Traveled to Ooty (and Kothagiri) from Bangalore last weekend. Here are the updates on the route / road conditions. There was a colleague's marriage at Kothagiri.
Onward Journey:
Bangalore - Ramnagara - Mandya - Mysore ORR - Nanjungad - Gundlupet - Theppakadu - Masinagudi - Pykara - Ooty.
140am: Bangalore (Chamarajpet)
~4am : Mysore ORR (1 bio break)
515am: Mel Kamanahalli (Checkpost) (1 tea break @ Gundlupet, had to wait till 6am)
610am: Mel Kamanahalli (Checkpost)
745am: Pykara Junction (Had to wait for a joining vehicle coming through Gudalur).
36 hairpin bends. A bit steep on some occassions. Have to be in 1st/2nd gears in most. Valparai can be done in 2nd/3rd gears, in comparison.
Saw just 2 elephants with tuskers and many groups of deers (saw 2 fighting as well).
Road conditions:
Bangalore - Mysore ORR: 4 lane, divided. Overall good roads. Lots of them patched up. Nothing major to worry, but you can't be too confident as well when you drive in the night. Day drives will be dreaded with traffic.
Mysore ORR - Nanjungad: 2 lane, without divider. 3-4 diversions. Rest is excellent.
Nanjungad - Bandipur Checkpost: 2 lane, without divider. Excellent roads.
Bandipur Forest Roads: 2 lane, without divider. Very scenic, beautiful roads through the forest. No horn please. Some of the ST bus drivers have to be taught these basic lessons. Horrible overtaking in the forest roads (initial hours when they open up the gates).
Bandipur - Ooty: Good curvy roads all the way.
Return Journey:
Kothagiri - Mettupalayam - Puliyampatti - Bhavanisagar Dam - Bannari - Dhimbam Ghat - Hasanur - Chamarajnagar - Kollegal - Malavalli - Kanakpura - Bangalore.
Didn't want to go through the Ooty city & take the risk of getting struck in jams. It was a long weekend for many.
130pm: Kothagiri
430pm : Bannari (1 bio break)
5pm: Bannari (tea+bio break, wait for another vehicle)
615pm: Chamarajnagar (Had to drop a colleague here + snacks break). Checked GMaps and saw lots of traffic snarls on Mysore Road. Hence took the Kollegal / KR Road.
9pm: Kanakpura (Lots of 2-wheeler traffic between Chamarajnagar - Malavalli, all towns were very crowded ahead of the festival). I just couldn't see anything to be confident to overtake. Painful-to-eye-drive.
1015pm: Bangalore (Chamarajpet).
Just saw 2 elephants at a long distance from the road in a cleared-forest-area. We couldn't spot any animals. And I wasn't doing 20-30kmph.
Road conditions:
Kothagiri - Mettupalayam: Good curvy & mountain roads.
Mettupalayam - Bannari: 2 lane, without divider. Excellent roads in most places. Occassional potholes / bad sections, but I am just nitpicking here.
Bannari - Hasanur: Dhimbam ghat is good roads with 27 hairpin bends. Spectacular view from quite a few of the hairpins. Sees very heavy traffic. Many long lorries need space / time to climb up / down. So leave space. Forest roads are good. Curvy as well. The objective is to join NH 948 @ Bannari. You can also come via Sathyamangalam. The routing (in GMaps) for Bhavanisagar Dam was amazing very accurate. Of course, I had to the other map (asking locals!) a lot of times to double check the route.
Hasanur - Chamarajnagar: 2 lane, without divider. Excellent roads.
Chamarajnagar - Kanakpura: 2 lane, without divider. Excellent roads. Saw huge number of 2-wheelers. May be carrying thins back to their villages for the festival.
Kanakpura - Bangalore: 2 lane, without divider. But lot of shoulder space available. Many sections have broken tarmac, washed off top layer. Many test suspension quite frequently. Namma Metro construction is another headache. Usual traffic.
Climate during 3-4 Sept week. Quite cold in the evenings. It can be sunny in the morning between 11am-4pm. Temp can reach upto 26/28 celsius. No rains. Lots of dew in the night / early morning. Be careful when you are out in BBQ/Camp Fire/Bonfires.
Stayed in an outhouse in Manjacombai, nearby Terramia Tea Factory. Of course not available in Google Maps.
