Mumbai to Trivandrum via Goa in an Accent

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

(unless you do it at night), medium to good speeds from Calicut to Trichur, VERY VERY slow speeds from Trichur to Cochin, Good speeds from Cochin to Kollam, Medium to slow speeds from Kollam to Attingal, Good speeds upto Trivandrum

The idealroute is to avoid Trissur and continue on Nh17 from Kozhikode through Kottakal/Ponnani to Kodungalur, Paravaur and reach Ernakulam/Kochi at Kalamaserry, from where you can directly link up to NH47 bypass. This route has less traffic although approaching Ernakulam (after Kodungallur, there are several towns), traffic intensity does increase. You can be spared the Trissur city traffic which you have to face if you come from Kunnamkulam through Trissur and Chalakudy.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

The idealroute is to avoid Trissur and continue on Nh17 from Kozhikode through Kottakal/Ponnani to Kodungalur, Paravaur and reach Ernakulam/Kochi at Kalamaserry, from where you can directly link up to NH47 bypass. This route has less traffic although approaching Ernakulam (after Kodungallur, there are several towns), traffic intensity does increase. You can be spared the Trissur city traffic which you have to face if you come from Kunnamkulam through Trissur and Chalakudy.

Yes, post-October, avoid Trichur - EKM highway. The fourlaning has commenced from Angamally, and might be on full swing by December, when he proposes to travel.


And, kumar, there is a slight correction here - NH 17 now reaches Edappally byepass junction direct - there is a new bridge (since 3-4 years) at Varappuzha, so you reach Ernakulam (Edappaly, to be accurate) direct from Parur. The stretch from Varappuza to Edappally is worse than a ghat road, btw. No steep climbing though - only narrow roads with sharp hairpins. I call the stretch from Kodungallur to Edappaly the Notional HIghway NH 17. That is why I suggest to do this stretch during night, when the traffic would be low.

In short, once you enter NH17, stick to it till Edappally.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Yes, post-October, avoid Trichur - EKM highway. The fourlaning has commenced from Angamally, and might be on full swing by December, when he proposes to travel.


And, kumar, there is a slight correction here - NH 17 now reaches Edappally byepass junction direct - there is a new bridge (since 3-4 years) at Varappuzha, so you reach Ernakulam (Edappaly, to be accurate) direct from Parur. The stretch from Varappuza to Edappally is worse than a ghat road, btw. No steep climbing though - only narrow roads with sharp hairpins. I call the stretch from Kodungallur to Edappaly the Notional HIghway NH 17. That is why I suggest to do this stretch during night, when the traffic would be low.

In short, once you enter NH17, stick to it till Edappally.

Thanks, I had also meant that same junction - sorry, thought that junction was Kalamaserry. Yes, I have been travelling on the Varapuzha bridge (I have even taken the ferry in the earlier days to cross!). As you mentioned, the NOTional Highway is quite scary for the first-time driver through Kerala roads, best done at night.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Thanks, I had also meant that same junction - sorry, thought that junction was Kalamaserry. Yes, I have been travelling on the Varapuzha bridge (I have even taken the ferry in the earlier days to cross!). As you mentioned, the NOTional Highway is quite scary for the first-time driver through Kerala roads, best done at night.

4 laning or otherwise, one tends to lose quite a lot of time using the Kodungallur route (NH 17) because of the way the highway meanders through the backyards of houses after Kodungallur. I would therefore suggest going via Trichur - if done at night, the drive thru Trichur town can be done pretty fast. Any time lost on the 4-laning is easily made up on the completed 4-lane stretch from Angamaly to Cochin.

I've used both alternatives quite a few times to find the best route, and I still find NH47 to be a better option - WITH all the traffic on it.

[tmanish76]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I think his query stems from the fact that he is new to driving and he wants to know whether there are any specific nuances that he may keep in mind during this season while on the road in a car.

By the way, while coming back from Goa, crossing the Amboli ghat section and till Belgaum I faced tremendous fog early mornings. In fact I was zapped! It was peak summer and I was clueless (I still am) where all that fog was coming in from. The fog was so dense that the headlight was almost bouncing back, so dipped the lights and switched on the powerful bumper fog lights...

Thanks Zappo, fog was one of my main concerns for the montgh of December. My Accent is the GLX version with the standard Fog lights. Hope they will suffice.

Thanks.....

[tmanish76]

Originally Posted by Amey

^^ Is hault in kolhapur necessary ? because Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur is approx. 450 kms. max.
Pune -Kolhapur is hardly 2.5-3 hrs. drive.Taking into consideration that Mumbai - Pune would be approx 3 hrs. drive, Mumbai -Kolhapur should be around 6-6.5 Hrs. MAX
I guess if he starts early, he can cover some more distance ?

As far as my experience goes, the quickest route i have found to Goa is this,
Pune - Kolhapur - Gagan Bawda - Vaibhavwadi - Panaji.

GaganBawda is around 65kms from kolhapur. Kolhapur to Talere is around 100 kms. You meet NH17 at Talere and then you proceed to Panaji.

Other option as mentioned above, is to take full advantage of the 4 lane road upto Hubli, then jus before the Toll, take an exit to Karwar. Hubli Karwar is around 200 Kms. From Karwar you join the NH17 and proceed.

I hope a few tips of mine are helpful.

Amey

Hey Amey,,,,

Your tips and that of the others have been really helpful. Am getting a lot of insight into the various options. Considering that I am a novice at long drives a 4 lane road would be better than winding road I do not know.

Thanks a ton....

[tmanish76]

Thanks a ton guys for all your info. Shall assimilate and decide which would be the best route.

BTW, any online maps that I can download for reference until I find the TTK or Eicher maps.

Cheers.....

[speedzak]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

4 laning or otherwise, one tends to lose quite a lot of time using the Kodungallur route (NH 17) because of the way the highway meanders through the backyards of houses after Kodungallur. I would therefore suggest going via Trichur - if done at night, the drive thru Trichur town can be done pretty fast.

Now, the Ponnani route seems to be a better option due to the massive pOthOles after Trissur towards Kuttippuram.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I've used both alternatives quite a few times to find the best route, and I still find NH47 to be a better option - WITH all the traffic on it.

When driving a BIG truck, the NH is always better option!

[kuttapan]

If you are driving in the night or early mornings, take the NH17 via Kodungallur. Good roads, though very very narrow. But it's so much fun taking those S turns on these roads. I would suggest this road even in the day because Thrissur- Kochi is totally screwed up with potholes, so avoided at best. I did Kochi Guruvayoor(90 kms in 90 minutes) via NH 17 in early morning, but took around 3 hours to come back via Thrissur in the afternoon.

[hvkumar]

By December, all roads in Kerala will be in great for, so bad roads will be no more a worry

[tmanish76]

Thanks Kumar. Will definitely let you know how the drive pans out.

Cheers.

[tmanish76]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

By December, all roads in Kerala will be in great for, so bad roads will be no more a worry

Hi,

Have finalized the following route. Would plan to start at 6pm and take a break the next day at Udupi. Resume on the third day at 4am and plan to touch Tvm at 8pm. Pls let me know if this is the safest route.

[FONT=Arial]Kandivali - 6:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Vashi - 8:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Khopoli - 8:50 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Lonavla - 9:15 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Pune - 10:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Katraj By Pass - 10:45 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Mahad - 11:30 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Khambatki Ghat - 11:50 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Mahabalesar Phata - 12:05 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Anewadi - 12:30 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Satara - Flyover 1 - 1:10 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Karad BP - 2:15 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kini - 3:10 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kolhapur[/FONT][FONT=Arial] BP - 3:30 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kognoli - 4:15 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Nippani - 4:40 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Belgaum[/FONT][FONT=Arial] BP - 6:00 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Hubli - 8:00 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Yellapur - 9:30 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Ankola - 11:00 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kumta - 12:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Honavar - 12:30 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Murudeswar - 1:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Bhatkal - 1:15 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kundapura - 2:20 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Udupi - [/FONT][FONT=Arial]3:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Mangalore BP - [/FONT][FONT=Arial]5:00 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kasargod BP - 5:50 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kanhangad BP - 6:30 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Payyanur BP - 7:00 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kannur BP - 7:45 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Talaserry - 8:15 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Mahe - 8:30 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Wadakara BP - 8:50 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kozhikode[/FONT][FONT=Arial] - [/FONT][FONT=Arial]9:45 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Feroke - 10:45 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kuttipuram BP - 11:30 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Edapal - 11:45 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Ponnani - 12:00 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Chavakkad - 12:30 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kodungallur - 1:30 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Paravur - 1:50 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Ernakulam – Vytilla - [/FONT][FONT=Arial]2:30 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Chertala - 3:45 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Alapuzha - 4:15 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kayamkulam - 5:15 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Karunagapalli - 5:45 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kollam - 6:30 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Trivandrum[/FONT][FONT=Arial] - [/FONT][FONT=Arial]8:00 PM[/FONT]

[tmanish76]

Hi,

Have finalized the following route. Would plan to start at 6pm and take a break the next day at Udupi. Resume on the third day at 4am and plan to touch Tvm at 8pm. Pls let me know if this is the safest route.

Kandivali - 6:00 PM
Vashi - 8:00 PM
Khopoli - 8:50 PM
Lonavla - 9:15 PM
Pune - 10:00 PM
Katraj By Pass - 10:45 PM
Mahad - 11:30 PM
Khambatki Ghat - 11:50 PM
Mahabalesar Phata - 12:05 AM
Anewadi - 12:30 AM
Satara - Flyover 1 - 1:10 AM
Karad BP - 2:15 AM
Kini - 3:10 AM
KolhapurBP - 3:30 AM
Kognoli - 4:15 AM
Nippani - 4:40 AM
BelgaumBP - 6:00 AM
Hubli - 8:00 AM
Yellapur - 9:30 AM
Ankola - 11:00 AM
Kumta - 12:00 PM
Honavar - 12:30 PM
Murudeswar - 1:00 PM
Bhatkal - 1:15 PM
Kundapura - 2:20 PM
Udupi - 3:00 PM
Mangalore BP - 5:00 AM
Kasargod BP - 5:50 AM
Kanhangad BP - 6:30 AM
Payyanur BP - 7:00 AM
Kannur BP - 7:45 AM
Talaserry - 8:15 AM
Mahe - 8:30 AM
Wadakara BP - 8:50 AM
Kozhikode - 9:45 AM
Feroke - 10:45 AM
Kuttipuram BP - 11:30 AM
Edapal - 11:45 AM
Ponnani - 12:00 PM
Chavakkad - 12:30 PM
Kodungallur - 1:30 PM
Paravur - 1:50 PM
Ernakulam – Vytilla - 2:30 PM
Chertala - 3:45 PM
Alapuzha - 4:15 PM
Kayamkulam - 5:15 PM
Karunagapalli - 5:45 PM
Kollam - 6:30 PM
Trivandrum8:00 PM

[mobike008]

Wow, you are going to drive non-stop from mumbai 6pm to next day 3pm? Are you sure about that? i personally feel its absolutely not possible unless your possessed.

Just curious to know, how can you pin-point the timings to quarter of an hour? So your confident nothing unforeseen is going to happen for sure

[tmanish76]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Wow, you are going to drive non-stop from mumbai 6pm to next day 3pm? Are you sure about that? i personally feel its absolutely not possible unless your possessed.

Just curious to know, how can you pin-point the timings to quarter of an hour? So your confident nothing unforeseen is going to happen for sure

Hi...Do not plan to drive nonstop. Am taking a breack at Udupi and will resume again the next morning. Had prepared the details in a spreadsheet which I could not display over here. The timings are based on the distance and an average speed of 60kph. Had calculated the same in excel.

Plan to start on 25th evening and reach by 27th evening. Total travel time would be about 50 hours and of that 37 hours would be the travel time for 1700 kms. Hope you do not feel I am possessed now.