Coorg is proudly located at a distance of about 260Kms from Bangalore in South-West direction ie ahead of Mysore and closer to the Kerala border. Before starting for Coorg, one should be aware of the fact that COORG & MADIKERI are SAME place and names are often interchanged. For people who object this blunt fact, Coorg(Kodagu) is the region/district and Madikeri(aka Mercara) is its Head-Quarter.
The Train Connection:
To the disappointment of IRCTC fans (and Railway Free-Pass Holders), there is no direct rail connection to Coorg (as of now). The nearest rail line to Madikeri town is Mangalore-Hassan railway line with Sakleshpur or Subrahmanya as the closest railway stations. This route located north of Coorg along a east-west direction. Sakaleshpur to Madikeri distance is about 90Kms( and Subrahmanya to Madikeri distance is approximately 70Kms.
The Road Rash:
By Road, Madikeri is situated at the distance of 255Kms from Bangalore, well-connected by well-maintained two State Highways SH17(till Mysore, 140Kms from Bangalore) & SH88(115Kms from Mysore onwards,).
GRID #1 Bangalore to Mysore 140Kms:
The normal route from Bangalore to Mysore will be: Bangalore - Bidadi - Ramanagaram - Chennapatna - Maddur - Mandya - Srirangapatna - Mysore. Bangalore-Mysore road journey includes lot of fanfare like fancy eateries, Cafe Coffee Day, Petrol Pumps etc.
Unless Mysore is not too close to your Heart or its not the festival time, visit to Mysore can be bypassed from the plan. Two simple tricks are present to achieve this; take Bypass road after Srirangapatna or take Mysore Ring Road.
1st Option, via Bypass Road:
Bypass road near Srirangapatna will easily save one from devils of Mysore City Traffic. There are two significant bridges at Srirangapatna over River Cauvery. Enter through first bridge and exit Srirangapatna through the second bridge. Take the right turn at the next junction and head towards railway cross. Cross the track and road will make a left turn.
This road is narrow, less crowded and sorrounded by lush stretches of paddy & sugarcane fields. A short detour off towards right from this road will lead to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and the Brindavan Gardens (KRS Dam). About 20Kms, without detour, at Yelwal(Ellavala), this Bypass road connects to the Mysore-Mangalore State Highway - SH88.
2nd Option, via Ring Road:
The Ring Road crosses Bangalore-Mysore Road, SH17, at a major junction after 10Kms(approx.) from the Mysore City. Take the right road on this junction, ie road on the right. Soon, after 15-20mins drive, this road meets Hunsur Road SH88. Take the right turn into the Hunsur Road. Though the Ring road is less crowded than the road that crosses right through Mysore city, it is bit longer. Thus, if it is not the peak hours, one can easily glide through the city. The Bangalore-Mysore road eventually leads to the Mysore Bus stand or Railway Station area. Ask for the directions to get to SH88 (Hunsur road, more popular name of SH88).
GRID #2 Mysore to Madikeri 115Kms:
The normal route from Mysore to Madikeri will be: Mysore - Yelwal - Hunsur - Kempalapura - Piriyapatna - Bylakuppe - Kushalnagara - Suntikoppa - Madikeri. Excellent road, except last 25-30Kms before Madikeri. Reasonable restaurants at Hunsur town and some in Kushalnagara.
The highway is 4-lane after Mysore city, and splits into a Y-junction on reaching Hunsur. Take the right fork, or greet the crowded Hunsur town otherwise. After taking right fork, a good vegetarian drive-in restaurant is present, where one can relax and think whether he is on the right fork or not.
After Hunsur town, SH88 makes a right turn. The straight road is SH88A which leads to Gonikoppal and Virajpet. Both the roads, SH88 & SH88A finally leads to Madikeri; SH88 is shorter and better-maintained. Wise drivers prefers SH88 and crosses Piriyapatna after about 20Kms from Hunsur on SH88.
After Piriyapatna a huge arch across the road announces the Tibetan settlement ahead in Bylakuppe. This is one of the largest and oldest settlements of Tibetan settlements in India. As an indication one can see colorful prayer flags flying in the area. The Golden Temple, Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery and The Sera Monastic University, one of the largest Buddhist universities in the world, is located in Bylakuppe. It's a few kilometers detour towards left from the main highway.
Nisargadama, an island formed by river Cauvery is located on the left as one comes out of Kushalnagar town, ahead of Bylakuppe. Kushalnagar too is a popular tourist destination in Coorg.
The highway passes through a forest. The traffic slows down from here due to pothole ridden road conditions and numerous & frequent bends in the hilly region. This lasts upto 25-30Kms, all the way up to Madikeri town and can waste upto an hour. After entering Madikeri town one can spot several signboards by the State Tourism Department showing directions to various attractions in Coorg.
Attractions in Coorg: Abby falls - 8Kms, Chettalli - 20Kms, Bhagamandala - 40Kms, Talacauvery - 50Kms, Kakkabe - 45Kms, Thadiyandamol - 50Kms.
Beware of the following:
1. Overtaking trucks and buses driving carelessly on Mysore road.
2. Sequence of bad and steep humps/speed breakers on Mysore road, many of them are unmarked and unexpected.
3. Overtaking vehicles on the hilly regions and turns.
4. Be extra cautious on your drive to Abbey falls, road is treacherous.
5. If one is driving in night, Mysore road is to be driven extremely careful.
6. In the night, one might end up meeting some wild friends in the stretch from Kushalnagar to Suntikoppa. Wild elephants roam some time during night through these roads. But nothing in Daytime.
7. Herds of cows and sheep, stray dogs and pigs on Mysore Madikeri stretch.
Labels: Adventure, Bangalore, Bylakuppe, Coorg, How to Reach Coorg, How to Reach Mysore, Hunsur, Kushalnagara, Madikeri, Mysore, Piriyapatna, Road, Srirangapatna, Trekking, Weekend, Yelwal
