Kolkata-Jaipur Information required

[black_panther]

I am planning a road trip to Rajasthan from 18th September onwards. The route I am looking forward to is as follows:

Kolkata-Varanasi-Agra-Jaipur-Ajmer-Udaipur-Kota-Jhansi-Kanpur-Gaya-Kolkata.

It will be mostly GQ and East-West Corridor drive.

I am the lone driver and I will be driving my 2009 Aveo.

I prefer daytime driving (4:00 AM to 6:00 PM)and reach the destination before sundown.

All inputs regarding road conditions, places to visit on the way, food , stops , hotels are welcome.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

From Kona turn right and keep driving on and on and on . Road condition is excellent, except for one small stretch in Jharkhand near Parasnath and then the Allahabad town itself (the bypass is still not ready). There are lots of posts now on this section and good information is available. Notable are HV Kumar's and SS Traveller's travelogues.
Unless you want to specifically visit Varanasi, on day one try to pull it off upto Allahabad, rather than Varanasi because all the hotels of Varanasi are quite far from the highway and Varanasi is frightfully crowded.
Please remember the new GQ is not shown in most of the maps available in the country. What they show as NH2 is the old GT Road. Most towns on the route are to the right of the GQ and to the left of GT Road. Please remember this very well while trying to find a town on the GQ, otherwise you will be completely lost and in fact sometimes in dangerous territory.

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

From Kona turn right and keep driving on and on and on .

I will take the Belgharia Expressway route till Dankuni

Road condition is excellent, except for one small stretch in Jharkhand near Parasnath

I have driven upto Gaya last August. It was a 30 km bad stretch. Any update on that patch?

and then the Allahabad town itself (the bypass is still not ready). There are lots of posts now on this section and good information is available. Notable are HV Kumar's and SS Traveller's travelogues.
Unless you want to specifically visit Varanasi, on day one try to pull it off upto Allahabad, rather than Varanasi because all the hotels of Varanasi are quite far from the highway and Varanasi is frightfully crowded.

Yes. I too was thinking of Allahabad instead of Varanasi after reading some of the posts. I have gone through HV Kumar's GQ and EW Corridor logs extensively. But I am not sure whether I will be able to make it upto Allahabad in one day taking into consideration the incomplete Allahabad Bypass.

Any suggestion on hotels close to Varanasi Bypass?

Please remember the new GQ is not shown in most of the maps available in the country. What they show as NH2 is the old GT Road. Most towns on the route are to the right of the GQ and to the left of GT Road. Please remember this very well while trying to find a town on the GQ, otherwise you will be completely lost and in fact sometimes in dangerous territory.

I usually go through the google maps, where the old GT Road is marked as NH2. Today I found that the Varanasi Bypass starts before Mughal Sarai and is not marked on the map. Kanpur has an elevated Bypass.
Any other place where the GQ is not well documented?

[hvkumar]

You can easily reach Allahabad the same day. I believe Allahabad bypass is now complete. Varanasi bypass is hopeless, nothing of any significance, you may have to go inside town for acco.

Mughal Sarai does not come on the current GQ road, the road turns off just before the Ganga bridge when you are coming from Cal.

Kanpur elevated road is 25 kms long and there are no turn offs till the end.

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

You can easily reach Allahabad the same day. I believe Allahabad bypass is now complete. Varanasi bypass is hopeless, nothing of any significance, you may have to go inside town for acco.

Is Allahabad bypass a complete new road that bypasses the town?
If so, where can I get accomodation near the bypass?
Do I touch the Allahabad town if I take the bypass?

[hvkumar]

No, the bypass is completely a new road and goes nowhere near town. There will be absolutely no facilities. I think the bypass itself is some 3-35 kms long, although I have not gone on it. So, if you are contemplating staying over in Allahabad, you must take the road int the city.

[black_panther]

The NHAI shows Allahabad Bypass as incomplete. Any update whether this Bypass is motorable or not?

I have two options, at present.

1)In case I can take the Allahabad bypass, I will halt at Varanasi for the night. I will have to get into the Varanasi town, but then we can spend some time near the Ganges, provided we reach early.

2)Forced to drive into the Allahabad town (in case of incomplete bypass). In this case, I will start a bit early from kolkata and reach Allahabad at day end and halt the night in the town.

Any other suggesstion regarding night halt would be of great help.

[pkumar]

@hvkumar : The Allahabad BP is towards the west of the city ?
Approximately how many kms before the city does the BP fork out, if one is coming from Kanpur side ?

[Sudipto-S-Team]

I think the latest among us to do this stretch is SS and Tirthankar. Either of them should be able to give you the best dope on the road condition. Shoot a PM. The incomplete stretch of Parasnath is still incomplete SS had said, and Allahabad bypass being still incomplete you have got to drive through the town, which gives you a good option for hotels.
I guess you should decide on Allahabad or Varanasi once you reach Varanasi. If you really have to stay in Varanasi then so be it. It's congested all right but not impossible. The entry into Varanasi is not well marked. We entered through a point after crossing the river. It is also possible to enter the town before crossing the river.

[hvkumar]

When you are coming from Kanpur, the Allahabad bypass begins 24 kms before Civil Lines (in Allahabad), or approximately 5 kms before the Bamrauli Air Force Station.

It ends 30 kms after the River Ganga bridge inside Allahabad (near Sangam).

When we did the GQ Drive last year, the bypass was incomplete and the co-ordinates I mentioned are from my notings in my log book where I saw the bypass ends. I heard that the bypass is complete now, but have no confirmation.

NHAI web-site is ridiculous, shows roads that are incomplete as complete, and maybe vice versa too!

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

I guess you should decide on Allahabad or Varanasi once you reach Varanasi. If you really have to stay in Varanasi then so be it. It's congested all right but not impossible.

Thanks for your advice. I am also planning the same.

The entry into Varanasi is not well marked. We entered through a point after crossing the river.

I am also planning the same. From google maps, I found the entry into Varanasi after crossing the river, through a road that runs behind the BHU.
The Hotels are located about 6-7 KM from this entry. Please confirm.

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

When you are coming from Kanpur, the Allahabad bypass begins 24 kms before Civil Lines (in Allahabad), or approximately 5 kms before the Bamrauli Air Force Station.

It ends 30 kms after the River Ganga bridge inside Allahabad (near Sangam).

When we did the GQ Drive last year, the bypass was incomplete and the co-ordinates I mentioned are from my notings in my log book where I saw the bypass ends.

I heard that the bypass is complete now, but have no confirmation.

I was speaking to my uncle at Delhi a week ago and he also had the same information that the bypass is complete. But he also could not confirm.

If anybody have any update regarding the bypass, please let us know.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

NHAI web-site is ridiculous, shows roads that are incomplete as complete, and maybe vice versa too!

Agreed.

[black_panther]

Here is my initial draft of the plan.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1250930098

Please suggest whether the estimates are realistic or not.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by black_panther

Here is my initial draft of the plan.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1250930098

Please suggest whether the estimates are realistic or not.

Fuel is cheaper in Jharkhand, may be a better idea to refuel after crossing WB border instead of at Asansol.

Varanasi-Agra is 630 kms, not 577 as you have stated.

No petrol pumps in Kanpur BP unless you t
take the road beneath the elevated road (where there are many), but that will mean you will have to drive in narrow roads beneath the elevated road for 25 kms.

On the way from Ajmer to Udaipur, you have the Nathdwara Temple - one of the holiest of Krishna temples, just 55 kms short of Udaipur on NH8

Facilities between Kota and Jhansi are very very poor. Refuel in advance.

Please avoid driving between Shivpuri and Bhognipur Crossing at night.

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Fuel is cheaper in Jharkhand, may be a better idea to refuel after crossing WB border instead of at Asansol.

I will take a note. I thought of taking the brakfast at Asansol IOC PP. It has got decent facilites.

Last August, when I went to Gaya I found that not too many PP have Petrol between Dhanbad and Gaya.

Refuelling at Dhanbad can be an option.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Varanasi-Agra is 630 kms, not 577 as you have stated.

Thanks. Mistake identified.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

No petrol pumps in Kanpur BP unless you t
take the road beneath the elevated road (where there are many), but that will mean you will have to drive in narrow roads beneath the elevated road for 25 kms.

I will visit my relatives at Kanpur on my way back.
So, I'll not take the road beneath on the way to Agra. I need to find some PP nearby , as I usually refuel at half full tank for my own mental satisfaction.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

On the way from Ajmer to Udaipur, you have the Nathdwara Temple - one of the holiest of Krishna temples, just 55 kms short of Udaipur on NH8

Thanks. I'll surely try to visit the temple.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Facilities between Kota and Jhansi are very very poor. Refuel in advance.

Please avoid driving between Shivpuri and Bhognipur Crossing at night.

You have told me regarding this in the other thread. As per your advice, I have planned to refuel at Kota.

Your EW log shows a lot of PP between Jhansi and Aat. Can these be an re-fuel option?