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Hyderabad has been quite hot in the last few weeks; even staying indoors under air conditioning wasn’t enough. There had to be something more. Like last year, my dad had a mini vacation and I had to take him somewhere.
Last time around the same time we had gone on a Hyderabad to Chikmagalur road trip (many people have planned their trips based on this post) to escape the Hyderabad heat. This time we wanted to go somewhere to get away from the heat. And Hyderabad being Hyderabad, there aren’t many places around where you’ll get a drastic weather change.
So after some good research, we shortlisted Coorg. The distance was apt and the weather predictions indicated sub-20 degrees temperature with rain. That was the perfect getaway from Hyderabad’s 40 degrees + temperatures.
In this blog post, I’ll share complete details of the Hyderabad to Coorg road trip. This was my first road trip from Hyderabad to Bengaluru and onwards to Coorg. I was with my family and travelled in my Tata Punch – which has now crossed over 35,000 km in under two years.
If you’re also looking for road trips from Hyderabad, do read my Road Trips from Hyderabad blog post for a list of road trips that I’ve taken from Hyderabad. This is one of the most comprehensive blog posts on the internet because I have driven on all these routes and not just prepared the list. So you’ll get practical first-hand insights.
Hyderabad to Coorg Road Trip
Though I stayed in Bengaluru for a couple of years and have been to Mysore, I didn’t visit Coorg ever. It would have been much easier to explore the town back then, but as they say, everything has the right time and probably, I was destined to visit Coorg now.
Last year we had gone to Chikmagalur and this time around to beat the Hyderabad heat, we decided to visit Coorg. The distance between Hyderabad and Coorg is 830 km by road.
Located in the western ghats, Coorg is a hill station and one of the greenest places in the belt. Also home to coffee plantations, it’s about 100 km from Chikmagalur. We couldn’t cover it last time hence we did this separate and dedicated trip this time around. Most of my friends and relatives who visited me in Bengaluru had visited Coorg. So I was quite excited.
Further, it had been quite some time since I did a long road trip. I was in the USA in November, Europe in March and my last trip was Hyderabad to Lucknow road trip in October. So I wanted to do one long road trip and Coorg seemed perfect.
Coorg is known for its lush green forest and hills and receives a healthy downpour during monsoons. During this particular trip, the weather was amazing, the temperatures were around 18-26 degrees (compared to 42+ in Hyderabad) plus there were thunderstorms and amazing weather all through the week. I don’t know if it’s like this all around the year but if I had to suggest, I’d recommend going during monsoons.
Hyderabad to Coorg Route Options
Coorg (Madikeri) is about 830 km from Hyderabad. The distance will vary depending on where you’re staying. Most resorts are away from Madikeri town and hence you’ll need to drive a little extra to reach there. There are two routes from Hyderabad to Coorg which Google will show, below are the options.
Hyderabad -> Kurnool -> Anantapur -> Bangalore -> Mysore -> Kushalnagar -> Madikeri
This is the default route that Google will suggest and we too followed this route. This is also the shortest route in terms of the overall duration which is around 14 hours. The longest route when it comes to the distance. However, the road is sublime although. NH-44 is my second home, the roads are great overall. From Hyderabad to Anantapur and onwards to Bengaluru is straightforward and one of the best routes. Except for a patch near Jadcherla and some diversion closer to Bengaluru, most of the route is fine.
From Bengaluru, the NICE road and Mysore Expressway are pretty good and you can save a lot of time. Lastly, the single-lane road from Mysore to Kushalnagar is decent but you’ll have a lot of city traffic that you’ll have to tackle. The final ghat section from Kushalnagar to Madikeri is about an hour’s drive and the ghats aren’t steep overall. Unless you’re staying in a resort somewhere in the coffee estates, you have good roads overall.
Overall, a recommended route. We took this route during both the legs of our trip and recommend it.
Hyderabad -> Kurnool -> Anantapur -> Penukonda -> Sira -> Hassan -> Kushalnagar -> Madikeri
This route is the same as the first one until Anantapur. From here you drive to Penukonda and then onwards to Hassan, Kushalnagar and Madikeri. This route avoids Bengaluru’s traffic, however, you lose time and the road condition from Bengaluru to Mysore which is a four-lane highway. This is via SH 71 which is a single-lane highway. If you have time at hand, you could choose this, but otherwise, the standard Google-recommended route via NH-44 is preferred.
Hyderabad -> Mahboobnagar -> Raichur -> Bellary -> Hiryur -> Tiptur -> Hassan -> Kushalnagar -> Madikeri
The last option is the same one that you can take from Hyderabad to Chikmagalur as well. From Hyderabad drive to Mahboobnagar and take the road towards Raichur. From then one drive until Tiptur crossing Bellary and Hiryur. The road condition is good, until Hiryur but you may pass multiple villages in the middle which may slow you down. From Tiptur to Hassan and Kushalnagar is again a single-lane road which would eat up a lot of your time.
Hyderabad to Coorg Road Conditions
We started at 4:30 AM from home. We realised that we would take anywhere between 14 to 15 hours and hence leaving early was the key to reaching our hotel in time.
There’s some city traffic as you leave Hyderabad near Jadcherla, but after that, it’s good all through. After you cross Anantapur, you’ll find the iconic Kia factory on your left that’s again massive. And soon after that, you’ll enter Karnataka. From the border, Bengaluru isn’t far.
And as soon as you near Bengaluru, you’ll start noticing traffic jams, especially from Devanahalli Road to Tumkur Road. From there you take the city road which leaves you until the start of NICE road which finally takes you on the Bengaluru – Mysore expressway. Crossing the towns of Srirangapatnam and Mandya, you take the Mysore ring road to take the diversion to Madikeri.
The road until here is all four lanes and in perfect condition. (And so is the toll too). From Mysore to Hunsur to Kushalnagar and beyond the roads are single lane plus lots of town traffic. The roads are straight until Kushalnagar. Only from here does the ghat section start. So you’ll be surprised at least once that you’re going to a hill station and you aren’t still driving on the hills.
From Kushalnagar to Madikeri is about an hour’s journey and is filled with twists and turns. The ghat roads aren’t too steep at any point. However, if you’re visiting some resorts that are in the interiors, the roads might be tricky. Like I visited Tamara where the roads were tricky.
We were at our hotel in Madikeri at dot 9 PM which was what we targeted.
Food Stops Between Hyderabad and Coorg
NH-44 is the longest highway in India and has a lot of food stops all along the stretch. The Telangana stretch is no different. There are plenty of eateries and here are some of the ones where we stopped during our complete Hyderabad to Coorg Road Trip. Many of you might know that I do complete research on the route before the road trip & note down the places where I’d take a break.
- Hangout, Kurnool: This is located right after you cross Kurnool city. You’ll get down from the flyover and find this place right at the end of the flyover, so you need to keep it slow. I chose this place because we start early and I thought to cover a good distance until breakfast. The food is fine, the washrooms are okay. We had Masala Dosa, Poori, Idli and Coffee. The curry served with Poori was my favourite, everything else was okay. We paid about Rs 500 for three folks which I feel is fine.
- Cube Stop, Anantapur: This was the second stop we took and is right after we crossed Anantapur This is more of a food court than a dedicated restaurant. So you have brands like Go Pizza, Pizza Hut, Chai Thela and more. We were here by noon and it wasn’t fully functional, so we didn’t have anything except an Aloo Paratha which was good. The washrooms are clean and they have water filters so you can fill your water bottle. Further, there’s a petrol pump right next to it, making it a good stop for refuelling as well.
- Sri Shiva Darshana Shashi Thatte Idly Hotel: This was our third and final stop of the trip which was on Mysore Road. I had watched a lot of videos of the Bengaluru Mysore stretch and had heard a lot about this place. This is known for Thatte Idli, which we also had along with Pulihora. The idli was okay but the Pulihora was pretty good. After a long time, I had such a good Pulihora. This place is usually super crowded during breakfast but it wasn’t during lunch and hence I guess the Idli was just okay.
So yes, those were the stops we took while driving towards Coorg from Hyderabad. On return, we stopped at different places as listed below.
- Shivalli, Maddur: Shivalli was our breakfast stop during our return leg from Coorg to Hyderabad. It’s about 190 km from Coorg. We had started at 4:30 AM and were here by 8 AM. The place is usually busy during the morning hours as a lot of people stop here while going to Bengaluru. The place is quite spacious and there are stores on the campus with ample parking. The condition of the washroom is decent too. Coming to the food, they have a decent variety for breakfast, however, there’s a lot of ghee in everything. We had Masala Dosa and Bissibelle Bath. Kesari Bath, Idli and Poori. We paid around Rs 700 for this meal which I found to be okay.
- Big Bay, Yelagahalli (Bengaluru): This is a relatively newer place and is in good condition. It’s again a food court but is made well. Fully air-conditioned as well. There are eateries like Starbucks, Baskin and Robbins, Leon’s Burger, GoPizza, Burger King, Frozen Bottle and a few others. There are a few other places too that are yet to open. The washrooms are in good condition and are overall good place. Must stop here to take a break from Bengaluru’s traffic and chill for a while before entering Andhra Pradesh.
- Priyadarshini Hotel, Vemula: It’s a typical dhaba setup with seating outside and inside. I prefer sitting outside considering the weather. The place is decent and the washrooms are relatively clean. Visited by a lot of people, but the service speed is nice. The food was decent and food was relatively expensive compared to the other places we stopped at during the road trip. It’s right next to a petrol pump too.
- Sandarshini Pure Veg, Jadcherla: We were here by 7 PM and this was our last stop before reaching home. They were still not open for dinner. So we just had a Masala dosa, some drinks and ice creams. The washrooms are decent and there’s ample parking space. However, since it rained that day, there were a lot of insects. Further, this is quite a recommended place for breakfast as well, however, if you’re on this road trip you’ll have to take a U-turn to come here. Based on my experience, it was an okay place for a quick pit stop.
Hyderabad To Coorg Road Trip Cost
I’m sure that a lot of people are inclined to know the cost of the road trip. The total distance that I drove was 1870 km. My Tata Punch gave me a good average of 22.6 which included a mix of city and eco mode and driving on ghats.
So here’s the ball-park estimate of the expense of the road trip:
- Fuel (Petrol): Rs 9000 (The rates varied, it was 107.5 in Telangana and 100 in Karnataka, so I refuelled once in Hyderabad before starting, next stop near Chikbalarpur, next one near Kushalnagar and tanked up once in Madikeri, next one right before entering Telangana which was enough to take me home.)
- Toll: Rs 1800
- Food: Rs 2500
So for a family of 3, it cost about Rs 16,000 to drive to Coorg from Hyderabad and back. Considering the flight fares to Bengaluru and cab charges, this is way cheaper plus convenient for us.
Hyderabad to Coorg By Road
Nothing comes close to driving and exploring a place. One can experience the change in landscape and the food very closely. Plus it’s a lot more convenient as you control your speed and stops. Overall, the Hyderabad to Coorg road trip is a pretty good one, especially for folks who love to drive.
Most parts of the journey is 4-lane good highways, so it can get boring and that’s when you need some good playlist! The ghat section is relatively very short and not too steep. I was easily able to drive my Tata Punch in city mode and it did pretty well.
It might not suit everyone as it involves 14-16 hours of driving. But if you love long road trips, you must try this one. From getting to stop close to windmill farms, amazing lakes, and green mountains, it’s one of the best road trips that I’ve taken in the recent past.
That’s about it for this blog post. I hope you found this helpful to plan your road trip in the future. Feel free to reach out to me for any assistance. Drop your thoughts in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM on Instagram, or Get In Touch.
