Bangalore -Madurai -Kanyakumari-Rameshwaram

[armumbai]

Say guys, I am travelling in the South during Jan'10 for 8 days. I know that this is an ownership site and supports individual driver experience. Nevertheless. I am writing here inspite of the fact that I will be doing this travel in a private cab. I reckon that eventhough I will be driving myself, backside is as much a driving experience as the real thing. Anyway I plan on taking a train to Trivandrum and starting my journey from there. The trip will be Trivandrum to Kanyakumari to Rameswaram to Madurai to Thekkady to Munnar to Cochin and a flight back to Mumbai.
I am really keen on any member updating me on road conditions as they are on this stretch. Which stretch would have the worst roads to look out for and where would it be very smooth. There are no recent threads (post Sept '09) on this subject and even the threads I have gone through do not really spell out great details on the roads conditions. Whether the roads are broken or are smooth tarmac? Has any new work been done? Has the Coastal road been repaired and is now usable? All this alongwith information on great roadside eateries enroute would really help.

[Ketan]

Hi Guys,

I will start for Rameshwaram on December 10th, I want to be there before 7PM so that I can receive my parents arriving there directly from Gujarat. We have a plan to go around some places in Rameshwaram next day and then want to plan another day or two for places around. I have Kanyakumari in my mind and Madurai on our return trip.

Can someone guide me with the exact route if I plan for Bangalore > Rameshwaram > Kanyakumar > Madurai > Bangalore!!!

Also, if someone can provide inputs on road conditions, that will help me choose the route. Interesting places around this route will be welcome, reading aobut a place Dhanushkodi, I've almost decided that I will go for it. If someone can provide me more details it will be great!!

[sachin131]

Hi Ketan,

I have travelled to Ramashwaram and Kanyakumari in the month of Sept 2009. Although i had taken the following route

Bangalore > Kanyakumari (about 700kms) - appro time taken 7hrs 50min.
Kanyakumari > Tuticurin > Rameshwaram (about 340kms) - appro time taken 5hrs
Rameshwaram > Madhurai > Bangalore - appro time taken 9hrs.

NH7 from Bangalore to Kanyakumari was is breeze, "entire stretch". Bottle necks could be Salem and the stretch between Karur and Dindidal. I never ever imagined that roads in India would be that good. To byepass Madhurai, took a deviation at about 30kms away from Madhurai, which goes to Kodai and immediately followed the sign board to Tirumangalam and then on to Kanyakumari.

Kanyakumari to Rameshwaram was through Tuticurin. Kanyakumari > Tirunelvelli > Tuticurin > Ramanathapuram > Rameshwaram. Tirunelvelli to Tuticurin (about 40kms) is a single lane road and patched up though can maintain a good speed. There are hardly any signboards in this stretch. So enquire people while travelling. Next have to navigate through tuticurin city which was horrible. Once we found our way out of the city, we found a two lane road which was just magical. Absolutely no traffic. A 120+ road. After reaching Ramanathapuram need to take a right at a T junction which will take you to Rameshwaram and the roads here also are very good.

Since u r travelling to Rameshwaram first, check out with the fellow BHPians if Madhurai can be avoided to Rameshwaram, as i did to Kanyakumari. I am not sure about the road conditions now as we had a cyclone recently.

Hope this was helpful. I am sure you will love the drive down south now. Especially the windmills (thousands of them) on the way to Kanyakumari.

Dhanushkodi should not be missed at any cost. It was mesmerising though we were there in the afternoon. Went on a 4 wheel drive (50/- return) to the sangam of Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Will try to upload few snaps of that place here.

Thanks
Sachin

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by sachin131

Hi Ketan,

I have travelled to Ramashwaram and Kanyakumari in the month of Sept 2009. Although i had taken the following route

Bangalore > Kanyakumari (about 700kms) - appro time taken 7hrs 50min.

Wow that is fast. Shows the power of Toll roads

Btw. which car was that?

[sachin131]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Wow that is fast. Shows the power of Toll roads

Btw. which car was that?

We were in a Mahindra Logan. For your information the average i had got from logan was mind blowing 23km/L

[Ketan]

Thank you for sharing that information Sachin,

It will definately be useful. Yes, I will be looking forward to BP Madurai and go straight to Rameshwaram. My second halt will be at Kanyakumari or if I can reach there early in the morning and complete places around Kanyakumari within a day. I'm yet to go thru quite a few details, let me see how it works out. I may probably use SatNav if required (probabilities that I may buy MMI with a PND since I'm tired of using my cell with SatNav - its not a clean solution).

[anainar]

Originally Posted by sachin131

Hi Ketan,

I have travelled to Ramashwaram and Kanyakumari in the month of Sept 2009. Although i had taken the following route

Bangalore > Kanyakumari (about 700kms) - appro time taken 7hrs 50min.
Thanks
Sachin

Unbelievable man!! Awesome!! I know the roads are being four laned and last September I made this trip, took me around 11 hours. Painful parts being Namakkal stretch and Dindigul Madurai 2 laned stretches. Are these roads also four laned?

Nainar

[akroy]

Originally Posted by anainar

Unbelievable man!! Awesome!! I know the roads are being four laned and last September I made this trip, took me around 11 hours. Painful parts being Namakkal stretch and Dindigul Madurai 2 laned stretches. Are these roads also four laned?

Nainar

Unbelievable indeed !! I still remember crossing Krishnagiri to Dharmapuri would take one hour for that 40km stretch with full of huge potholes .

The drive to Kodai from bangalore can be a weekend affair now.

Good going.
Abhi

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by sachin131

NH7 from Bangalore to Kanyakumari was is breeze, "entire stretch". Bottle necks could be Salem and the stretch between Karur and Dindidal. I never ever imagined that roads in India would be that good. To byepass Madhurai, took a deviation at about 30kms away from Madhurai, which goes to Kodai and immediately followed the sign board to Tirumangalam and then on to Kanyakumari.

Hi Sachin, I guess you are talking about the two lane road which comes on the right almost immediately after the Kodai road deviation where you cross a railway track and continue to thirumangalam. There is another 4-lane Madurai bypass road which starts after Samayanallur and joins before Thirumangalam. This bypass road was under construction during April-09 when I drove last. Do you have any idea if this by pass road is completed now?

[sachin131]

Originally Posted by gopikb

Hi Sachin, I guess you are talking about the two lane road which comes on the right almost immediately after the Kodai road deviation where you cross a railway track and continue to thirumangalam. There is another 4-lane Madurai bypass road which starts after Samayanallur and joins before Thirumangalam. This bypass road was under construction during April-09 when I drove last. Do you have any idea if this by pass road is completed now?

You are right Gopi. It is the same two road which crosses the railway track and then leads to either Kodaikanal or Thirumangalam (by passing Madhurai). I am sure about the 4 lone road you are talking about, as I have not gone through that road.

Originally Posted by anainar

Unbelievable man!! Awesome!! I know the roads are being four laned and last September I made this trip, took me around 11 hours. Painful parts being Namakkal stretch and Dindigul Madurai 2 laned stretches. Are these roads also four laned?

Nainar

The road deviation is especially at the entry of villages and towns, where flyovers are been constructed. 4 laning was going on at few places but deviations are few and good sign boards are put up before the deviation.