Weather in September/October : coastal Karnataka

lozza_84

I'm going to be arriving in Kundapura on the Karnataka coast at the beginning of September and staying through to beginning of November.

I've been trying to find information on what weather conditions to expect but I keep getting conflicting information. Some places I've read that early September has the worst of the monsoon but some information states that there will only be a few showers at this time which will disappear by mid September. Could anyone from the local area or someone who has stayed there before advise me on what to expect in September and October?

For anyone not sure where Kundapura is, it's nearby to Udupi.

rajdeep1510

Hi Looza,

me again....Yes its monsoon time here in India. But this time its not raining as expected in few parts of India. Karnataka is one of them. so you wont get heavy rainfall as it didnt happen til date in Karnataka....

Regards

rajered

From September onwards the monsoon starts to recede in India. There may be occassional showers, but no heavy rains.

lozza_84

Thanks, I'm sure I can handle a few showers as my home city of Manchester has resembled monsoon season these past 2 days, only not as hot unfortunately!

c195ikon

Dear Lozza

Have just returned from Kundapur ( my hometown- but i dont reside there!) 3 days back. The rains were copiuos 3 weeks back but seem to be receeding now. I advise all visitors/ tourists to visit India only post september and you have already made the right choice! This is the time when the rains are minimal, the temperature is cooler and the place is lush with greenery...a lavishing sight indeed.

What I am not sure of is how you intend to reach Kundapur....air, road or train? The roads are not in good condition but not as bad as the one from Bangalore to Mangalore.

Jayanna.B

Hello C195Ikon,

Thank God I did went thru your posting otherwise I would have taken Bangalore-Mangalore route to reach Gokarna which I am planning to visit in Ist or 2nd week of Sep'09 on self-driven car.

If you can share some information please post me which is the best route to reach Gokarna from Bangalore.

If possible any other interesting places which I can cover en-route.

Hope to receive your resonse! Thanks

Jay

c195ikon

Dear Jayanna,
A straighforward route ( at this point in time given road conditions ) is Bangalore - Tumkur-Tiptur-Shimoga-Sagar-Manki-Honnavar-Gokarna. while on this route, I would highly recommend a short diversion at Sagar to the majestic Jog falls. The rains this season have ensured a good view.

On your way back, I would suggest a slight twist in the tale. You can do Gokarna-Murudeshwara-(Kollur?)- Kundapura- Udupi ( Sri Krishna temple) -Hebri - Agumbe - Shimoga-Bangalore. If you have the luxury of time, I would recommend that you break the journey at Udupi and continue the next day.This route ensures a mix of Beaches , Temples and a fun filled( but tricky) Agumbe ghat section.

Jayanna.B

Hi c195ikon,

Thank you very much for the response.

I will go as per your guidelines. I think that is the best u have offered & earlier I was with little confusion of messing up with Mangalore, Karwar, Sirsi, banavasi & what not?

Now You have made my mind clear & the possible iternary would be as under:

Ist day - Leave early Bengalore & reach Gokarna by 7 (after glimpse of Jog) & halt at Gokarna.

2nd day - visit temples, beaches & halt at Gokarna

3rd day - Leave early Gokarna, murudeshwara, kollur, kundapur & halt at Udupi

4th day - Leave early & back to bangalore.

Few more Qs:

Kundapur is a via route only or any sight seeing place exists ?
Being 'am an average driver can I really manage Agumbe ghats ?

Please give me your feedback. Your valuable suggestions & guidelines are most welcome.

Once again thanks,

Jay

c195ikon

Dear Jay,

Glad to be of help.

The iternary you have drawn up is realistic and comprehensive.Couple of pointers and answers to your questions...

3rd day - Leave early Gokarna, murudeshwara, kollur, kundapur & halt at Udupi
Ensure that you leave Gokarna early morning to Murudeshwara as the next stop ( Kollur) has a time restriction on the temple doors being open. It closes by 1 or 1:30 pm. Recommend a 7 am start from Gokarna, go to Murudeshwara ( a 45 min drive on NH 17)-darshan at temple followed by b/fast. The beach there is lovely but the waters are treacharous...Do not attempt to go in! Continue driving upto Byndoor on NH 17. Take left turn there to Kollur.Following temple darshan at Kollur, drive to Kundapur by taking the Vandse route.
Kundapur has the major attraction of the beach (Koni) and the Mahaganapathi temple at Kumbashi...both enroute towards Udupi. If you have the luxury of time you can visit them. Kumbashi is more easier to do as it just 500 m from the NH. But if you want to stick to plan, you should try to reach Udupi before dusk to see the Sri Krishna temple ( suddenly this trip seems to be a very religious one!!). The Malpe-furtado beach is also 4 kms from Udupi and can serve as a sun downer activity.

4th day - Leave early & back to bangalore.
An alternate route to Udupi -Agumbe-Shimoga is the Udupi-Karkala-Sringeri- Shimoga route ( more religious!). But nevertheless , Agumbe is do-able even for average drivers....keep a normal speed in the ghats, ensure all fluids levels in the car are ok and, yes , give enough space for the cheeky private mini buses to pass through. Thye are experts on this route and will fight their way through.Both the above routes converge at Tirthahalli enroute to Shimoga

BTW, what car are you driving in?

Jayanna.B

Dear c195ikon,


It is indeed wonderful inputs from you. It has served my purpose. We are going by Santro.

As you suspect the trip is turning around religious one only!

Moreover I have plans to visit the same stretch by further extending it to Karwar & Goa etc., but with freinds down the line 2-3 months later.

Anyway, that is too far to think off!

Hopefully this plan of first week-Sep'09 will go well provided swine-flu problem should not crop up seriously.

Once again thanks for your help.


Jay

wanderingSoul

Hi Lozza84,

Although its monsoon time, the rains are not as expected this year. It is bad news for farmers but the rains are pleasant enough for tourists..
Just Last week i was on a road trip to jog falls and chikmagalur area for 2 days. We started from Bangalore and covered approx 1000kms. It was lovely.. the rains were never a hindrance if at all it rained . From Jog Falls you can proceed further to Honnemardu(Beautiful Backwaters where you can take your car) and proceed further ahead to Karwar or Goa.

You can find a picture of Jog Falls during my visit here ponderingmusings.blogspot.com

Cheers,
Neelima.

__________________
Happiness is only real when shared - Chris McCandless
My Travel blog - ponderingmusings.blogspot.com

lovesIndia

The weather in Kundapur was very bad last month, but September will not have much rains. The whole place will look very green and beautiful. Lots of waterfalls will be at their best.

BSB

Jay and c195ikon - A small point to note here. I had taken the Karkala - Kerekatte - Sringeri route in January in my Swift. The road was virtually non-existent for about 20 KMs from the Dakshina Kannada border towards Kerekatte and my new car took quite a beating . I am not sure if it has been repaired; but knowing the pace of NH work, very unlikely!

Jay, you are better off taking the Udupi - Hebri - Agumbe route. If you wish to visit Sringeri, you can take a detour at Agumbe (~25 Kms).

Jayanna.B

Hello BSB,

Thanks for your input & I value your 'concern'. Definitely I will skip that bad stretch.

Best Regards,
Jay

nomad_v

Hi c195ikon

I am travelling from Chennai to kollur in the last week of september and would be doing the kodachadri trek. After that I plan to go to maravanthe.

Could you help me on that. I found that there is a turtle bay resort at trasi village, maravanthe. Is there any other place to stay?

Is there any bus transport from kollur to maravanthe? what would be the best way to reach?

If this post is unrelated to the thread kindly reply to vishnuvm1@yahoo.com

Thanks
Vishnu