (tariffs are flexible and old world charm is welcome). Also any specific information on covering these temples (and darshan) also much appreciated

[Tharle Subba]

Recently completed Bangalore-Kundapura-Bangalore circuit for a family quick visit.

The route taken was Nagarabhavi -> Nelamangala -> Hassan -> Belur -> Chikmagalur -> Sringeri -> Agumbe -> Kundapura. This is my usual route to Kundapura, but I guess its time to look at alternatives given the roads on this stretch are deteriorating faster than my hairline.

Started from Nagarabhavi at 2 p.m. on Saturday and was immediately greeted by traffic, which kept me company till Nelamangala. Thereon, it was a breeze till Hassan. The road from Hassan to Belur is screaming for help! In fact, this was my my second trip on this route in little over a month, but the roads were far better earlier. The tarmac from Belur to Chikmagalur is decent, but the ascent to Sringeri and then Agumbe is disappointing - with lots of craters on almost all curves. If not for my Duster, I would have a tough time negotiating the bad patches.

But it all changes post Agumbe - top notch roads all the way till Kundapura. Reached home by 11:30 p.m.

We started the return leg on Sunday 5:30 p.m., hoping to reach Bangalore by midnight to beat the weekend traffic. All was well till Someshwara, the entry point of Agumbe ghats. But due to the weekend rush, the traffic was halted and police were only allowing a few vehicles at a time to ensure there was no chaos on the ghat. We lost almost an hour waiting in the jam, but it turned out be a blessing as the traffic on the ghat was smooth.

After negotiating the same horrid roads between Agumbe -> Sringeri -> Belur, made our way to Hassan at the stroke of midnight. You may wonder, why take the same road when I know it is bad - honestly, I have no answer. After breezing past fellow driving enthusiasts on NH 75, finally reached home at 2:30 a.m.

Food
- If you are looking for decent vegetarian food in Chikmagalur, do give Hotel Aramane a try
- Hotel Sharada Comforts in Sringeri served good food too

If you are planning to drive to Kundapura, kindly consider travelling via Tumkur -> Chitradurga -> Channagiri -> Shimoga -> Tirthahalli, have heard very good reviews.

Stats for the nerds

Total distance covered - 916 km
Fuel efficiency - 13.2 kmpl
Toll paid - INR 635

Happy driving folks!

[procrj]

Drove to Mangalore and back via Mysore - Madikeri.

Onwards - 5.15 am start ensured that I reached Madikeri outskirts by 10 am (after a 40 minute breakfast stop at GTR Mysore). Lot of traffic from Yelawala to the Gonikoppa turnoff, post which it was relatively easy. Crossing Madikeri took 35 minutes as it was the end of the long weekend. Even after that, there was quiet a bit of traffic headed down the Ghats and I ended up reaching Mangalore at 1.30 pm. The 5km 4 Lane WIP section was a real test of patience as I had to resort to a crawl, thanks to all the traffic.
Total drive time of 7 hrs 45 min for ~400 kms.

Return - 8 am start from the homestay outside Mangalore and it was a testing drive until Puttur, after which I was able to make up time and reached Periyapatna outskirts in about 3hrs 45 min. Crossing Hunsur and Periyapatna was a downer as you need to negotiate town traffic. Thanks to all the rain in and around Bangalore, decided to drive back via KRS - Pandavapura - Kunigal and managed to stay away from the rain till Solur.
Total drive time of 7hrs 10 min for ~420 kms.

Given the condition of Shirady and the 4 lane WIP section closer to Mangalore, I think Madikeri route is a very viable option with good roads and a fast entry/exit via Mysore expressway.

Originally Posted by Tharle Subba

The road from Hassan to Belur is screaming for help! In fact, this was my my second trip on this route in little over a month, but the roads were far better earlier. The tarmac from Belur to Chikmagalur is decent, but the ascent to Sringeri and then Agumbe is disappointing - with lots of craters on almost all curves.

Sad to hear this as Aldur - Balehonnur is one of my favourite stretches to drive. Are you talking tyre ripping deep craters or broken tarmac that slows you down?

[AlfaAlfa]

Some screenshots from my dashcam for broken and good roads to get idea of current road condition:

Kalladka:






Mani:


Kalya:


Kolechavu:


Puttur Uppinangadi Road:










Nelyadi:




Addahole:






Gundya Forest:


Agalatti Road:

[karthikkv]

Originally Posted by G13BB

Bisile Ghat is a great driver's road with great views. However, make sure your car is in top-notch condition cause the road is very deserted and finding any sort of help is highly impossible due to the lack of network at most places. Since yours is a low GC hatch, you might want to be careful with the huge speed breakers in the ghat, but nothing much to worry about as the road is in great condition. But the road is narrow with plenty of blind spots.

Random suggestion: You might want to add Shettihalli Church if you've not already visited, which is on the way to Bisile

Thanks for the recommendation, I ended up taking this route and the views were breathtaking with little/no traffic all the way to Kukke after my detour near Anemahal. The roads were in good shape except for a few patches before Bisle ghat and post the Gadi Chamundeshwari temple but this was still manageable and was a really pleasant drive. I have decided to avoid weekend travel after the horrible traffic on the Bangalore -Hassan stretch with crazy drivers tailgating and cutting lanes like there's no tomorrow.

We left Kukke pretty early on Sunday to avoid the long weekend rush and took the same route back with some stops to admire the western ghats and the numerous waterfalls along the way.

Unfortunately I was not able to visit shettihalli as I took a turn near Sakleshpur since the roads are pretty clear from Sakleshpur to Bangalore, will definitely add this to my list the next time I travel on that route.