Bangalore to Kanyakumari!

[anandbhat]

TBHPians,
We are planning to drive from Bangalore to Kanyakumari, we would start on 2nd Oct.
We will have 11 days at our disposal to spend on rode+resort

I'm thinking of following route any suggestion on the route and resort/hotel details would be of great help.
In short I want to drive on NH7 for onward and for return journey want to take coastal belt of Keral

Also, any thing that you think is worth visiting will be of great help as well.

Onward Journey:
NH7 (Hosur- Dharmapuri....)
Day 1: Drive from BLR to Yercad; Stay at Grand Palace? any other suggestion?

Day2: Sight seeing, boating in Yercad

Day3: Drive to Palani Hills NH7 till Dindigul, then NH209 till Palani)
- Plan to stay at Bison Wells Resort

Day4 & Day5: Sight seeing in Palani, trek to Kuthiraiyar Dam Falls, walk around, explore Palani

Day6: Drive to Kanyakumari, Visit Madurai (couple of temples, may be lunch, etc.) Reach Kanyakumari by night
Stay: Any suggestion?
Day7: Around Kanyakumari (Vivekananda Rock, etc.)
Any thing worth seeing in Nagercoil?

Day8: Drive on NH47 to Thrissur or Coimbatore then on NH212 or NH209 (which is better?) to Bangalore via Mysore.
What are the places to stop by on return journey through Kerala between Nagercoil and Coimbatore?

I may skip Yercad for this trip completely, to spend 5 days on return journey (will save 2 days for Yercad).

But I don't like to drive during night, so have to spend day light behind the wheels!

Thanks in advance for your help/suggestions! Will post Travelogue on return.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by anandbhat

We will have 11 days at our disposal to spend on rode+resort

I think you meant ROAD

Originally Posted by anandbhat

Onward Journey:
NH7 (Hosur- Dharmapuri....)
Day 1: Drive from BLR to Yercad; Stay at Grand Palace? any other suggestion?

Grand Palace is nice. Other options are Sterling, Hotel TN etc.

Originally Posted by anandbhat

Day2: Sight seeing, boating in Yercad

You can refer mine and dadu's travelogue for sight seeing.

Originally Posted by anandbhat

Day3: Drive to Palani Hills NH7 till Dindigul, then NH209 till Palani)
- Plan to stay at Bison Wells Resort

You need not have to go all the way to Dindigul. There is turnoff for Dharapuram from Karur itself. My map also talks of right turn about 20km before Dindigul for Palani, even I might have seen that turn during my drive there.

Originally Posted by anandbhat

Day8: Drive on NH47 to Thrissur or Coimbatore then on NH212 or NH209 (which is better?) to Bangalore via Mysore.
What are the places to stop by on return journey through Kerala between Nagercoil and Coimbatore?
I may skip Yercad for this trip completely, to spend 5 days on return journey (will save 2 days for Yercad).

I will suggest you to drop yercaud now. Any particular reasons for taking NH47 all through to CBE? Instead for the return journey try Thekkadi or Munnar. Since you are in no hurry, the drive will be scenic from TVM or Quilon to Munnar.

Originally Posted by anandbhat

Thanks in advance for your help/suggestions! Will post Travelogue on return.

Yes, will wait for it.

Abhi

[csentil]

Places near Nagercoil/Kanyakumari

Padmanabhapuram Palace in Thuckalay. 15 kms from Nagercoil.

Susindaram Temple very close to Nagercoil. Beautiful and old temple.

There is a place with a one of the highest Aqueducts in Asia. Beautiful place. Name just about eludes me. (Its the Mathur Acqueduct).

Muttom beach - very famous. Favourite of movie makers.

You'll get links for most of these places on the net or wikipedia.

[anandbhat]

Originally Posted by akroy

I think you meant ROAD

Yes Road. Sorry for the typo

Originally Posted by akroy

You can refer mine and dadu's travelogue for sight seeing.

Could you please PM me travelogue, if you don't mind. Searched through

Originally Posted by akroy

You need not have to go all the way to Dindigul. There is turnoff for Dharapuram from Karur itself. My map also talks of right turn about 20km before Dindigul for Palani, even I might have seen that turn during my drive there.

Thanks. This is very useful.

Originally Posted by akroy

I will suggest you to drop yercaud now. Any particular reasons for taking NH47 all through to CBE? Instead for the return journey try Thekkadi or Munnar. Since you are in no hurry, the drive will be scenic from TVM or Quilon to Munnar.

I think as the day is passing by, I'm thinking of doing a dedicated Yercad trip, since it is not that too far and can be a nice weekend get away!
I was thinking of not going to Munar this time and plan a separate trip during off season, as now it might be difficult to get hotel booking, etc.
Thekkadi looks interesting.

Do you mind sending me the route that you suggested above? Since this is my first trip south of Bangalore, not sure of directions/deviations...

Thanks a lot for your suggestions.

[anandbhat]

@AKRoy: Abhi, could you please give me the link to your travelogue? I searched all threads started by you, was not sure of which one is the right one.

[anandbhat]

@csentil: Thanks a lot for the suggestion. After checking on net, I found that these are additional must see places around Kanyakumari.

[anandbhat]

Hi BHPians,
Thanks Sentil and Abhi for your input.

I have come up with a travel plan now, to drive to Kanyakumari and Back.
I did good amount of research on net and thought I should share this here.

See attached XLS for detailed plan.

Any feedback suggestion most welcome!!

Cheers,
Anand.

[anandbhat]

Sorry, My previous post missed attachment I guess.
Attaching with this post.

[sbr1304]

hello TeamBHPians.
any idea if the road is still in good conditions..am planning for a 9 day trip during month end, pls suggest

[mjothi]

Road tlll toppur is in very good shape. 4 lanes are almost done till karur. After dindigul and reaching paravai &crossing Madurai is all 2 lane roads. So, caution required.

Not sure of after Madurai.

[PRADEEP KUMAR]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Road tlll toppur is in very good shape. 4 lanes are almost done till karur. After dindigul and reaching paravai &crossing Madurai is all 2 lane roads. So, caution required.

Not sure of after Madurai.

Last weekend did chennai-nagerkoil -chennai for a marriage.
Madurai -kannykumari is 95% complete.
Excellent roads all the way.
tnx

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by PRADEEP KUMAR

Last weekend did chennai-nagerkoil -chennai for a marriage.
Madurai -kannykumari is 95% complete.
Excellent roads all the way.
tnx

Good to hear that. So, seems the bangy-Kanyakumari stretch will become a beautiful drive for we petrol heads

[sbr1304]

thx for your inputs , i did some search and decided on BLR-Madurai-Rameswaram-Kanyakumari-Munnar-BLR , does this sound good. has anbody done this road earlier . i am a lil doubtful about Rameswaram-Kanyakumari ..any inputs ?

[sbr1304]

Hi All,
Thanks for your inputs , i am back from the trip.
BLR-Madurai-Rameswaram-Kanyakumari-Kovalam-Munnar-BLR.

I have to mention the roads
In TN are excellent .
In Kerala are full of traffic
the newly laid ECR is beautiful too..

With directios from some locals discovered a shorter route from Rameswaram to Toothukudi while heading towards Knayakumari,. this is newly laid bypas road and it saves abt 100 kms ..
the details are attached in the xls .

[ampere]

I did Kanyakumari - Madurai - Trichy - Tanjore - Mayiladuthurai in November last year.

Had no issues whatsoever. Kanyakumar to Madurai (NH7) inspite of 4 lane conversion was amazing and so was NH45B (Madurai-Trichy). What I have not done is the Salem to Madurai NH7 stretch. Of what I hear, even that is almost complete and a breeze.