Route advice: Trivandrum to Hogenakal

[GlobeTrotter]

Hi all,

Me and 3 of my friends are planning a trip to Hogenakal in February. I would like to get details on the best (or better) route to Hogenakal from Trivandrum and also nice hotels to spend the night. So the really real "GlobeTrotters" in TBhp, please help.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by GlobeTrotter

Hi all,

Me and 3 of my friends are planning a trip to Hogenakal in February. I would like to get details on the best (or better) route to Hogenakal from Trivandrum and also nice hotels to spend the night. So the really real "GlobeTrotters" in TBhp, please help.

You want to take such a long drive just for Hogenakkal falls, I would rather suggest you to do this as part of some other trip which makes you drive towards Bangalore...

Anyway, take left from dharmapuri junction, Hogenakkal falls is another 50km from there...(i hope you know the TVM - Blr route)

There is no place to stay there except the Hotel Tamil Nadu...Pls book that in advance, it remains full in weekends and facilities are also not that good...

Abhi

[hvkumar]

The route is as follows:

NH47: Trivandrum-Kollam-Alapuzha-Kochi-Trissur-Palakkad-Coimbatore-Avinashi-Perundurai-Bhavani (Off NH47)-Mettur-Toppur (NH7)-Dharmapuri (Off NH7)-Hogenekal.

Trip planning depends on your speed, I would do it in a day but that would be pretty fast. Ideally, you could halt at Coimbatore (lots of hotels, depends on budget).

There are no alternative routes to Hogenekal.

Since you are coming all the way, you may think of combining the trip with a detour to Yercaud which is 26 kms from Salem. In which case, you can return from Hogenekal via Dharmapuri, Toppur, Omalur, Salem (detour to Yercaud) and on NH47 to Coimbatore and back.

[hemanth.das]

As others have mentioned it is not worth driving all the way just to see the falls and go back, combine it with something else and then make it a worth while trip.....

By the way how many days are u planning for....

[csentil]

Can't he take Tvm - Nagerkoil - Madurai - Dindigul - Karur - Salem - Dharmapuri - Hogennakal. There is 4 laning going on in this route till Madurai but its not that bad I heard. Could save him from the bad roads in Kerala section.

You have decent hotels in Salem. Would be advisable to stay there as the Tamil Nadu hotel tends to be full if not booked early.

[rippergeo]

Originally Posted by csentil

Can't he take Tvm - Nagerkoil - Madurai - Dindigul - Karur - Salem - Dharmapuri - Hogennakal. There is 4 laning going on in this route till Madurai but its not that bad I heard. Could save him from the bad roads in Kerala section.

You have decent hotels in Salem. Would be advisable to stay there as the Tamil Nadu hotel tends to be full if not booked early.

Csenthil's route advice,
i did the TVM-nagercoil-madurai stretch on new year's day- it was brilliant.
I can vouch for that section(in the daytime) but dont know beyond it
inspite of the 4laning, the diversions are well marked,downshift to 2nd or 3rd for a few seconds , slow down to 40kmph,and then you are off again chasing the horizon,good fun for speed freaks.
did TVM- nagercoil in 45 mins- frustratingly narrow roads , the road will make you take risks.
did nagercoil-madurai in 3 hrs, without taking any risks.
and cruising at 120-140 was possible in the verna. but it was nightmarish on my return trip(at night) the private buses nearly killed me twice,headon, inspite of coming to a dead stop to let them overtake some other vehicles on the opposite side.

Mr Kumar's route advice
@csenthil- amazingly, there are no bad roads in the kerala section that hvkumar has mentioned. if the route beyond coimbatore can be cleared by someother member, this will be a very good option.
(provided it's done at night)
the route upto coimbatore from TVM via cochin is now very good. did it last week.I can vouch for that too but, dont know beyond coimbatore either
TVM-cochin 3.5 hrs, cochin -CBE- 4hrs max if done at night after 10pm

if you can do Tvm-cochin-CBE early morning, ie reach CBE before 7AM, that would be perfect.


maybe one of our TN tBHPians can enlighten us about current conditions beyond CBE and madurai, it might help globetrotter decide.

[csentil]

Thanks for that mate. Great news that the Trichur - Cbe section has been relaid.

Unfortunately, Coimbatore - Avinashi - Bhavani road is also being 4 laned. Its got very heavy traffic on it. Or alternatively he can take Coimbatore - Sathy - Athani - Andiyur - Ammapet - Mettur - Mecheri - Pennagram - Hogenakal.

Hey, actually there is a road which goes from Mecheri towards Pennagram. Its a small road but is supposed to be scenic. My friend had done it on his Palio. From Pennagram, Hogennakal is very close by.