This drive takes you from palace city to coffee country, down the Western Ghats, and up the Karnataka coast to Gokarna. It is doable in one long day, but it is much better with an overnight stop on the coast.
Mysuru → Hassan → Sakleshpur → Shiradi Ghat → Mangaluru → Udupi → Kundapura → Bhatkal → Murudeshwar → Honnavar → Kumta → Gokarna. The route uses NH75 down the ghats to Mangaluru, then NH66 north along the coast for the rest of the way.
Budget around ₹3,200 to ₹3,600 one-way for a hatchback or sedan, based on roughly 15 km/l over 480 km. There are a few toll plazas on NH66, so keep FASTag topped up.
The stretch to Hassan is a good state highway. Shiradi Ghat is the slowest part, with tight bends, heavy truck traffic, and periodic repair work and closures in the monsoon. Check its status before you leave, and if it is shut, use Charmadi Ghat via Mudigere instead. NH66 along the coast is mostly a wide, four-lane highway, with some narrower patches near towns.
Udupi or Murudeshwar make a good halfway overnight if you want to split the drive. In Gokarna, beach huts and cafés around Kudle and Om beach suit backpacker crews, while Gokarna town has simpler guesthouses near the temple. Half Moon and Paradise beaches are reachable on foot or by boat for a quieter night.
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