[inteldriver]

hi i am travelling from mumbai to manali in my skoda superb on this tuesday 17th may.
the plan is as follows:
17th may mumbai to udaipur
18th may udaipur to chandigarh
19th may chandigarh to manali.
wanted the following information/advice:
1. how is road and traffic conditions on the road?
2. i would be driving to rohtang pass, any special care to be taken while driving at high altitudes.
3. is the abovementioned travel plan feasible?
4. while travelling from udaipur to chandigarh can i avoid delhi?

[Turbanator]

17th may mumbai to udaipur
18th may udaipur to chandigarh
19th may chandigarh to manali.

First Day will require travel of at least 14-16 Hours depending on the time you start , HVK & team did this in about 12 hours as they started at 3 :00 AM

Udaipur to Jaipur - about 5 Hours - Jaipur - Delhi - 5 -6 hours - Delhi - Chandigarh - 5 hours so again around 15 - 17 hours

Follow Udaipur - Bhilwara - Kishangarh route only . NH8 is bit shorter but 2 lane on Udaipur - Ajmer section choked with truckers .
Chandigarh - Manali - doable in less than 7 - 8 hours

So I will advise you to target delhi or at Panipat on Day 2 instead of Chandigarh and then on 3rd Day you can easily do Panipat or even delhi to Manali in 12 Hours , better stay somewhere on Highway after crossing delhi so that you start fresh , you can stay in Haryana Tourism hotel at Rai or in Panipat in tourism or private Hotels .

Rohtang Pass - Did you checked on this , i dont think its going to get open any time soon - have a look -
Manali - Leh road status 2011 - Page 35 - India Travel Forum, BCMTouring

any special care to be taken while driving at high altitudes

You will have to drive carefully on Kulu - Manali sections as roads are not very good - only worry can be low ground clearance - i dont have experience about Superb so really cant comment but you have to be careful for this part only - rest nothing to worry ..

[bikxsans660]

Originally Posted by inteldriver

19th may chandigarh to manali.
wanted the following information/advice:
1. how is road and traffic conditions on the road?
2. i would be driving to rohtang pass, any special care to be taken while driving at high altitudes.

1. Chandigarh to Manali would take you at least 5-7 hours by car. NH21.
2. There might be a chance of Rain/Sleet near Manali.
3. Umpteen number of dhabas en route near Mandi.
4. Numerous state and local buses ply on that highway, and mind you me, they are very rough on the curves and blind zones, an outsider would easily get mauled by their sense of driving. Be Careful when tackling them.
5. Manali - Rohtang road AFAIK is in bad (not worse) shape, there were speculations about snow last week.
6. Please carry cash for non-ATM survival times.

[hvkumar]

I think your timings are very aggressive unless you are a regular long-distance driver and are prepared for very early morning departures (say, 4 am).

Bombay to Udaipur is going to be tough in view of the massive choke-ups on NH8 due to road widening work till Surat. The Narmada River jam between Ankleshwar and Bharuch (6 kms long, 1-2 hours) can be overcome only if you take the road through the 2 towns via the old "Golden Bridge".

Day 2 is also not easy because the Jaipur-DElhi sector is also a big mess currently.

I would suggest you go via Delhi only and not take any short-cuts via Rewari to Panipat. Better to stick to the 4-laned well-marked highways of NH8 and NH1.

NH1 is also a mess due to widening beyond Panipat and you are likley to get slowed down.

Please avoid Chandigarh and bypass by taking the Ambala-Banur-Kharar route. You can stay at HPTDC at either Swarghat or Bilaspur.

Rohtang Pass is always a mess, people leave as early as 5 am from their hotels in Manali to get there but still on coming back you can get stuck in traffic jams. Overall, an unpleasant situation to be in Manali in peak holiday season.

You can refer the attached file which has the detailed route plan for Bombay-Manali. Please note specially the way to get around Ahmedabad and bypassing Chandigarh

[rajcs]

[quote=inteldriver;
1. how is road and traffic conditions on the road?
2. i would be driving to rohtang pass, any special care to be taken while driving at high altitudes.
[/QUOTE]


Been to Manali on 27 Apr in my Fabia. Rohtang pass was closed. You could only drive up to Gulaba (snow point) about 12 km from Manali.

Road conditions:
NH1: Lot of diversions in Panipat - Ambala stretch due to road widening. Ambala to Chandigarh is good. Delhi - Chandigarh can be done under 4 hrs.
NH21: Chandigarh to Bilaspur is patchy. Bilaspur to Kullu is excellent and stretch from Mandi to Bhuntar breathtaking with Beas river in company.
Kullu to Manali road is virtually being reconstructed. You could route through Naggar from Bhuntar - slightly longer but better road with thin traffic.
Manali to Solang is poor condition - but Solang to Gulaba is excellent. However, too many vehicles at snow point (Gulaba) leading to traffic jams.
Wish you a safe and memorable journey

[rajcs]

Chandigarh to Manali would take 8 hrs

[tsk1979]

I think those coming from Mumbai to HP should take a look at the alternate route trough NH15.
I drove on this highway near Gujrat, as well as near Bikaner, and its a delight.
Jaipur-Delhi and Delhi-chd sections are nightmares due to road construction and 6 laning.
Through rajasthan, the roads will be empty, and the roads in south Punjab are also totally devoid of traffic and have good surface.

[motionfreak]

Should I drive to Manali from Mumbai in first week of March?
How's the weather there? Different weather forecast websites arr showing different temperatures.

I'm confused between Manali and Munnar.
In Southern states , a friend warned me, the police may harass me as I'll be driving my friend's Maharashtra reg car. I have the power of attorney for that car from him.
Will it be same for RTOs enroute Manali?

[abhypras]

Hi Friends,

I am planning a road trip from Mumbai to Himachal Pradesh - manali and back in the month of November 2019.

The route i intend to follow till Amritsar is the one suggested by Google maps - Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Mount Abu - Pali - Sujangarh - Hanumangarh - Bhatinda - Amritsar.

I would need your help with respect to quality of roads and if i need to take a different route.

Total distance till Amritsar is around 1700 kms. Intend to drive approx 900-1000 kms on day 1 and balance on day 2. With this logic i should reach near Sujangarh on day 1.

I drive a Hyundai Verna 1.6 VTVT - Petrol manufactured in 2014. The car is in a good shape and have no issues with respect to the car.

Further, i intend to visit Dalhousie - Dharamshala and Manali in HP. Any feedback on the road conditions in HP will be great.

[RajeevSharma]

There is no need to travel to Amritsar unless you want to do a sightseeing tour there or have some family member. I would suggest that you do:

Mumbai - Baroda - Godhra -Shmalaji - Udaipur - Nathdawara - Ajmer - Jaipur - Panipat - Ambala - Kharar - Ropar -Sundernagar - Mandi - Manali route.

This section has better facilities and wide roads for most part.

You can reach there with two brakes in between. First one at Ajmer and second one at Anandpur Sahib or after corssing Swarghat.

Originally Posted by abhypras

Hi Friends,

I am planning a road trip from Mumbai to Himachal Pradesh - manali and back in the month of November 2019.

The route i intend to follow till Amritsar is the one suggested by Google maps - Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Mount Abu - Pali - Sujangarh - Hanumangarh - Bhatinda - Amritsar.

I would need your help with respect to quality of roads and if i need to take a different route.

Total distance till Amritsar is around 1700 kms. Intend to drive approx 900-1000 kms on day 1 and balance on day 2. With this logic i should reach near Sujangarh on day 1.

I drive a Hyundai Verna 1.6 VTVT - Petrol manufactured in 2014. The car is in a good shape and have no issues with respect to the car.

Further, i intend to visit Dalhousie - Dharamshala and Manali in HP. Any feedback on the road conditions in HP will be great.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by abhypras

The route i intend to follow till Amritsar is the one suggested by Google maps - Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Mount Abu - Pali - Sujangarh - Hanumangarh - Bhatinda - Amritsar.

Below should be faster route ( Mount Abu should be Abu Road unless you specifically have plans to go)

Ahmedabad - AbuRoad- Pali- Ajmer- Kishangarh- Hanumangarh- Bhatinda


https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ahme...d30.210994!3e0

Beyond Bhatinda to Amritsar it's a new highway - maximum 3 Hours

Total distance till Amritsar is around 1700 kms. Intend to drive approx 900-1000 kms on day 1 and balance on day 2. With this logic i should reach near Sujangarh on day 1.

Will depend on what time you start from Mumbai. I will suggest a stop near Ajmer/ Kishangarh will be possible.

i intend to visit Dalhousie - Dharamshala and Manali in HP. Any feedback on the road conditions in HP will be great.

Amritsar - Pathankot is 4 laned and beyond regular mountain roads.

[RJ2285]

Hi

I am currently planning a road trip from Mumbai to Manali in my 2016 Honda City i-vtec V MT in the month of May 2021.

The plan is as follows:

Day 1 - Mumbai to Udaipur
Day 2 - Udaipur to Chandigarh
Day 3 - Chandigarh to Manali.


The road conditions would have changed in comparison to 2011 - 2014.

Seek the following information/advice:

1. How is road and traffic conditions on the road?
2. Any special care to be taken while driving at high altitudes.
3. Is the abovementioned travel plan feasible?
4. While travelling from Udaipur to Chandigarh can i avoid Delhi?

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by RJ2285

Hi

I am currently planning a road trip from Mumbai to Manali in my 2016 Honda City i-vtec V MT in the month of May 2021.

The plan is as follows:

Day 1 - Mumbai to Udaipur
Day 2 - Udaipur to Chandigarh
Day 3 - Chandigarh to Manali.


The road conditions would have changed in comparison to 2011 - 2014.

Seek the following information/advice:

1. How is road and traffic conditions on the road?
2. Any special care to be taken while driving at high altitudes.
3. Is the abovementioned travel plan feasible?
4. While travelling from Udaipur to Chandigarh can i avoid Delhi?

This is the route I took in Oct. 2020.

Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Mahesana - Beawar - Western peripheral expressway - Panipat - Manali.

This bypasses Udaipur and the bad roads around. Roads from Bilaspur to Manali are in bad shape.

This route can be done in 24 hours with two drivers.

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

This is the route I took in Oct. 2020.

Mumbai - Ahmedabad - Mahesana - Beawar - Western peripheral expressway - Panipat - Manali.


This route can be done in 24 hours with two drivers.

In my case, I will be travelling with my wife and my 6 year old daughter and I will be the solo driver.

1. Where would you suggest me to halt on day 1?
2. Also day 2, my initial plan was to halt at Chandigarh, but based on your suggestion I will drive through Panipat. Good stays there?
3. On day 3, I have planned a 4 hours drive to Shimla, stay there for a day, explore and move up to kullu. Manali on google maps shows 40mins from kullu. Is it advisable to stay at kullu and drive up to explore Manali or vice-versa?

Your suggestion above is valuable. Seek more inputs. Thanks.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by RJ2285

In my case, I will be travelling with my wife and my 6 year old daughter and I will be the solo driver.

1. Where would you suggest me to halt on day 1?
2. Also day 2, my initial plan was to halt at Chandigarh, but based on your suggestion I will drive through Panipat. Good stays there?
3. On day 3, I have planned a 4 hours drive to Shimla, stay there for a day, explore and move up to kullu. Manali on google maps shows 40mins from kullu. Is it advisable to stay at kullu and drive up to explore Manali or vice-versa?

Your suggestion above is valuable. Seek more inputs. Thanks.

Since you are a solo driver, then you can do it in 3 breaks. Start early AM on the first day and stretch till sunset. You should reach somewhere ahead of Ahmedabad. Halts depends on your families capacity and of course your driving capacity.

No point in staying at Kullu. Drive straight to Manali. Also watch out for roads from Bilaspur to Manali. They are pathetic.