Lepakshi and the reception
Jatayu, the Veerabhadra temple and the giant Nandi at Lepakshi, then the family reception at Temple Tree Leisure.
Our route
Press play to watch our car drive the whole trip, or pick a day. The red line is the Mandalpatti climb.
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At 1× the whole trip plays in about 3 minutes, one day in about 45 seconds. Stops and nights are skipped quickly. The boat rides and the toy train are part of the line too.
Our journey · 1–11 May 2026
StopPassed throughMandalpatti climbUse the layer button for satellite view
Our Google My Maps
Open our shared map in Google Maps to see each day’s route and every stop, with times and notes. On a phone it opens in the Google Maps app.
Open tour map in Google Maps ↗Slow sections
Progress was slowest on the rough track up to Mandalpatti and on the steep, winding ghat roads.
| Section | Reason for low speed | |
|---|---|---|
| Madikeri → Mandalpatti | Narrow, rough hill track where local jeeps and 4x4s are usually recommended | |
| Ghat roads (Nilgiris, Shiradi, Amboli) | Steep, winding ghat sections — over 400 km in all |
Our family
Vasavya, Usha, Adarsh and Spurthi travelled together in our Hyundai Alcazar Corporate Diesel Automatic (2025 model). We set off from home in Hydernagar on the afternoon of 1 May — a day earlier than first planned — and were back home at 10:15 PM on 11 May.
The Mandalpatti climb in our own car
1 h 38 minMadikeri → Mandalpatti viewpoint, 4:42–6:20 PM
Sunsetat the top, 6:20–6:48 PM
Our own carwhere local jeeps are usually recommended
The standout adventure of the trip. After Abbey Falls and Raja’s Seat, we drove our own Hyundai Alcazar up to the Mandalpatti viewpoint for the sunset, over narrow and rough hill approaches where local jeeps and 4x4s are usually recommended.
The family called it our “Amazon trip in Coorg”. We watched the sun go down from the top and were back in Madikeri by 7:37 PM.
Our climb does not make the Alcazar a 4x4, or the route right for every two-wheel-drive car. Conditions change quickly, especially after rain; use low gears and engine braking on the way down.
Trip highlights
Coracle ride and the palace
A coracle ride on the Kaveri at Hogenakkal, and Mysuru Palace in the evening.
Ooty, toy train, Edakkal
Through Bandipur and Mudumalai, Pykara and Ooty Lake, the Nilgiri toy train from Ketti, and the Edakkal Caves.
Abbey Falls to Mandalpatti
Abbey Falls, a zipline, Raja’s Seat, Dubare (rafting was closed) and the Mandalpatti sunset.
Temples, islands and beaches
Mallalli Falls, the Mangaluru temples, Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, St Mary’s Island, Maravanthe, Murudeshwar, Gokarna and Om Beach.
A birthday in Goa
Vasavya’s birthday eve on Palolem beach, the boat ride to Butterfly Beach, Panaji and an evening at Fort Aguada.
Eleven days on the road
Distances are approximate, from our phone’s location history.
| Trip day | Route | Approx. km |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1Fri 1 May | Hyderabad → Jadcherla → Beechupally → Kurnool → Gooty → Anantapur | 378 |
| Day 2Sat 2 May | Anantapur → Penukonda → Lepakshi → Devanahalli → Bengaluru | 276 |
| Day 3Sun 3 May | Bengaluru → Hosur → Rayakottai → Pennagaram → Hogenakkal → Kanakapura → Malavalli → Mysuru | 328 |
| Day 4Mon 4 May | Mysuru → Nanjangud → Gundlupet → Bandipur → Mudumalai → Gudalur → Pykara → Ooty | 167 |
| Day 5Tue 5 May | Ooty → Ketti → Nilgiri toy train → Naduvattam → Gudalur → Sultan Bathery → Edakkal Caves → Gonikoppal → Madikeri | 253 |
| Day 6Wed 6 May | Madikeri → Abbey Falls → Raja’s Seat → Dubare → Mandalpatti → Madikeri | 125 |
| Day 7Thu 7 May | Madikeri → Mallalli Falls → Somwarpet → Sakleshpur → Shiradi Ghat → Mangaluru → Udupi → Malpe | 336 |
| Day 8Fri 8 May | Malpe → St Mary’s Island → Udupi → Kundapura → Maravanthe → Bhatkal → Murudeshwar → Honnavar → Kumta → Gokarna | 242 |
| Day 9Sat 9 May | Gokarna → Om Beach → Ankola → Karwar → Agonda → Palolem | 134 |
| Day 10Sun 10 May | Palolem → Butterfly Beach → Margao → Panaji → Calangute → Fort Aguada | 133 |
| Day 11Mon 11 May | Calangute → Mapusa → Sawantwadi → Amboli → Gadhinglaj → Miraj → Mangalwedha → Solapur → Naldurg → Umarga → Zaheerabad → Hyderabad | 706 |
| Total | ≈3,100 km | |
Day 1 · Fri 1 May
Hyderabad → Jadcherla → Beechupally → Kurnool → Gooty → Anantapur
≈378 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 2:30 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Set off from home, a day earlier than first planned. |
| 2:43 PM – 3:12 PM | Google Maps ↗ | A last stop in the city before the highway. |
| 3:18 PM – 3:24 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Filled up for the long drive. |
| 5:05 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 6:17 PM – 6:37 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Break by the Krishna bridge on NH44. |
| 7:29 PM – 7:54 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening break in Kurnool. |
| 9:29 PM – 10:24 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Dinner on NH44 near Gooty. |
| 1 May 11:26 PM → 2 May 9:38 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Our first night halt, a head start towards Bengaluru. |
Day 2 · Sat 2 May
Anantapur → Penukonda → Lepakshi → Devanahalli → Bengaluru
≈276 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:41 AM – 10:03 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Breakfast before setting off. |
| 10:59 AM – 11:05 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Short break. |
| 11:52 AM – 12:00 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The giant Jatayu on the rock at Lepakshi. |
| 12:00 PM – 12:23 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The Vijayanagara temple with its famous hanging pillar. |
| 12:36 PM – 1:09 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The huge monolithic Nandi. |
| 2:14 PM – 3:30 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Lunch break on the Ballari Road. |
| 3:40 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 4:52 PM – 5:50 PM | Google Maps ↗ | About an hour near the Visvesvaraya Museum and Cubbon Park. |
| 6:56 PM – 10:40 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The family reception — the one fixed date of the whole trip. |
| 2 May 11:00 PM → 3 May 8:17 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night in Bengaluru. |
Day 3 · Sun 3 May
Bengaluru → Hosur → Rayakottai → Pennagaram → Hogenakkal → Kanakapura → Malavalli → Mysuru
≈328 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 8:47 AM – 9:17 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Morning break on the way out of Bengaluru. |
| 9:36 AM – 9:41 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Fuel stop. |
| 10:17 AM – 10:23 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Short break. |
| 11:39 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 12:16 PM – 3:37 PM | Google Maps ↗ | A memorable coracle ride on the Kaveri — about three hours at Hogenakkal. |
| 5:56 PM – 6:19 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Break on the Kanakapura road. |
| 7:34 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 8:56 PM – 9:57 PM | Google Maps ↗ | An evening at the palace and its surroundings. |
| 3 May 10:08 PM → 4 May 8:56 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night in Mysuru. |
Day 4 · Mon 4 May
Mysuru → Nanjangud → Gundlupet → Bandipur → Mudumalai → Gudalur → Pykara → Ooty
≈167 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:01 AM – 9:06 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Fuel before the forest drive. |
| 9:10 AM – 9:18 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop on the way out of town. |
| 9:47 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 10:31 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 10:46 AM – 10:50 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Into Bandipur Tiger Reserve. |
| 11:15 AM – 11:23 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop inside Bandipur. |
| 11:51 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 12:51 PM – 1:21 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Break before the climb to Ooty. |
| 3:06 PM – 4:06 PM | Google Maps ↗ | An hour at the Shooting Spot meadows (9th Mile). |
| 4:39 PM – 5:10 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Checked in at our Ooty stay. |
| 5:22 PM – 6:42 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening at Ooty Lake. |
| 7:15 PM – 8:19 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening in the town market. |
| 4 May 8:26 PM → 5 May 7:47 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night in Ooty. |
Day 5 · Tue 5 May
Ooty → Ketti → Nilgiri toy train → Naduvattam → Gudalur → Sultan Bathery → Edakkal Caves → Gonikoppal → Madikeri
≈253 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 7:47 AM – 7:55 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Early start for the Nilgiri toy train. |
| 8:02 AM – 8:18 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop near the station. |
| 8:28 AM – 8:57 AM | Google Maps ↗ | The heritage toy train from Ketti via Lovedale to Ooty. |
| 8:57 AM – 9:10 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Off the train in Ooty, then back to Ketti by road for the car. |
| 9:37 AM – 10:01 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Picked up the car and set off for Wayanad. |
| 11:26 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 12:09 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 1:32 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 1:57 PM – 3:16 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Climbed to the caves with their ancient rock engravings, and lunch nearby. |
| 6:02 PM – 6:20 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening break in South Coorg. |
| 6:29 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 7:56 PM – 9:07 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Reached our Coorg homestay at 8 PM. |
| 9:11 PM – 9:55 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Dinner in town. |
| 5 May 10:01 PM → 6 May 9:14 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night in Madikeri. |
Day 6 · Wed 6 May
Madikeri → Abbey Falls → Raja’s Seat → Dubare → Mandalpatti → Madikeri
≈125 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:26 AM – 10:15 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Breakfast in town. |
| 10:15 AM – 12:08 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Almost two hours at Abbey Falls. |
| 12:26 PM – 12:41 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop in town. |
| 12:45 PM – 1:24 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Raja’s Seat garden and viewpoint. |
| 2:16 PM – 2:29 PM | Google Maps ↗ | We went for river rafting — it was closed that day. |
| 3:32 PM – 3:40 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop. |
| 3:55 PM – 4:42 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Late lunch in town. |
| 4:42 PM: the climb from Madikeri to Mandalpatti in our own car — read the story | ||
| 6:20 PM – 6:48 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Drove our own Alcazar up the rough track for the sunset. |
| 7:37 PM – 7:47 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Back down in Madikeri. |
| 6 May 7:53 PM → 7 May 7:56 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Second night in Madikeri. |
Day 7 · Thu 7 May
Madikeri → Mallalli Falls → Somwarpet → Sakleshpur → Shiradi Ghat → Mangaluru → Udupi → Malpe
≈336 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 8:03 AM – 8:30 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Breakfast before leaving Coorg. |
| 10:32 AM – 10:50 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Waterfall stop near Somwarpet. |
| 12:22 PM – 12:28 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop. |
| 1:53 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 2:43 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 3:00 PM – 3:14 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Break after the Shiradi Ghat. |
| 3:30 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 4:25 PM – 4:40 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Darshan at the Mangaladevi temple. |
| 4:56 PM – 5:09 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Temple stop. |
| 5:23 PM – 5:44 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The ancient Kadri temple. |
| 7:04 PM – 8:26 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening darshan at the Udupi Sri Krishna Matha. |
| 7 May 8:50 PM → 8 May 9:25 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night by the sea at Malpe. |
Day 8 · Fri 8 May
Malpe → St Mary’s Island → Udupi → Kundapura → Maravanthe → Bhatkal → Murudeshwar → Honnavar → Kumta → Gokarna
≈242 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:25 AM – 9:43 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Morning walk and the boat to St Mary’s Island. |
| 10:15 AM – 10:55 AM | Google Maps ↗ | The basalt rock columns of St Mary’s Island, by boat from Malpe. |
| 11:45 AM – 11:57 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Back from the island. |
| 1:41 PM – 2:30 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stops in town. |
| 2:30 PM – 3:40 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Lunch in Udupi. |
| 4:15 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 4:34 PM – 5:07 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Where the highway runs between the sea and the river. |
| 5:29 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 5:46 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 6:17 PM – 7:39 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The giant Shiva statue and the temple tower by the sea, at sunset. |
| 7:53 PM – 8:03 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop. |
| 8:16 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 8:38 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 8 May 9:19 PM → 9 May 5:53 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night in Gokarna. |
Day 9 · Sat 9 May
Gokarna → Om Beach → Ankola → Karwar → Agonda → Palolem
≈134 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM – 7:05 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Early morning by the beach and the temple street. |
| 7:10 AM – 10:31 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Breakfast and rest. |
| 10:37 AM – 10:48 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Darshan at the Mahabaleshwar temple. |
| 10:55 AM – 11:42 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Packed up and checked out. |
| 12:45 PM – 1:24 PM | Google Maps ↗ | The Om-shaped beach. |
| 1:55 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 2:37 PM – 3:44 PM | Google Maps ↗ | An hour’s break near Karwar. |
| 4:23 PM – 8:10 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Checked in at Agonda in South Goa. |
| 8:40 PM – 10:27 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening on Palolem beach, on the eve of Vasavya’s birthday. |
| 9 May 10:41 PM → 10 May 8:53 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Night in Agonda. |
Day 10 · Sun 10 May
Palolem → Butterfly Beach → Margao → Panaji → Calangute → Fort Aguada
≈133 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:29 AM – 9:42 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Down to the beach for the boat. |
| 9:42 AM – 11:15 AM | Google Maps ↗ | The birthday boat ride from Palolem to Butterfly Beach and along the coast. |
| 12:57 PM – 1:05 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop. |
| 1:50 PM – 4:02 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Two hours in Panaji. |
| 4:49 PM – 7:12 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Checked in near Calangute–Baga. |
| 7:52 PM – 8:09 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Evening at Fort Aguada. |
| 8:42 PM – 9:01 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop in Calangute. |
| 10 May 9:15 PM → 11 May 7:20 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Last night of the trip. |
Day 11 · Mon 11 May
Calangute → Mapusa → Sawantwadi → Amboli → Gadhinglaj → Miraj → Mangalwedha → Solapur → Naldurg → Umarga → Zaheerabad → Hyderabad
≈706 kmapprox.
| Time | Place | About this stop |
|---|---|---|
| 7:20 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Started the long drive home via Amboli and Solapur. |
| 7:44 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 8:34 AM – 9:14 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Breakfast in Sawantwadi. |
| 10:09 AM – 10:14 AM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop at the top of the Amboli ghat. |
| 11:18 AM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 1:21 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 2:47 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 2:57 PM – 3:14 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Break on the way to Solapur. |
| 3:52 PM – 4:01 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop in Solapur. |
| 4:23 PM – 5:09 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Break on the highway. |
| 5:18 PM – 5:31 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Short stop. |
| 6:06 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 7:28 PM – 7:40 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Last break before home. |
| 8:52 PM passed through | Google Maps ↗ | Passed through. |
| 10:15 PM | Google Maps ↗ | Home safe after 11 days. |
Each day in Google Maps
Open any day’s drive in Google Maps.
Fri 1 May · Hyderabad → AnantapurSat 2 May · Anantapur → BengaluruSun 3 May · Bengaluru → MysuruMon 4 May · Mysuru → OotyTue 5 May · Ooty → MadikeriWed 6 May · Madikeri → MadikeriThu 7 May · Madikeri → MalpeFri 8 May · Malpe → GokarnaSat 9 May · Gokarna → PalolemSun 10 May · Palolem → Fort AguadaMon 11 May · Calangute → Hyderabad
Our Alcazar: the road-trip test
| Vehicle | Hyundai Alcazar Corporate Diesel AT, 2025 model |
| Ownership milestone | 10,000 km completed after this trip |
| Trip distance | ≈3,100 km |
| Overall mileage | 14 km/L (about 220 L for the trip) |
| Highway mileage | 17–18 km/L |
| Steep ghat mileage | 13–14 km/L |
| Ghat roads | 400+ km |
| Passengers | Four, with luggage |
| Issues on the trip | None — no mechanical problems, warning lights, punctures or roadside help needed |
We especially appreciated the automatic gearbox on steep gradients and hairpin bends, strong highway pickup, braking, the air conditioning in the summer heat and the headlights at night.
The journey became a song
After the trip, Adarsh made a family travel music video, with lyrics written with ChatGPT and music and vocals from Suno — a lovely way to keep the memories in sound and pictures.
Photos from the trip
All our photos and videos from the trip. Travellers and family sign in with their Google account to open the full album; everyone else can see the public album.
Open the photo album ↗More than the kilometres, this trip was about travelling together — winding roads, unexpected adventures, great views, music and celebrations. From the Hogenakkal coracle to the Mandalpatti sunset and the Goa birthday, the best souvenir is the story we can come back to as a family.