This year, we decided to start off on the 15th of August and to kick things up a notch, or two, or three, we extended the initial plan to make this a 5 day – 4 night road trip for the ages.
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How exactly does one go about planning a sequel to an unforgettable 4-day monsoon ride that involved riding through the lush, green Western Ghats of Karnataka with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts? For one, you don’t alter the script all that much. The Western Ghats had to be the constant. The timing had to stay largely the same, as well. In 2024, we concluded our Mega Monsoon Ride (Royal Enfield Continental GT 535: Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)) on our country’s Independence Day. This year, we decided to start off on the 15th of August and to kick things up a notch, or two, or three, we extended the initial plan to make this a 5 day – 4-night road trip for the ages. This would allow us to cover more places, at a relaxed pace, that too, while getting to soak in the exquisite monsoon goodness of this gorgeous part of the country.
Last year, our group consisted of KarthikK (Yamaha FZ25), ebmrajesh (KTM Adv 390), csentil (Royal Enfield Meteor 350) and me on the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535. For 2024, the revised group lineup consisted of KarthikK (Yamaha FZ25), ebmrajesh (KTM Adv 390), CrAzY dRiVeR (Yamaha Aerox 155, you read that right!) and me on the Suzuki GSXRRRRRRRR 250. Due to unforeseen circumstances, experienced motorcycle enthusiast ebmrajesh had to drop out of what promised to be an epic monsoon ride. I’m sure that you will see him featured in the 2025 edition of the Mega Monsoon Ride (Part Tres) though his motorcycle of choice will likely not be orange flavoured.
Initially, our resident trip planner extraordinaire, KarthikK devised the following agenda
- Day 1 (Aug 15) : Bangalore – CR Patna – Arsikere – Shimoga – Sagara – Talavata (438 km)
- Day 2 (Aug 16) : Sagara – Hosanagar – Kollur – Hebri – Agumbe (235 km)
- Day 3 (Aug 17) : Agumbe – Sringeri – Kudremukh – Samse – Kalasa – Thangaali (126 km)
- Day 4 (Aug 18) : Thangaali – Kelagur – Kottigehara – Banakal – Charmadi ghat – Ujire – Kadaba – Panja – Guttigar – Sampaje – Madikeri (226 km)
- Day 5 (Aug 19) : Madikeri – Kote Betta – Somwarpet – Handahalli – Bisle ghat – Kudrasthe – Echalapura – Ballupet – Hassan – Bangalore (345 km)
Our faith in KarthikK’s meticulous planning and hotel booking skills is so boundless, that none of us questioned what had been originally proposed or the suggested changes and what we eventually ended up with. Needless to say, this trip would not have been possible without all the endless research, phone calls, hotel comparisons, advance payments, and on the fly route revisits that were made by KarthikK.
With the introduction out of the way, lets get down to the day wise updates of this 5-day fun-filled escapade from our reality which ended up being exactly 1209 kilometers long
Trainspotting
Endless Acres Of Coffee Plantations
Stopping By A Beach (Wait, What? This Wasn’t Part Of The Plan!)
Misty Forests
A Morning Stroll With An Old Friend
All Set To Return To Bangalore. Sigh!
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